Mulligan's Flat: Gilbert's Whistler & Pied Buthcherbirds

[Harvey Perkins <>]

There's no doubt it was an intriguing bird and a very difficult and, to me, unresolved identification. My first impression was that it was an adult female Golden Whistler, but as we watched a range of features became apparent that were not typical of Golden Whistler. The notes I wrote up as soon as I got home and before delving into the literature are:

 

"Probably at upper end of size range for a Golden Whistler. Generally “full-bodied” (less slender than a Rufous Whistler).

 

Head and back grey (more slate grey rather than brown-grey), with little/no distinction between head/nape and mantle/back. Paler edging to secondaries, but no hint of rufous. In good light and angle a slight olive wash to outer secondaries. Small white patch/streak over alular area.

 

Throat noticeably pale, but diffusely rather than sharply or strongly demarcated from breast, and with very light grey spotting effect (not noticeably streaks or scallops). Breast light buff but washed darker or with slight pale rufousness on sides, grading to pale buff abdomen and vent. Small well defined patch of grey feathers above thighs (upper tibia), continuing as small light rufous patch extending a little backwards and downwards towards vent. This was very obvious and is not a feature of any Australian whistler. No yellow seen around cloaca.

 

Both upper and lower mandible dark grey, no obvious paler base.

 

Behaviour – moving from tree to tree, branch to branch, looking about – typical whistler behaviour.

 

No vocalisation heard. "

 

The grey and rufous feathering over the tibia was both very obvious and persistent (in that it remained after several flights between branches and trees, so I don't think it was just exposed ruffled feather bases (it had a similar, though reversed, effect to the white patch on the thigh of a breeding plumaged Great Cormorant). And while the bill was stout, I didn't think anything of it at the time and the head and bill overall had a fairly typical Golden Whistler jizz to me. The bird seemed quite unconcerned as we watched it for several minutes from a distance of probably 10-20 metres.

 

To me it was undoubtedly very unusual for a female Golden Whistler, but nor could I convince myself that it was anything else. I've not seen a female Gilbert's Whistler (I have seen a male Gilbert's in the hand), but I feel that the features of the bird we saw would have been just as aberrant for a Gilbert's female as they were for a female Golden; and when you add the distribution aspect...

 

Unfortunately neither of us had a camera with us, but to be frank, I'm not sure how much it would have helped!

 

Harvey

On 7 April 2013 22:22, milburn <> wrote:

This morning  on the northern side of Mulligan's Flat, I heard Pied Butcherbird calling.  Following the sound I found 2 adult Pied Butcherbirds that immediately departed the scene in an eastward direction towards the Pipeline Rd.  I met Harvey Perkins and while we were walking along the northern boundary track in search of the butcherbirds, we came upon a distinctive female Whistler of unfamiliar appearence.

My first impression was that it might be an Olive Whistler but the back and wings were clearly grey.  I had seen maybe a dozen (brown plumage) Golden Whistlers during the morning and even more Rufous Whistlers so I had fresh images of these in mind. To my eye the bird was on the large side for Golden Whistler and small for Olive Whistler.  The bill was black and appeared quite stout.  I proposed that it was a female Gilbert's Whistler.  We watched the bird for several minutes and I paid particular attention to the vent to see if it had the typical yellow spot on the cloaca of Golden Whistler. No yellow was seen.

Obviously, this was a challenging identification problem in its own right and Gilbert's Whistler has not been recorded in the ACT previously.  The bird was along the northern boundary track between the pine windbreak and the Pipeline Road.  I leave you to draw your own conclusions.

Milburn

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