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Re: Redwood Park - Toowoomba: Eastern Whipbird

To: "Dean Portelli" <>
Subject: Re: Redwood Park - Toowoomba: Eastern Whipbird
From: knightl <>
Date: Mon, 19 May 2003 17:17:38 +1000
Perhaps he saw the "male" calling [ie saw the bird making the male call].

Regards, Laurie

On Sunday, May 18, 2003, at 09:16  PM, Dean Portelli wrote:

Nicholas Talbot noted that he recorded Eastern Whipbird at Redwood Park and made the following comment: "best view was of a male just coming into adult plumage". I am curious as to how the sex of the bird was determined. In my experience with the species the sexes are indistinguishable based on plumage (and I just checked, the latest HANZAB states the same), with at least some established pairs it can be relatively easy to tell them apart when they are together (the male is larger. I spent some time helping a PhD student working with a colour-banded population so all the sexes were known once the birds had been handled, measured and banded). I wonder if Nicholas is using Pizzey & Knight's field guide, if so the labels on the plate are incorrect. They should read from left to right: juvenile (NOT Imm.), immature (or first basic plumage NOT female) and adult (or definitive plumage, NOT specifically male). The text describes the female as being browner with white mottling on the throat. HANZAB makes no such conclusion.
Cheers, Dean

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