Restless flycatcher
| Restless flycatcher | |
|---|---|
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| Restless flycatcher in flight | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Monarchidae |
| Genus: | Myiagra |
| Species: | M. inquieta |
| Binomial name | |
| Myiagra inquieta (Latham, 1801) | |
The restless flycatcher (Myiagra inquieta) is a passerine bird in the family Monarchidae; it is also known as the razor grinder or scissors grinder because of its distinctive call. It is a native of eastern and southern Australia. Populations in New Guinea and northern Australia, which were at one time considered to be a subspecies, are now accepted as a separate species, Myiagra nana, the paperbark flycatcher. It is about 20 cm (8 in) long, with a glossy dark blue crown, a grey back and white underparts, and is similar in appearance to the willie wagtail. Its cup-shaped nest, built in the fork of a tree branch, consists of grasses and shredded bark, bound together with spider webbing and often decorated with lichen, bark fragments and the egg-sacs of spiders.
Taxonomy
Also known colloquially as razor grinder,[2] scissors grinder or dishwasher on account of its unusual call,[3] the restless flycatcher was first described by ornithologist John Latham in 1801 under the binomial name Turdus inquietus.[4] Its specific epithet is derived from the Latin inquietus 'restless'.[5] Populations from northern Australia and New Guinea, formerly considered a distinctive subspecies, are now separated as the paperbark flycatcher (Myiagra nana), with which it forms a superspecies.[6][7]
It is found in southern and eastern Australia. It is about 20 cm (8 in) long, with a glossy dark blue crown, a grey back and white underparts. It is similar to the willie wagtail, though the lack of a black throat and white eyebrow are distinguishing features. Its main food is insects.
This bird builds a cup-shaped nest from shredded bark and grasses, matted and bound with spider-webbing. Linings used are soft bark, grasses, hair or feathers. It is often decorated with lichen, strips of bark or spiders' egg sacs. The nest site is in the fork of a well-foliaged tree mostly near or overhanging water, though it can be up to twenty or more metres above the ground.[8]
Footnotes
- ↑ IUCN Red List 2012.
- ↑ "Some Familiar Birds". The Brisbane Courier (National Library of Australia). 10 September 1879. p. 3. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
- ↑ Boles 1988, p. 349.
- ↑ Latham, John (1801). Supplementum indicis ornithologici sive systematis ornithologiae (in Latin). London: Leigh & Sotheby. p. xl.
- ↑ Simpson 1979, p. 883.
- ↑ Schodde & Mason 1999, pp. 518–519.
- ↑ Christidis & Boles 2008, p. 200.
- ↑ Beruldsen 2003, p. 369.
- References
- BirdLife International (2012). "Myiagra inquieta". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- Cited texts
- Beruldsen, Gordon (2003). Australian Birds: Their Nests and Eggs (revised ed.). Kenmore Hills, Qld: self. ISBN 978-0-646-42798-0. OCLC 615122047.
- Boles, Walter E. (1988). The Robins and Flycatchers of Australia. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. ISBN 978-0-207-15400-3. OCLC 59196420.
- Christidis, Les; Boles, Walter (2008). Systematics and taxonomy of Australian birds. Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing. ISBN 978-0-643-06511-6. OCLC 488685950. Retrieved 2011-05-25.
- Schodde, Richard; Mason, Ian J. (1999). The Directory of Australian Birds: Passerines. Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing. ISBN 978-0-643-06456-0. OCLC 499953986.
- Simpson, D. P. (1979). Cassell's Latin Dictionary (5 ed.). London: Cassell Ltd. ISBN 978-0-304-52257-6. OCLC 7260402.
 Restless flycatcher |
 Contrary to their name, restless flycatchers do not only eat flies. Here, one is pictured with a huntsman spider. |
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Myiagra inquieta. |
- ABID Images
- Restless Flycatcher (Myiagra inquieta) videos and photos at Internet Bird Collection