White-shouldered Fairy-wren
Encyclopedia
The White-shouldered Fairywren (Malurus alboscapulatus) is a species of bird
in the family Maluridae
.
It is found in Indonesia
and Papua New Guinea
.
It was first described by the German naturalist Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer
in 1874. Its species name is derived from the Latin
words albus "white" and scapulae "shoulder-blades".
Within Maluridae, it is one of 12 species in the genus, Malurus
. It is most closely related to a pair of Australian species, the Red-backed and White-winged Fairywrens, with which it makes up a phylogenetic clade
. Termed the bicoloured wrens by ornithologist Richard Schodde
, these three species are notable for their lack of head patterns and ear tufts and their uniform black or blue plumage with contrasting shoulder or wing colour; they replace each other geographically across northern Australia and New Guinea.
Six geographically isolated subspecies are recognised, found across the island of New Guinea
. They are differentiated by the differences in female plumage, the males of all six are indistinguishable. The nominate subspecies is found on the Bird's Head Peninsula
to the far west of the island, subspecies aida is found in northeastern Irian Jaya, subspecies lorentzi is found in southern Irian Jaya and the TransFly region of southwestern Papua New Guinea, subspecies naimii is found in central-northern Papua New Guinea, subspecies kutubu restricted to the highlands, and subspecies moretoni in the far east of the island.
The adult male in breeding plumage is all shiny black but for a white shoulders (scapulars). The tail is shorter than other fairywrens. The bill is black, and the feet and eyes are black or dark brown. The female of subspecies alboscapulatus and naimii bears a pied plumage, with black upperparts, white shoulders and underparts.
The preferred habitats are lowland cleared areas; grassland, village gardens, and cane-grass.
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 family Maluridae
Maluridae
The Maluridae are a family of small, insectivorous passerine birds endemic to Australia and New Guinea. Commonly known as wrens, they are unrelated to the true wrens of the Northern Hemisphere...
.
It is found 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...
and Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
.
It was first described by the German naturalist Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer
Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer
Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer was a German palaeontologist.He was born at Frankfurt am Main.In 1832 von Meyer issued a work entitled Palaeologica, and in course of time he published a series of memoirs on various fossil organic remains: molluscs, crustaceans, fishes and higher vertebrata,...
in 1874. Its species name is derived from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
words albus "white" and scapulae "shoulder-blades".
Within Maluridae, it is one of 12 species in the genus, Malurus
Malurus
Malurus is a genus of bird in the Maluridae family.It contains the following species:* White-shouldered Fairywren * Lovely Fairywren * Purple-crowned Fairywren...
. It is most closely related to a pair of Australian species, the Red-backed and White-winged Fairywrens, with which it makes up a phylogenetic clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
. Termed the bicoloured wrens by ornithologist Richard Schodde
Richard Schodde
Richard Schodde, OAM is an Australian botanist and ornithologist.Schodde studied at the University of Adelaide where he received a BSc in 1960 and a PhD in 1970. During the 1960s he was a botanist with the CSIRO Division of Land Research and Regional Survey in Papua New Guinea...
, these three species are notable for their lack of head patterns and ear tufts and their uniform black or blue plumage with contrasting shoulder or wing colour; they replace each other geographically across northern Australia and New Guinea.
Six geographically isolated subspecies are recognised, found across the island of 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...
. They are differentiated by the differences in female plumage, the males of all six are indistinguishable. The nominate subspecies is found on the Bird's Head Peninsula
Bird's Head Peninsula
The Bird's Head Peninsula or Doberai Peninsula is a large peninsula that makes up the northwest portion of the Province of West Papua, Indonesia.-Location and geography:...
to the far west of the island, subspecies aida is found in northeastern Irian Jaya, subspecies lorentzi is found in southern Irian Jaya and the TransFly region of southwestern Papua New Guinea, subspecies naimii is found in central-northern Papua New Guinea, subspecies kutubu restricted to the highlands, and subspecies moretoni in the far east of the island.
The adult male in breeding plumage is all shiny black but for a white shoulders (scapulars). The tail is shorter than other fairywrens. The bill is black, and the feet and eyes are black or dark brown. The female of subspecies alboscapulatus and naimii bears a pied plumage, with black upperparts, white shoulders and underparts.
The preferred habitats are lowland cleared areas; grassland, village gardens, and cane-grass.
Cited texts
- BirdLife International 2004. Malurus alboscapulatus.2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 26 July 2007.