canberrabirds

Bird ID

To: "'Lindsay Hansch'" <>, "'COG-L'" <>
Subject: Bird ID
From: "Philip Veerman" <>
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:28:01 +1100
Isn't the question whether it is M. leucopterus leucopterus or M. leucopterus leuconotus, rather than between M. leucopterus and M. leuconotus which is not a correct name anyway. As in it is a subspecies difference, not a species difference.  Pizzey's book says of race leuconotus cobalt blue (occasionally black). I'm guessing your photo is of one of these occasional. Interesting it is the nominate race (the black & white one) that has a very restricted in range, the blue & white one widely known to us in eastern and central Aust is not the nominate race.
 
Philip
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Lindsay Hansch [
Sent: Thursday, 19 January 2012 4:57 PM
To: COG-L
Subject: [canberrabirds] Bird ID

I would appreciate views on the photo below (not a very good one as it was taken from some distance).  Is it m. leucopterus (black wren) or m. leuconotus (blue wren) or was the light playing tricks with me?  The photo was taken at Garalia Station which is south of the bottom end of Exmouth Gulf, WA, nearer Coral Bay than Exmouth. All my photos of this bird show a small blue patch just behind the eye which apparently is not uncommon in the black wrens.  The guide books give m. leucopterus’ known habitat as Dirk Hartog Island, noting that the black wren is rarely seen on the mainland. However, we met a fellow birder at Halls Creek who showed us a good photo of a black wren that he claims he took at Shark Bay.  Rhonda photographed the same bird and her photos are similar to mine.

 

Regards

 

Lindsay Hansch

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