David & birding-ausers, Wanting to be absolutely clear about what races of Helmeted Friarbird are believed to occur in the NT under the IOC classification. Am I right in thinking that Philemon buceroides gordoni ( Matthew’s Melville Island friarbird) is the more widespread across the coastal Top End, and that P.b. ammitophila (? Sandstone Friarbird?) is confined to sandstone escarpments? Are they the only two races in the NT? Am I right in believing that the nominate race P. buceroides buceroides does not appear on the Australian mainland. Would be interested in peoples’ views as to the relative abundance of these two races in the NT. A thorough search of my records for two visits to the Territory shows I’ve missed Helmeted Friarbird both times (along with White-lined H/E, but at least I was actively looking for that and knew I didn’t have it!!) Don’t you just hate it when you’ve missed an airchair tick.
Russ Lamb, Maleny, SEQ
Hi Martin,
this is a good question, and I don’t have an answer. On the IOC website the only footnote I found to the taxonomy of this group is as follows:
“Status of Philemon yorki uncertain whether endemic ne AU species or conspecific with Papuan Friarbird (Sibley and Monroe 1990, Boles and Christidis 2008, P.Gregory comments).”
That is not very informative. I interpret it that the many subspecies of the former Helmeted Friarbird were split into two species (Papuan and Helmeted) both with many subspecies, and whoever did that originally did not look too closely at yorki. C&B did not have much to say. Schodde & Mason kept Helmeted and Papuan as 1 species, but with reservations. Driskell & Christidis (2004) did some mollecualr studies but did not find enough to change the prevailing taxonomy.
This lack of clarity and consensus raises an important issue that I intend working to address. If we want to adopt an international checklist system (IOC or another) as the basis for an Australian checklist we should:
1) follow that checklist system fully and not make various exceptions on a whim or preference (or else why use an international system?) 2) develop a system whereby there is official Australian input into the taxonomy and names of Australian birds (endemics and near endemics in particular) adopted in the parent checklist, whilst adhering to the system rules.
I see it as a ‘horse and cart’ issue: firstly we must join a parent system, then develop an input process, then address things like out-dated common names (Maned Duck for e.g.) and taxonomic anomalies like the friarbirds and Red-collared Lorikeet. The IOC have shown potentially that they would be open to this sort of input and collaboration. However, it will take time and proceed step by step, if at all. Alas, such a process will not deliver taxonomic research that is aimed to resolve the most pressing or obscured issues in a systematic fashion.
At least it seems that many on Birding-Aus are in favour of this path.
David James, Jakarta burunglaut07@yahoo.com ==============================
________________________________ Sent: Saturday, 10 December 2011 2:14 AM
Hi Russ & others The sandstone bird (ammitophila) is fairly easy to see atop of Gunlom in Kakdu NP & I also had them in nearby Koolpin Gorge. I didn’t see them at Nourlangie Rock to the north, but did see some at nearny Gubara. So I guess you could say that it is fairly widespread on the escarpment areas. The coastal/mangrove bird (gordoni) I found to be quite common around Darwin at a great deal of sites. However, I wouldn’t say that this bird is anywhere near as common as the Hornbill Friarbird (yorki) is around Cairns where I live. I have a question though – why is it that the NE Qld bird yorki has been split as a full species, especially from the coastal NT gordoni? I am no taxonomist, but I would have thought that the escarpment frequenting ammitophila was more distinct when compared to both gordoni & the newly split yorki, which at least structurally to my eye, appear more closely related to one another… Any thoughts anyone …?? Cheers Martin Cachard, Cairns, 0428 782 808
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Hi
Good thing that the friarbirds are made to wear their helmets in these races. There have been a lot of fatalities on NT roads.
Cheers
Hi Russ & others The sandstone bird (ammitophila) is fairly easy to see atop of Gunlom in Kakdu NP & I also had them in nearby Koolpin Gorge. I didn’t see them at Nourlangie Rock to the north, but did see some at nearny Gubara. So I guess you could say that it is fairly widespread on the escarpment areas. The coastal/mangrove bird (gordoni) I found to be quite common around Darwin at a great deal of sites. However, I wouldn’t say that this bird is anywhere near as common as the Hornbill Friarbird (yorki) is around Cairns where I live. I have a question though – why is it that the NE Qld bird yorki has been split as a full species, especially from the coastal NT gordoni? I am no taxonomist, but I would have thought that the escarpment frequenting ammitophila was more distinct when compared to both gordoni & the newly split yorki, which at least structurally to my eye, appear more closely related to one another… Any thoughts anyone …?? Cheers Martin Cachard,Cairns, 0428 782 808
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Hi Russ & others The sandstone bird (ammitophila) is fairly easy to see atop of Gunlom in Kakdu NP & I also had them in nearby Koolpin Gorge. I didn’t see them at Nourlangie Rock to the north, but did see some at nearny Gubara. So I guess you could say that it is fairly widespread on the escarpment areas. The coastal/mangrove bird (gordoni) I found to be quite common around Darwin at a great deal of sites. However, I wouldn’t say that this bird is anywhere near as common as the Hornbill Friarbird (yorki) is around Cairns where I live. I have a question though – why is it that the NE Qld bird yorki has been split as a full species, especially from the coastal NT gordoni? I am no taxonomist, but I would have thought that the escarpment frequenting ammitophila was more distinct when compared to both gordoni & the newly split yorki, which at least structurally to my eye, appear more closely related to one another… Any thoughts anyone …?? Cheers Martin Cachard,Cairns, 0428 782 808
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According to the Handbook of Birds of the World, gordoni is “N Northern Territory (Tiwi Is and coastal Arnhem Land), in N Australia” and ammitophila is “subcoastal sandstone plateaux of Arnhem Land (S to Katherine Gorge and Mataranka), in Northern Territory.”
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