Hi Frank,
Yes all fair comments. Actually HANZAB (page 552) tells us that the base
of the tail feathers is also white (as well as the tips or near tips of
the rump feathers, although that does not appear to be explained
properly and the pictures in HANZAB do not help). So what we get is
contributed by two groups of feathers. It is not that unusual to have
that sort of arrangement.
Philip
-----Original Message-----
From:
Sent: Friday, 22 January 2010 8:44 PM
To: Philip Veerman; 'Tun Pin ONG'; 'Bruce Ramsay'
Cc: 'Canberrabirds'
Subject: Pied Currawong Markings
There seems to be some confusion here about what we are talking about,
or perhaps it is just me that is confused:~ The confusion is probably
caused by the field guides (well, Pizzey anyway) that talk about base of
the tail. I assume what we're actually talking about is the uppertail
coverts or the bottom of the rump, which may be found at the base of the
tail. So, yes, Philip, we're talking about tips of feathers, not base of
feathers. Also, to clarify, when I said that the bird in Tun Pin's photo
was probably an immature Pied Currawong and not a Grey Currawong, and
not an aberrant form or bird suffering from disease, I did not mean to
imply uncertainty about the species. It is clearly a Pied Currawong, and
I couldn't actually understand why there was any doubt about that
because the two species, in Canberra at least, are quite distinctive in
my experience. What I was saying was the bird was probably an immature
Pied Currawong, rather than an aberrant or diseased bird. However I have
not closely observed young Pied Currawongs to comment with any certainty
about the amount of white showing at the base of the tail or how the
moult from immature to adult feathers progresses.
Regards
Frank
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