Black-chinned Whistler
Encyclopedia
The Black-chinned Whistler (Pachycephala mentalis) is a species of bird
in the Pachycephalidae
family, which is endemic to Halmahera
and adjacent smaller islands in North Maluku
in Indonesia
. It is variably considered a subspecies
of a widespread Golden Whistler
(P. pectoralis) or treated as a separate species, but strong published evidence in favour of either treatment is limited, and further study is warranted to resolve the complex taxonomic situation.
The Black-chinned Whistler is the northernmost member of the Golden Whistler group, being bordered to the south by the Banda Sea Whistler
. The Black-chinned Whistler is relatively large, and males are white-throated, have an incomplete black chest-band (only distinct in the center of the chest; does not connect to the black head) and a small black chin (lacking in Obi
).
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in the Pachycephalidae
Pachycephalidae
The family Pachycephalidae, collectively the whistlers, includes the whistlers, shrike-thrushes, shrike-tits, pitohuis and Crested Bellbird, and is part of the ancient Australo-Papuan radiation of songbirds. Its members range from small to medium in size, and occupy most of Australasia...
family, which is endemic to Halmahera
Halmahera
Halmahera is the largest island in the Maluku Islands. It is part of the North Maluku province of Indonesia.Halmahera has a land area of 17,780 km² and a population in 1995 of 162,728...
and adjacent smaller islands in North Maluku
North Maluku
North Maluku is a province of northeastern Indonesia. It covers the northern part of the Maluku Islands, which are split between it and the province of Maluku. Maluku province used to cover the entire group...
in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. It is variably considered a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of a widespread Golden Whistler
Golden Whistler
The Australian Golden Whistler is a species of bird found in forest, woodland, mallee, mangrove and scrub in Australia and in mountain forest in the Snow Mountains in the Papua Province of Indonesia. Most populations are resident, but some in south-eastern Australia migrate north during the winter...
(P. pectoralis) or treated as a separate species, but strong published evidence in favour of either treatment is limited, and further study is warranted to resolve the complex taxonomic situation.
The Black-chinned Whistler is the northernmost member of the Golden Whistler group, being bordered to the south by the Banda Sea Whistler
Banda Sea Whistler
The Banda Sea Whistler , also known as the Yellow-throated Whistler , is a species of bird in the Pachycephalidae family...
. The Black-chinned Whistler is relatively large, and males are white-throated, have an incomplete black chest-band (only distinct in the center of the chest; does not connect to the black head) and a small black chin (lacking in Obi
Obi Islands
The Obi Islands are a group of islands in the Indonesian province of Maluku. They lie north of Buru and Ceram....
).