Help with Australian Bird ID - Historic Cased Taxidermy (1 Viewer)

[dantheman]

... I think that's just clutching at straw-coloured bills ...

Presumably it is something that's faded, but might require better photos, as at a guess could be lots of things? Presume DNA would be expensive (and would that help if you don't know what comparing to in the first place?)

 

[MJB]

That species is listed in our opus as much larger 24 cm (9½ in): https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Coral-billed_Scimitar_Babbler

Niels

I take your point, but I was guessing that the bill (correct colour?) wasn't yet full size and that the tail feathers were not yet at maximum length.
MJB

 

[Andy Adcock]

Would be a helluva 'curve ball' as they, if they threw a Kiskadee in there.

 

[ButcherBabbler]

Odd one. Perhaps a shrikethrush or Australian reedwarbler that's been prepared/aged weirdly?

 

[Brian J Small]

Would be a helluva 'curve ball' as they, if they threw a Kiskadee in there.

Mistakes have been made in preparing these displays...

The raised golden yellow crest:-

https://www.prints-online.com/image/164/14214707/14214707_450_450_85249_0_fit_0_4fb5eaec673a9bdd9c7d8912e8821543.jpg

http://www.russchantler.com/gallery_7/Great%20Kiskadee%202.jpg

B

 

[Andy Adcock]

Mistakes have been made in preparing these displays...

The raised golden yellow crest:-

https://www.prints-online.com/image/164/14214707/14214707_450_450_85249_0_fit_0_4fb5eaec673a9bdd9c7d8912e8821543.jpg

http://www.russchantler.com/gallery_7/Great%20Kiskadee%202.jpg

B

So what happened to the bill if it is a Kiskadee?

 

[THE_FERN]

So what happened to the bill if it is a Kiskadee?

I can't make this into a Kiskadee and I've seen a few...

Think we have to await better photos

 

[MJB]

So what happened to the bill if it is a Kiskadee?

Could this be the Australian ornithological equivalent of the Sussex 'Piltdown Man' of the early 20th century...?

 

[KC Foggin]

Hi Hannah! Just thought I’d jump in here and wish a warm welcome to you from those of us on staff here. Hope to see more of your posts 😊. Enjoy!

 

[pshute]

I can't make this into a Kiskadee and I've seen a few...

Think we have to await better photos

The bill shape looks a better match than Strong-billed Honeyeater to me. The splash of white on the wing and the line of white across the tail might just be reflections on the glass.

 

[JWN Andrewes]

I don't know by what mechanism, but it is not unknown for old stuffed birds to end up with unexpectedly yellow bills

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I know I've also seen some odd, out of range species thrown into otherwise biogeographically homogenous selections, but didn't find any obvious examples in the very brief search that yielded up the case linked above.

Still looks like a Tyrannid to me.

 

[H.Clarke1990]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks so much for all of the replies, and the warm welcome to the forum!

Here are a few higher resolution images, I hope that they might help us to identify the mystery bird in question...

Also, just for Sicklebill, I've taken some quick snaps of the other Two Paradise Parrots in the collection. Apologies for the boxes in the background, but I don't have an ideal photography set up in the store unfortunately!

I really appreciate all of your expertise with this, and shows how important the sharing of knowledge can be in the Natural History and/ or Museum field.

Best Wishes,

Hannah

 

[rkj]

Looks to me like a faded (especially the bill) Great Kiskadee with the taxidermy messed up on the face. I can't see this as any native Australian bird or a scimitar-babbler.

 

[THE_FERN]

Well I think that confirms that it really is a Great Kiskadee with a strangely faded beak

 

[H.Clarke1990]

Hi rkj and The_Fern, yes I'd agree, it's just super faded!

The beak shape looks right and I can now see the reddish tones left in the wing feathers, albeit very faded.

How odd that it's in with a case of Australian birds though.... perhaps the taxidermist thought 'hmmm.... its just missing something!'

Lets see if everyone else in the thread agrees!

Thanks again for all of your help,

Hannah

 

[Andy Adcock]

Lets see if everyone else in the thread agrees!

Thanks again for all of your help,

Hannah

Would be hard not to.

 

[njlarsen]

Sorry for being the odd man out here, but I actually think it looks better for lesser kiskadee than for greater, both with bill shape and with overall size (GrKi should be 23-24 cm!).

Niels

 

[rkj]

Sorry for being the odd man out here, but I actually think it looks better for lesser kiskadee than for greater, both with bill shape and with overall size (GrKi should be 23-24 cm!).

Maybe, but if you stretched it straight, like the Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, it would be about the same length as that bird, which is about right for Great Kiskadee.

 

[sicklebill]

Hi rkj and The_Fern, yes I'd agree, it's just super faded!

The beak shape looks right and I can now see the reddish tones left in the wing feathers, albeit very faded.

How odd that it's in with a case of Australian birds though.... perhaps the taxidermist thought 'hmmm.... its just missing something!'

Lets see if everyone else in the thread agrees!

Thanks again for all of your help,

Hannah

Thanks very much for this Hannah, the close ups indeed reveal a Kiskadee, but what on earth is it doing in that case? We shall never know! Thank you also for the great shots of Paradise Parrot, extinct since 1926 or thereabouts and a wonderful species to have in the collection.

 

[Andy Adcock]

I think the Kiskadee should be removed, contact John Young for a replacement specimen