Hello Michael,
I studied Star and Crimson Finches for the Tropical Savannas CRC back in
the early noughties and know a little bit about these beasties.
Star Finch- the nominate race is very, very rare if not already extinct.
The last people to have seen it may well have been Keith and Lindsay
Fisher. It occurred much further south than Cape York although there are
records from near Mt Isa that could possibly be ascribed to more than
one subspecies. The birds on the cape are either Neochmia ruficauda
clarescens or subclarescens depending on your taxonomy (Schodde and
Mason split the Cape York Stars from the north-western Stars.
Incidentally, despite not being accepted by HANZAB they are clearly
distinguishable from each other.
Crimson Finch- the birds on the Cape are all white-bellied, Neochmia
phaeton evangelinae. I doubt that you would ever see any at Lakeland
itself although they have been seen further to the north-east on the
road to Cooktown.
I'm feeling homesick for the tropics now! Its snowing down here in Tassie!
Cheers
Mick
?--
Michael Todd
Wildlifing: Images of Nature: www.wildlifing.com
PhD Candidate- Tasmanian Masked Owl
School of Zoology, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 05, Hobart, Tasmania 7001
Mobile: o41o 123715
michael hunter wrote:
Hi Phil,
Great trip.
Was the Star Finch the white-bellied nominate race or
yellow-bellied "clarescens", and did you see the white- or black-bellied
race of the Crimson Finch? The white-bellied Crimson, "evangelinae", is
said to occur in Lakeland.
Cheers
Michael
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