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One for ID from Queensland, Australia (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter aussietrev
- Start date
SueO
Well-known member
Hi Again Trev,
flhsm's id post (today)--Sydney-Australia 05, compells me to add what I was thinking earlier when I decided to go with Lemon-bellied. Ironically, he posted a nice photo of a Whistler and I was really torn between a Golden or Mangrove Whistler and the LB Flycatcher for your id. In the end, I thought the bill just didn't seem wide (substantial) enough (but it's hard to tell with pictures and angles). Also, your bird seemed to be browner than a Whistler (although immature Golden's have rufous in the wings). I should have mentioned both my thoughts the first post. After seeing flhsm's photos, I'm wrestling again.
Sue
flhsm's id post (today)--Sydney-Australia 05, compells me to add what I was thinking earlier when I decided to go with Lemon-bellied. Ironically, he posted a nice photo of a Whistler and I was really torn between a Golden or Mangrove Whistler and the LB Flycatcher for your id. In the end, I thought the bill just didn't seem wide (substantial) enough (but it's hard to tell with pictures and angles). Also, your bird seemed to be browner than a Whistler (although immature Golden's have rufous in the wings). I should have mentioned both my thoughts the first post. After seeing flhsm's photos, I'm wrestling again.
Sue
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birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
LB Fly for me
aussietrev
Well-known member
Thanks Sue and Birdboy, I'm still not sure but I managed to get some more shots of the bird today in better light and closer. It still doesn't look like the Lemon Bellied in my reference. In these shots you can see a definite buff chest, yellow rump and olive-yellow wings. Size wise, the first sight of this guy it would be easy to mistake for an Eastern Yellow Robin. If someone could point me to a definite ID comparison picture somewhere it would be appreciated.
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chowchilla
Well-known member
I'd be surprised if this didn't turn out to be a LB Flycatcher. The yellowish wash on wings and tail point to this species. The suggestion of an eyestripe is visible in the new pics and I don't think the bill is strong enough to be a Golden Whistler, plus no rufous in the wing. I'm not sure any plumage of Eastern Yellow Robin fits either; not enough yellow on the undersides.
One thing that disturbs me regarding calling this a LB Flyrobin/flycatcher is that the strongest yellow is on the undertail coverts on this bird, while the yellow is relatively weak on undertail coverts in the photos of LBF in the gallery. Especially the Queensland female of Golden Whistler would be expected to have those strongly yellow undertail coverts. I am not sure that the bird actually is a golden whistler, but I am not at all convinced it is a lemon-b F either.
cheers
Niels
cheers
Niels
SueO
Well-known member
Hi Trev,
These shots look more like a Whistler to me. The throat appears to be slightly barred and my Simpson and Day illustrates barring on female Goldens and female Mangrove Goldens; my Michael Morcombe doesn’t illustrate the slight barring. However, both show LB with white throat. Micheal Morcombe doesn't show the Whistlers with dark heads either, in fact they appear pale; Simpson and Day show darker heads like your bird. The Golden Whistler I saw in Paluma was more like the Simpson and Day book (although the one I saw had much more than a 'lemon wash' to the vent--it was bright yellow).
You mention that the size struck you as robin. The LB Flycatcher is actually a robin, with a size of 12 to 12.5 cm. The Golden Whistler is 17cm, but the Mangrove Golden is 15.5cm. Where in Queensland did you find the bird?
I found these on the net:
Lemon Bellied:
http://www.naturefocus.com.au/images/lemon-bellied_flycatcher.jpg
Golden Whistler
www.followthatbird.com.au/gwhistlerF.jpg
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SueO
Well-known member
Hi Niels,
I was thinking that a young LBF might not have much yellow on the breast yet, but show the yellow in the undertail coverts. I agree with you on your points--I was too quick on the draw with the decision on this bird.
The Golder whistler Sue linked to in post 8 is almost exactly the same as one of the images of the unknown bird (http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=137957&d=1209888876) except for the stronger yellow undertail coverts. My Pizzey & Knight shows such strong yellow undertail coverts on the female GW from QLD, while the drawing of a southern bird is close to the image Sue linked to. I think it is a Golden whistler, with Mangrove GW an outside possibility (if I remember correctly, rather difficult in QLD).
The yellow wash in the wing Chowchilla referred to may be a color cast from sunlight reflecting of leaves or the camera not getting it right in the images where it does occur; dont seem to be present in all of them.
Cheers
Niels
The yellow wash in the wing Chowchilla referred to may be a color cast from sunlight reflecting of leaves or the camera not getting it right in the images where it does occur; dont seem to be present in all of them.
Cheers
Niels
SueO
Well-known member
My Simpson and Day's illustration of Female Golden shows no yellow on the undertail coverts, but the text says that some northern birds have a lemon wash on the undertail coverts. I was a bit confused by this when I found a Golden in the rainforest near Townsville because this bird had very bright undertail coverts. (A good lesson in having several books)The Simpson and Day shows the Mangrove Golden as having a bright yellow vent, it's also smaller, and Trev described a robin sized bird--that's why I asked where he saw the bird. I'm really not sure which Whistler he has. A MG could be along the coast in QLD.
Edit: I just noticed that the MG race, robusta would be the one found in Queensland and that race does not match Trevs bird. The female has a yellow belly and black tail (Morcombe). It looks like the most likely bird is the Golden Whistler.
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aussietrev
Well-known member
Thanks guys for all your feedback and thoughts. I took this guys pics at the top of my driveway on the top end of the Gold Coast, Queensland. The property is bounded by the Albert River and has Mangroves all along it but this was taken up on the start of the ridge in the dry forest area. We do get Golden Whistler here but I haven't seen a male around or heard any calls. I'll head back into the patch if we get some sun this afternoon and see if she is still around.
This link looks fairly similar but perhaps mine is a juvenile female as the barring and eye markings don't seem as pronounced
This link looks fairly similar but perhaps mine is a juvenile female as the barring and eye markings don't seem as pronounced
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chowchilla
Well-known member
If I'd known the location, I wouldn't have pronounced it a LB Flycatcher as its range doesn't extend that far south! I tend to automatically think of Qld as my bit, sorry...
I'm so used to them up here (with strong yellow undertail coverts btw) that this bird reminded me of them straight away. Odd that the jizz should remind me so much of LBF, and the bill doesn't look strong enough to be a Golden Whistler, but that's exactly what it is... a Golden Whistler that is, as the range of Mangrove Golden doesn't extend that far south either.
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