DUSTY GERYGONE

Photographed at Carnarvon, Western Australia April 2015; Note: same photograph just cropped.

585          DUSKY GERYGONE           Gerygone tenebrosa

Australia          (428)

The largest of the Gerygones, 11-13 cm. Found in mangroves, nearby swampland, creased mangrove. Range: coastal nw. WA, from nw Kimberley to Shark Bay, except where mangroves absent. 

PIED HONEYEATER

Photographed at Carnarvon, Western Australia April 2015

584         PIED HONEYEATER            Certhionyx variegatus

Australia          (427)

15-18 cm. Found in arid scrubland, mulga, mallee-spinifex, flowering shrubs/trees, eucalyptus woodlands. Range: arid interior, e. to c. Q-NSW c. Port Headland-Geraldton (WA); s. to Nullarbor Plain-Murray mallee (SA). Highly nomadic.

STAR FINCH

Photographed at Carnarvon, Western Australia April 2015

583         STAR FINCH          Neochmia ruficauda  

Australia        (426)

Also known as Red-tailed, Rufous-tailed and Red-faced Finch or Firetail. This is the sub-species subclarescens found from c. Shark Bay-Ashburton R. (WA), to w. Top End(NT), s. to Katherine; e. on Gulf Coast to s. York Pen. n. to C. Staaten R. Nominate race has beed decimated by trapping and decimation of habitat but was widespread from s. Cape York Pen., (Q) to inland ne NSW. 10-12 cm. Found near water; grassy flats with bushes, low trees; reeds, rushes,;irrigated crops, sugar cane. 

NOTE:        3 subspecies in Australia

subclarescens:        

ruficauda:           

clarescens:                

PAINTED FINCH

Photographed at Bush Beach, Western Australia April 2015

582         PAINTED FINCH          Emblema pictum

Australia           (425)

Found in spinifex rocky hills over permanent water, plains; acacia scrubs; citrus orchards. Range is patchy through arid inland and w. coast Australia: e. to Winton-Opalton (Q); n. to Mt Isa-Nicholson R.-Alexandria-Wave Hill (NT); w. to s. Kimberley-Pilbara (WA), to w. coast c. Eighty MileBeach-Carnarvon; s. inland to upper Murchison R.-Menzies; in SA, s. to c. Oodnadatta-n. Flinders Ras.-L. Frome. Nomadic.

MANGROVE GREY FANTAIL

Photographed at New Beach, Western Australia April 2015

581              MANGROVE GREY FANTAIL            Rhipidura phasiana

Australia        (424)          

14.5-16 cm. Resident in n. coastal mangroves from Shark Bay (WA) to Norman R., (Q).      

YELLOW WHITE-EYE

Photographed at New Beach, Western Australia April 2015

580          YELLOW WHITE-EYE             Zosterops luteus

Australia           (423)

Also known as Canary White-eye. Found in coastal mangroves, acacia thickets; vegetation on coastal rivers; trees, gardens in coastal towns. Range along coast and some coastal islands of nw. and n. Aust.: from Shark Bay(WA) to Edward R. (e. coast Q.). 9.5-11 cm.

GREY-TAILED TATTLER

Photographed at Monkey Mia, Western Australia April 2015

579          GREY-TAILED TATTLER           Heteroscelus brevipes

Australia          (422)

24-27 cm. Found on estuaries, tidal mudflats, mangroves; wave-washed rocks and reefs; shallow river-margins, coastal or inland. Breeds in c and e Siberia; regular summer visitor to coastal n. Aust. from about Shark Bay (WA) to Sydney; less common on s. coast but regular Corner Inlet and Westernport (Vic). Casual inland, uncommon in Tas.

RED-COLLARED LORIKEET

Photographed Windjana Gorge, Western Australia, May 2015

578            RED-COLLARED LORIKEET                Trichoglossus rubritorquis

Australia             (421)

Was a sub-species of Rainbow Lorikeet but now recognised as a species in its own right. Found in wooded habitats in northern Australia (north-eastern WA, northern NT, and far nw Q). Curiously at end of the dry season many display symptoms of apparent drunkedness, but the cause of this is unknown.

WESTERN GRASSWREN

Photographed at Monkey Mia, Western Australia April 2015

577             WESTERN GRASSWREN              Amytornis textilis

Australia        (420)

15-20 cm. Found in sandy lowlands; depressions in gibber plains with dense low saltbush, bluebush, cotton bush, nitre bush; clumps of swamp changers on watercourses; flood debris; near Shark Bay (WA) sand plain vegetation with acacia shrubs 1-3 m tall over grasses, herbs. The nominate race is only found around coastal sand plains on cw. coast WA, NW Cape-Peron Pen., Shark Bay; subspecies modestus in lowlands of s. NT and Macdonell Ras., to Everard Ras.-Coober Pedy-Williams Creek-w. side of Flinders Ras. (SA); possibly extinct e.SA/NSW. Race myall s. inland SA, Nullarbor Plain-GawlerRas.-Iron Knob.

Note: This was originally listed as the Thick-billed Grasswren but has been split and the population in Monkey Mia (WA) and ne Eyre Pen. (SA) are known as the Western Grasswren, though two different sub-species. The nominate race mentioned above remains known as the Thick-billed Grasswren.

Subspecies myall photographed at Whyalla Conservation Area, February 2016

WESTERN WATTLEBIRD

Photographed at Esperence, Western Australia March 2015.

576              WESTERN WATTLEBIRD                Anthochaera carunculata

Australia              (419)

For a long while this was considered a sub-species of the Little Wattlebird, but has now been recognised as a separate species. 32-36 cm. Range across sw WA. 

WESTERN QUAIL-THRUSH

Photograph near Mount Magnet, Western Australia April 2015

575            WESTERN QUAIL-THRUSH             Cinclosoma marginatum 

Australia      (418)

18-24 cm. Found in mulga-eucalypts, other acacia scrubs, on stony ground; tea-tree/mallee/grevillia on rocky hillocks. Range far sw. NT, n. to Kintore, w. to coast at Shark Bay(WA); s. inland to c. Kalgoorlie-Ct Victorian Desert, e. to Everard Ras (SA).