feather

["Philip Veerman" <>]

I have other suggestions:

 

Wing feather of a Rainbow Bee-eater, although I don’t understand the size (John first wrote 4 cm then 9 cm), the yellow to orange colour looks like a possible match, the green above appears to me to be too green. But may be a possible option.

 

The green outer vane and mostly yellow inner vane would also fit a tail feather of a either Scarlet-chested or Turquoise Parrot. But the orange tint doesn’t fit and the shape doesn’t look right. And how would that get there unless as Sue suggested it came off someone’s hat!

 

As for Rainbow Lorikeet, it isn’t a normal one of them but there is a commercial aviary in Canberra that has lots of them, including hybrids with Scaly-breasted and Musk in many combinations and they have some strange messy colour patterns. There are probably similar captive mixed flocks elsewhere. Though it is hard to see how that would produce that result, hybrid origin may be an option to significantly alter the normal pattern of a wing feather.

 

A foreign species or human carried in random feather. Very hard to know where to start and finish on that. The most common foreign parrots are lovebirds and Rose-ringed Parakeet and it doesn’t fit any of them.

 

As for Wompoo Fruit-Dove The new photo underneath actually adds much less than I had hoped. The colour below being hardly different. But clearly that conclusion is now not convincing. So that idea does not go towards it. I am hampered by that I am not at a museum with access to skins and don’t know that bird all that well and mainly that there is a significant discrepancy between the books. Frith’s book says: “the underside of the primaries and secondaries is grey-brown on the distal half, shading to chestnut on the proximal half”. HANZAB underwing picture does show the inner webs of the primaries as dull yellow. That does not match.

 

Maybe John can ask at the ANWC (CSIRO) museum.

 

Philip

 

From: Greg and Val Clancy [
Sent: Sunday, 27 January, 2019 10:34 PM
To: Jill Dark; Philip Veerman; 'Greg and Val Clancy'; 'calyptorhynchus';
Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] feather

 

Hi Jill,

 

Good suggestion but this feather is green where it would be brown and has too much yellow and the yellow area is the wrong shape.

 

Greg

 

 

 

From: Jill Dark

Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2019 4:23 PM

To: Philip Veerman ; 'Greg and Val Clancy' ; 'calyptorhynchus' ;

Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] feather

 

Could it be a female or immature Satin Bowerbird?

 

Jill

 

From: Philip Veerman

Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2019 3:11 PM

To: 'Greg and Val Clancy' ; 'calyptorhynchus' ;

Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] feather

 

I looked at HANZAB too (today but not yesterday). Yes HANZAB differs from the Pizzey & Knight field guide in that feature. I suspect that is all it is. As to the question is which I more correct and are all individuals the same?  I don’t know. However the HANZAB underwing picture does show the inner webs of the primaries as dull yellow (though the upperwing picture does not). I don’t agree about “no yellow patch in that species” but not as much of the feather as the one John provided. I can’t find anything else that matches. The photo of the feather that John provided shows the upperside. The colour we are commenting on (not the green part) and comparing from these two references, is visible on only the underside of the feathers. It would not be unusual for the underside to be duller in colour than the upperside. So for now I still feel it matches. If John provides another photo of the underside, I would like to see that. I think that would help. I suspect it would be a better match.

 

Philip

 

From: Greg and Val Clancy [
Sent: Sunday, 27 January, 2019 1:41 PM
To: Philip Veerman; 'calyptorhynchus';
Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] feather

 

Hi Philip and John,

 

My first impression as well was a Rainbow Lorikeet but that has been ruled out by Philip and I agree with his reasons.  It is not a Wompoo Fruit-Dove.  I checked in HANZAB and the underside of the remiges (primaries and secondaries) are grey grading to chestnut at base – no yellow patch in that species.  I can’t see any other parrot or pigeon species that has that pattern.  Could it be a foreign cage bird that has escaped?

 

Regards

 

Greg

Dr Greg. P. Clancy

Ecologist and Birding-wildlife Guide

Organizer, Gould League Bird Study Camp Club,

Greens’ candidate for the state seat of Clarence,

| PO Box 63 Coutts Crossing NSW 2460

| 02 6649 3153 | 0429 601 960

 http://www.gregclancyecologistguide.com

 http://gregswildliferamblings.blogspot.com.au

 

 

I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands on which I

live and work – the Gumbaynggirr, Yaegl and Bundjalung peoples – and to pay

respect to their elders past, present and emerging

 

 

 

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