birding-aus

New Grasswren Species

To: <>, birding-aus threads <>
Subject: New Grasswren Species
From: martin cachard <>
Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2011 09:54:33 +1100
G'day all, It would be very interesting to get the current taxonomic musings 
for our grasswrens, especially the Striated GW complex.  Firstly, I must 
apologise in advance for my simplistic understanding of taxonomy, but I do hope 
that my questions & thoughts below are seen as very much that of a layman...  
Richard B has commented that whitei & rowleyi may be next to be split from 
Striated. I've often wondered how much habitat preference would play in this. 
Apart from morphological differences, the Short-tailed merrotsyi is a rock 
inhabiting species, quite unlike the nominate race striatus of Striated, which 
is a sandplain bird. Race rowleyi of Striated is also a sandplain inhabitant, 
well, at least from my observations. Yet, race whitei inhabits rocky terrain.  
There must be a lot more to it than just sandplain vs rocky terrain, but I 
wonder why it has been mooted that rowleyi is the next most likely race of 
Striated to be split, given that it a sandplain bird (at least from 
 my experience). I would have thought that whitei being a bird of rocky terrain 
(as is merrotsyi Short-tailed GW), would be one to consider very closely. It 
would be interesting to get others' thoughts on this..... Cheers for now, 
Martin Cachard,Cairns, 0428 782 808  > Date: Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:35:17 -0800
> From: 
> To: 
> CC: 
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] New Grasswren Species
> 
> Yes, Jeff and Martin you're absolutely correct.  I did have my ssp mixed up.  
> The new Thick-billed is the one many people see at the whiteface site at 
> Lyndhurst and surrounds.   My visit to Mt Ive was two fold as I'd only ever 
> had very poor, barely tickable views of Short-tailed in the Flinders and 
> wanted to see them again.   
> 
> Although Western/Thick-billed are flat/low country birds, I have heard that 
> the Whyallah birds are found on the hill tops in the Conservation Park near 
> town. I've never been there but this is something I've often wondered about.  
> Perhaps someone who has been to Whyallah CP can comment on this.
> 
> Next stop: whitei androwleyi.
> 
> I now think albatross taxonomy is easier than grasswren taxonomy!
> 
> Cheers
> Richard
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ________________________________
>  From: Jeff Davies <>
> To: 'martin cachard' <>; ; 
> 'birding-aus threads' <> 
> Sent: Tuesday, 22 November 2011 11:50 AM
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] New Grasswren Species
>  
> I think I should have explained more clearly, the important thing to realize
> is that the Western and Thick-billed are not actually on the ranges but on
> the flat country.
> I was just continuing on from Richards original post by saying he should
> have gone to the Flinders not the Gawlers, neither species are actually on
> the hills although they can be very close by. When I said Flinders I
> actually meant adjacent places like Lyndhurst which sits at the top of that
> range.
> Short-tailed GW however is actually on the slopes of both ranges and nowhere
> else.
> 
> Cheers Jeff.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: 
>  On Behalf Of martin cachard
> Sent: Tuesday, 22 November 2011 9:52 AM
> To: ; birding-aus threads
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] New Grasswren Species
> 
> 
> Hi Steve, The bird at Whyallah is race myall of Western, same race Richard
> saw in the Gawlers. Form modestus (ie the new species split) is widespread
> in the Eyrean zone, which Jeff explains. I have seen lots of them north from
> Lake Torrens in the Mt Lyndhurst area & right along the Oodnadatta Track,
> especially near William Creek. Cheers Martin CachardCairns
> > Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2011 09:35:13 +1100
> > From: 
> > To: 
> > Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] New Grasswren Species
> > 
> > G'day all
> > 
> > What is the species/subspecies of Grasswren in Whyallah Conservation
> > Park, SA please?  I saw what I called Thick-billed there in 1999.
> > What would the current taxonomic position be for these?
> > 
> > Cheers
> > Steve Clark
> > Hamilton
> > ===============================
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