Birds of the World: Maluridae

Showing posts with label Maluridae. Show all posts

Tuesday, 29 April 2014

Southern emuwren

Stipiturus malachurus

Common name:
southern emuwren (en); carriça-australiana-meridional (pt); queue-de-gaze du sud (fr); maluro meridional (es); rotstirn-borstenschwanz (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Maluridae

Range:
This species is endemic to Australia, being found along the southern coasts of the country from southern Queensland to south-eastern South Australia and in south-western Western Australia. It is also present in Tasmania.

Size:
These birds are 16-20 cm long, including the 10-11 cm long tail. They weigh 7-8 g.

Habitat:
The southern emuwren is mostly found in freshwater swamps with heaths, reeds and sedges, and in dry scrublands such as coastal heathland, but they also use deserts and rocky areas.

Diet:
They glean insects and spiders from the foliage, namely bugs, katydids, beetles, wasps, flies, ants, mantids and caterpillars. They are also known to take some vegetable matter including seeds

Breeding:
Southern emuwrens are socially monogamous and breed in August-March. The female builds the nest alone, consisting of an oval-shaped dome made of grasses and spider webs and lined with feathers. It is placed near the ground in a grass tussock or among dense scrubs. The female lays 2-4 eggs which she mainly incubates alone for about 12 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 8-11 days after hatching, but continue to rely on the parents for food for another 2-5 months. Each pair raises 1-2 broods per season and the young reach sexual maturity within their first year.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is reported to be uncommon. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction and fragmentation, mainly through clearance for agriculture and construction of dams for water storage. Wildfires and the introduction of exotic predator and parasites may pose further threats to this species.

Saturday, 6 April 2013

Red-backed fairywren

Malurus melanocephalus

Photo by Mark Andrews (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
red-backed fairywren (en); carriça-australiana-de-dorso-vermelho (pt); mérion à dos rouge (fr); ratona australiana de lomo rojo (es); rotrücken-staffelschwanz (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Maluridae

Range:
This species is endemic to Australia, being found in the north, from northern Western Australia to Queensland and east of the Great Dividing range down to north-eastern New South Wales.

Size:
These birds are 10-13 cm long and weigh 5-10 g.

Habitat:
Red-backed fairywrens are mostly found in tropical grasslands, preferring tall grasses such as bladygrass Imperata cylindrica, Sorghum sp. and Eulalia sp. They can also be found in arable land.

Diet:
They are mainly insectivorous, taking various insects such as weevils and other beetles, bugs, grasshoppers, moths, wasps and cicadas. They also eat insect eggs and larvae, spiders and some seeds and other plant material.

Breeding:
Red-backed fairywrens breed in August-February. They are mostly monogamous, although some males will mate with several females. Some pair will have helpers that help raise the young. The nest is mostly built by the female, consisting of a spherical structure made of dry grasses and lined with finer grasses and hairs, concealed in a grass tussock or low scrub. There she lays 3-4 white eggs with reddish-brown spots, which she incubates alone for 2 weeks. The chicks are fed by both parents and sometimes helpers and fledge 11-12 days after hatching, but only become independent 1 month later.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be often common. This population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Friday, 2 March 2012

Striated grasswren

Amytornis striatus

Photo by Gary Oliver (The Great Aussie Birdshoot)

Common name:
striated grasswren (en); carriça-australiana-estriada (pt); amytis strié (fr); maluro estriado (es); streifengrasschlüpfer (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Maluridae

Range:
This species is endemic to Australia, being found from New South Wales to Western Australia with a small separate population in Queensland.

Size:
These birds are 14,5-17,5 cm long and weigh 16-22 g.

Habitat:
These birds are mostly found in dry scrublands, often in arid sand plains and rocky hills, showing a preference for dense Triodia clumps.

Diet:
The striated grasswren feeds on the seeds of Triodia and various legumes, and also various arthropods including ants, beetles and spiders.

Breeding:
They can breed almost all year round, varying between different areas. The nest is a bulky dome with a side entrance, made of dry stems, bark strips and grass and lined with soft fibre, down and fur. It is typically placed inside a dense Triodia clump, 20-30 cm above the ground. The female lays 2-3 white eggs with red spots, which are incubated for 13-15 days. The chicks fledge 11-14 days after hatching. Each pair raises 1-2 broods per season.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
The striated grasswren has a large breeding range and is described as locally common to uncommon. This population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat loss and degradation due to clearing, over-grazing and inappropriate fire regime. Predation by feral carnivores is another problem affecting this species.

Sunday, 29 May 2011

Splendid fairywren

Malurus splendens

Photo by Hans Beste (Mangoverde)

Common name:

splendid fairywren (en); carriça-australiana-azul (pt); mérion splendide (fr); ratona australiana franjeada (es); türkisstaffelschwanz (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Maluridae

Range:

This species is endemic to Australia, being widely distributed across the southern and western parts of the country.

Size:

Splendid fairywrens are 12-14 cm long and weigh 9 g.

Habitat:

These birds live in arid to semi-arid areas, in mostly dense scrublands or woodlands of Acacia, and mallee eucalypt with dense scrubs. They are often found in forest clearings and along creeks, parks and large gardens.

Diet:

Splendid fairywrens eat arthropods such as ants, grasshoppers, crickets, spiders and bugs. These are supplemented by small quantities of seeds, flowers, and fruit. They mostly forage on the ground or in scrubs.

Breeding:

Groups of 2-8 birds defend a territory all year-round and only 1 socially monogamous pair breeds, but they often mate with other group members. These birds mostly breed in September-December, but can start nesting as early as April. The female builds an oval domed nest of dry grass, strips of bark and rootlets, with an entrance two thirds of the way up one side. There the female lays 2-4 white eggs speckled reddish brown. The female incubates the eggs alone for 14-15 days, but the chicks are fed by all group members until fledging, which takes place 10-13 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be locally quite common. This population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.