The southern whiteface (''Aphelocephala leucopsis'') is a small
passerine
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by th ...
found in arid regions across most of the southern half of the Australian continent, excluding
Tasmania
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.
Superficially
finch
The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usua ...
-like in appearance, this
insectivorous bird is relatively common throughout most of its range, however, overall populations appear to be in decline.
Taxonomy
Originally classified as genus ''Xerophila'', the whitefaces were later reclassified when it was noted that a group of
molluscs
Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is estim ...
had already been ascribed that name and thus, are now listed as genus ''Aphelocephala''.
There are three species within the ''Aphelocephala'', including the southern whiteface,
banded whiteface (''A. nigricincta'') and
chestnut-breasted whiteface (''A. pectoralis'').
The generic name derives from the
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...
''apheles'' 'simple' and ''kephale'' 'head'.
The
specific epithet derives from Ancient Greek ''leukos'' 'white' and ''opsis'' 'face'.
Recent phylogenetic study has found whitefaces to be most closely related to the
scrubtit (''Acanthornis magnus''), a
monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...
Tasmanian species similar in appearance to ''Sericornis''
scrubwrens.
The marked difference in the size and shape of the whiteface beak compared with that of the scrubtit has been attributed to an increased dietary intake of seeds, requiring a more robust bill.
Description
The southern whiteface is a stocky
thornbill-like bird with a brown
dorsum, white belly, dark brown wings and a black tail with narrow white tip.
A grey wash on the belly is sometimes present, along with a grey or rufous tinge to the flanks.
This species displays the characteristic facial markings of the genus; a white band across the forehead, with a darker streak along the top edge.
Adult birds are approximately in length with a cream coloured eye, grey legs and a stubby dark grey bill of finch-like appearance.
Adults are
sexually monomorphic, while juveniles are distinguishable due to a lack of black rear band on the face.
Call is a rapid, noisy twittering ''tchip-tchip-chiptchipt-chipt-chip'' or ''tzip-tzip-tziptzip'' and a harsher ''kzzurrk, kzzurrk-kzzurrk'' in alarm.
This species can be distinguished from other whiteface species by its somewhat duller appearance and lack of a breast band, which both the banded whiteface and chestnut-breasted whiteface possess.
The southern whiteface is a
polytypic species with two recognised races:
* ''A. l. leucopsis''; the nominate race found throughout south-eastern and central Australia. This race varies in the degree of grey colouration on the flanks, becoming progressively paler with north-westerly distribution.
The pale form was previously considered a separate race; ''whitei''.
* ''A. l. castaneiventris''; found in south Western Australia, this race is distinguishable by a rufous wash to its flanks.
Distribution and habitat
The southern whiteface is endemic to Australia and typically inhabits arid open woodlands with a shrubby or grassy understory, as well as grass plains throughout much of the continents south.
Not present in Tasmania or in coastal areas of the mainland, this species prefers ''
Acacia'' woodlands, particularly those dominated by mulga and drought-resistant
chenopod shrub species, including saltbush and bluebush.
They are considered sedentary; however, atlas records indicate that individuals may move into wetter areas outside of their normal range during drought years.
Behaviour
Diet and foraging
Southern whiteface feed primarily on
arthropods; particularly
insect
Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three ...
and
arachnid
Arachnida () is a class of joint-legged invertebrate animals (arthropods), in the subphylum Chelicerata. Arachnida includes, among others, spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites, pseudoscorpions, harvestmen, camel spiders, whip spiders and vinegar ...
species, but also take seeds and leaves.
They forage almost exclusively on the ground,
favouring habitat with low tree densities, a herb understory and without large amounts of litter cover.
When foraging on ground substrates, southern whiteface preferentially make use of ground litter, herbs and bare ground over grass and substrates above ground level (e.g., tree trunks, branches and canopy) and obtain their insectivorous prey exclusively by gleaning.
Although southern whiteface typically forage in small groups of 2-8 individuals, they may congregate in larger flocks during the non-breeding season, with as many as 70 birds recorded in foraging parties in winter.
They often also participate in mixed species feeding flocks, particularly with other whiteface and thornbill species.
Breeding
Breeds once or twice a year from July to October throughout most of its range; however, timing of breeding in this species can be affected by rainfall in arid regions.
May breed outside of their usual season following sufficient rainfall, or may not breed at all in years of drought.
Little is known about bonding in this species and although nesting is often observed in pairs, there have been multiple occurrences of
co-operative breeding recorded, with up to 4 adults participating in chick rearing.
Nesting
Builds a domed nest with a side entrance, using dry grasses or bark and lining with feathers or fur.
Nests are often placed in shrubs or tree hollows and can range in height from less than 1m from the ground, to greater than .
Eggs are a dull white or buff colour with brown blotching at the larger end, oval in shape and about in size.
Clutches usually consist of 3-4 eggs.
Length of incubation period is unknown, but young are
altricial
In biology, altricial species are those in which the young are underdeveloped at the time of birth, but with the aid of their parents mature after birth. Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the mome ...
and
fledge between 14–19 days after hatching.
Conservation
Although locally common and currently listed on the
IUCN Red List
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...
as vulnerable,
atlas records of southern whiteface have declined by 43% in recent years.
The suitability of habitat for ground-foraging woodland species, such as the southern whiteface, is thought to depend on the variety of available ground substrates.
As many types of ground cover are vulnerable to disturbance from fire (leaf litter, fallen branches), grazing (grass, herbs) and introduction of exotic plant species (open ground), the management of existing habitat has important conservation implications for this species.
Understory disturbance by grazing and clearance of habitat for agriculture are currently listed as the main threats to southern whiteface.
However, some studies suggest that mining operations may also impact negatively on the species, although the exact cause for their decline (e.g. habitat degradation, noise disturbance, exposure to pollutants) in mining areas is unknown.
References
External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1301085
southern whiteface
Birds of South Australia
Birds of New South Wales
Birds of Victoria (Australia)
Birds of Western Australia
Endemic birds of Australia
southern whiteface
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot