In response to David James plea for work on problem birds. Birds Australia-
North Queensland Group are currently working up a Project to try and sort
out the difference between magnirostris and keri once and for all. Genetics
will be involved. It will take some time as we will have to mistnet on all
the mountain massifs where they both occur. Anyone who has relevant info or
knows of museum collections (other than those in CSIRO) would receive our
gratitude. As some may know some people believe they can be seperated at
some locations and not others, whilst other people believe that where they
appear to be identical it is because only one species is present!
Measurements tend to bely that latter view but it needs checking. The
opinion I like is that visitors to these northern parts spend their holiday
searching for the Atherton Scrubwren and usually see it just before they
leave! I have White-browed at the top of my drive and Athertons halfway
down. Large-billed occur in all locations and are just as likely to be
feeding on the ground as Athertons in my experience.
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