Paperbark Flycatcher
Encyclopedia
The Paperbark Flycatcher (Myiagra nana), also known as the Little Restless Flycatcher, is a passerine
bird in the family Monarchidae. It occurs in tropical woodland and riverine habitats of northern Australia and southern New Guinea. It has often been lumped as a distinctive subspecies
of the Restless Flycatcher
(Myiagra inquieta) of southern and eastern Australia, with which it forms a superspecies
.
in 1870, the Paperbark Flycatcher was long treated as a subspecies of the Restless Flycatcher
(M. inquieta), until Schodde and Mason identified the distinctness and lack of intergrading in closely situated populations of the two parapatric
taxa
.
of the Northern Territory
, to the Gulf Country
and south-western Cape York Peninsula
of north-west Queensland
, with a population on Saibai Island in Torres Strait
. It is also found in southern New Guinea
from Merauke
eastwards to the Bensbach River in the Middle Fly District
. The Paperbark Flycatcher does not overlap in distribution with the Restless; although their ranges abut in northern Queensland there are no signs of intergradation between the two species, and in the area where the ranges meet most Restless Flycatchers are non-breeding migrants.
In Australia the Paperbark Flycatcher inhabits tropical eucalypt
woodland
s, paperbark
woodlands and dry riverine woodlands. In New Guinea, where it is locally common along the lower reaches of the Bensbach River, it frequents scrub, partly submerged trees, and sedgeland
bordering rivers on floodplain
s and savanna
.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird in the family Monarchidae. It occurs in tropical woodland and riverine habitats of northern Australia and southern New Guinea. It has often been lumped as a distinctive 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 the Restless Flycatcher
Restless Flycatcher
The Restless Flycatcher, Myiagra inquieta, is a passerine bird in the family Monarchidae.Also known colloquially as Scissors Grinder or Dishwasher on account of its unusual call, the Restless Flycatcher was first described by ornithologist John Latham in 1802. Its specific epithet is derived from...
(Myiagra inquieta) of southern and eastern Australia, with which it forms a superspecies
Superspecies
A superspecies is a group of at least two more or less distinctive species with approximately parapatric distributions. Not all species complexes, whether cryptices or ring species are superspecies, and vice versa, but many are...
.
Taxonomy
Originally described as Seisura nana by John GouldJohn Gould
John Gould was an English ornithologist and bird artist. The Gould League in Australia was named after him. His identification of the birds now nicknamed "Darwin's finches" played a role in the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection...
in 1870, the Paperbark Flycatcher was long treated as a subspecies of the Restless Flycatcher
Restless Flycatcher
The Restless Flycatcher, Myiagra inquieta, is a passerine bird in the family Monarchidae.Also known colloquially as Scissors Grinder or Dishwasher on account of its unusual call, the Restless Flycatcher was first described by ornithologist John Latham in 1802. Its specific epithet is derived from...
(M. inquieta), until Schodde and Mason identified the distinctness and lack of intergrading in closely situated populations of the two parapatric
Parapatric speciation
Parapatry is a term from biogeography, referring to organisms whose ranges do not significantly overlap but are immediately adjacent to each other; they only occur together in the narrow contact zone, if at all. This geographical distribution is opposed to sympatry & allopatry or peripatry...
taxa
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
.
Description
The Paperbark Flycatcher is broadly similar to the Restless Flycatcher, with entirely black upperparts from the crown and sides of the head, in contrast with entirely white underparts from the throat to the vent. It is a smaller bird, at only two-thirds the weight of its southern relative, and has a proportionately shorter and broader bill, with longer and stouter rictal bristles. There is no overlap in size between the species. The back and the crown of nana are the same glossy black, while inquieta has a slightly paler, slate-grey, back. There are also differences in the vocalisations: nana almost never use the distinctive "scissors-grinding" call of inquieta.Distribution and habitat
The flycatcher is found in northern Australia, from the Kimberley region of Western Australia, across the Top EndTop End
The Top End of northern Australia is the second northernmost point on the continent. It covers a rather vaguely-defined area of perhaps 400,000 square kilometres behind the northern coast from the Northern Territory capital of Darwin across to Arnhem Land with the Indian Ocean on the west, the...
of the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, to the Gulf Country
Gulf Country
The Gulf Country is the name given to the region of woodland and savanna grassland surrounding the Gulf of Carpentaria in north western Queensland and eastern Northern Territory on the north coast of Australia...
and south-western Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
of north-west Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, with a population on Saibai Island in Torres Strait
Torres Strait
The Torres Strait is a body of water which lies between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is approximately wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost continental extremity of the Australian state of Queensland...
. It is also found in southern New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
from Merauke
Merauke
Merauke is a town considered to be one of the easternmost towns in Indonesia, located in Merauke Regency, Papua province, Indonesia. It is next to Maro River.In 2006 it had a population of 71,838....
eastwards to the Bensbach River in the Middle Fly District
Middle Fly District, Western Province
The Middle Fly District of the Western Province of Papua New Guinea is a large, coastal district that forms the central area of the Fly River basin. It contains the Local-Level Government areas of: Balimo Urban, Bamu Rural, Gogodaia Rural, Lake Murray Rural, and Nomad Rural, and the population...
. The Paperbark Flycatcher does not overlap in distribution with the Restless; although their ranges abut in northern Queensland there are no signs of intergradation between the two species, and in the area where the ranges meet most Restless Flycatchers are non-breeding migrants.
In Australia the Paperbark Flycatcher inhabits tropical eucalypt
Eucalypt
Eucalypts are woody plants belonging to three closely related genera:Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora.In 1995 new evidence, largely genetic, indicated that some prominent Eucalyptus species were actually more closely related to Angophora than to the other eucalypts; they were split off into the...
woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
s, paperbark
Melaleuca
Melaleuca is a genus of plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae known for its natural soothing and cleansing properties. There are well over 200 recognised species, most of which are endemic to Australia...
woodlands and dry riverine woodlands. In New Guinea, where it is locally common along the lower reaches of the Bensbach River, it frequents scrub, partly submerged trees, and sedgeland
Cyperaceae
Cyperaceae are a family of monocotyledonous graminoid flowering plants known as sedges, which superficially resemble grasses or rushes. The family is large, with some 5,500 species described in about 109 genera. These species are widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group...
bordering rivers on floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
s and savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
.