The figbirds are a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
(''Sphecotheres'') in the family of
Old World orioles found in wooded habitats in Australia,
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...
, and the
Lesser Sundas.
Taxonomy and systematics
Formerly, the three species have been considered
conspecific
Biological specificity is the tendency of a characteristic such as a behavior or a biochemical variation to occur in a particular species.
Biochemist Linus Pauling stated that "Biological specificity is the set of characteristics of living organ ...
, but all major authorities now consider them as separate species.
[Higgins, P. J., L. Christidis, & H. A. Ford (2008). Family Oriolidae (Orioles). Pp. 692-731 in: del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott, & D. A. Christie. eds. (2008). ''Handbook of the Birds of the World.'' Vol. 13. Pendulin-tits to Shrikes. Lynx Edicions. ][Dickinson, E. C. (editor) (2003). ''The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World.'' 3rd edition, w. updates. Christopher Helm. ][Andrew, P. (1992). ''The Birds of Indonesia: A Check-list.'' Kukila Check-list No. 1. Indonesian Ornithological Society, Jakarta.][Gill, F., M. Wright, & D. Donsker (2009). ]
IOC World Bird Names
'' Version 2.1. Accessed 04-07-2009[Christidis, L., & W. E. Boles (2008). ''Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds.'' CSIRO. ] The split is primarily based on differences in measurements,
plumage
Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...
, and
biogeography.
Species
Three
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
are recognized:
Description
They are strongly
sexually dimorphic
Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...
, with males having olive-green upperparts, a black head, and (uniquely for the family) distinct bright red facial skin.
[Simpson, K. (editor) & N. Day (illustrator) (1994). ''Field Guide to the Birds of Australia.'' 2nd edition. Christopher Helm. ][Coates, B. J., & K. D. Bishop (1997). ''A Guide to the Birds of Wallacea.'' Dove Publications Pty. Ltd. ] Females are drab-coloured, being dull brownish above, and white below with strong dark streaking. They have greyish facial skin, and a greyish-black bill.
[
]
Behaviour and ecology
Compared to the "typical" Old World orioles of the genus '' Oriolus'', the figbirds are more frugivorous (though they also take some small insects, nectar, and seeds) and gregarious, even breeding in small, loose colonies
In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state' ...
(at least for the Australasian figbird; the nesting habits are still unknown for the other two species).[
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2417877
Birds of New Guinea
Birds of the Lesser Sunda Islands
Taxa named by Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot