ID of Miner species, Gluepot Reserve, South Australia (1 Viewer)

[Andy Mitchell]

Can anyone ID this Miner bird species photographed at Gluepot Reserve, South Australia, last week? I would like to know if this is a Yellow-throated Miner or the much rarer Black-eared Miner, or a hybrid between the two species. I understand that hybridisation makes ID difficult so would appreciate any help.

Thanks, Andy.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

These are really hard, so I'm not surprised at the lack of responses. I fear you'll need a clearer view of the rump and the throat/breast to be sure. Certainly looks to at least have BEM influence, but maybe not dark enough on what can be seen of the sides of the rump, or what can be seen of the throat/breast. You need someone who really knows these birds, ideally with current knowledge of the extent to which dilution is effecting the birds at Gluepot. It's certainly looks closer to a BEM than anything I saw at Gluepot though 👍.

 

[Andy Mitchell]

These are really hard, so I'm not surprised at the lack of responses. I fear you'll need a clearer view of the rump and the throat/breast to be sure. Certainly looks to at least have BEM influence, but maybe not dark enough on what can be seen of the sides of the rump, or what can be seen of the throat/breast. You need someone who really knows these birds, ideally with current knowledge of the extent to which dilution is effecting the birds at Gluepot. It's certainly looks closer to a BEM than anything I saw at Gluepot though 👍.

Thanks for your reply, Larry. Unfortunately, this was the only miner we saw. It only stayed long enough at the water trough for me to take three quick photographs, and did not turn to allow me to get a good view of its throat or rump.

 

[mjh73]

Yellow-throated Miner for mine, if there are any BEM genes in it they are pretty slight.

If you want to go through and score it...... https://www.birdlife.org.au/afo/index.php/afo/article/view/773

 

[THE_FERN]

Yellow-throated Miner for mine, if there are any BEM genes in it they are pretty slight.

If you want to go through and score it...... https://www.birdlife.org.au/afo/index.php/afo/article/view/773

Thanks for that. Is there any info on the genetic distinctness of the black-eared "form"?

 

[Brian J Small]

Yellow-throated Miner for mine, if there are any BEM genes in it they are pretty slight.

If you want to go through and score it...... https://www.birdlife.org.au/afo/index.php/afo/article/view/773

This is an interesting response.

When applying the key criteria in this paper https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.202.3241&rep=rep1&type=pdf (extent of black on lores and pale rump/uppertail coverts - see table 3), the bird in OP would seem to be Black-eared.

The samples used for the scoring system in McLaughlin's paper (linked by you) are also questioned by Clarke et al.

Brian