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Difference between revisions of "Mistletoebird" - BirdForum Opus

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{{stub}}
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[[Image:824 Mistletoebird.jpg|thumb|500px|right|Photo &copy; by {{user|peterday|peterday}}<br />Windy Point Quarry, Adelaide, [[South Australia]] September 2015]]
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;Dicaeum hirundinaceum
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;[[:Category:Dicaeum|Dicaeum]] hirundinaceum
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[[Image:Mistletoebird.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by Taco]]
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'''Includes Salvadori's Flowerpecker'''
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The Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceum is a flowerpecker type bird that mainly lives in Australia, but it can't live in some parts of this country due to arid climates. They are also found in some places of Papua New Guinea, and eastern Indonesia. They also must live where there are trees and shrubs, so that they can build their nests. The bird eats a variety of different foods such as berries and assorted types of insects. When it comes to parenting the male and female both have different jobs.
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==Identification==
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[[Image:1620 Mistletoebird 10h.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Female<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|peterday|peterday}}<br />Manning Flora and Fauna Reserve, [[South Australia]] September 2019]]
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9 cm  (3½ in)
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* plumage bluish-black
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*chin and chest red or reddish (Moluccan subspecies)
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*undertail red or pinkish (Moluccan subspecies)
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*belly white or reddish buff (Moluccan subspecies)
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*belly with black centre stripe
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'''Female'''
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*upperparts dark grey
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*belly light grey
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*undertail with a slight red tinge
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'''Juvenile''' has an orange bill with a black tip
  
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==Distribution==
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[[Australia]], [[Papua New Guinea]], and eastern [[Indonesia]].
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==Taxonomy==
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[[Image:Mistletoe Bird 2 1 of 1 .jpg|thumb|350px|right|Sub-adult male<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Ken+Doy|Ken Doy}}<br />Sandy Camp Rd Wetlands, [[Queensland]], [[Australia]], June 2018]]
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Moluccan island subspecies have quite different plumage. Reference [[#References|[4]]] elevates these (''kiense'', ''fulgidum'') as "Salvadori's Flowerpecker" (''D. kiense'').
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====Subspecies====
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There are 4 subspecies [[#References|[1]]], some of which might be better elevated to specific status:
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*''D. h. kiense'': "'''Salvadori's Flowerpecker'''". Southern Wallacea (Watubela, Tayandu and Kai islands) [male underparts suffused with pinkish than Australian Mistletoebird; red of throat/chest and undertail less saturated, more pinkish. Female similar to Australian Mistletoebird, perhaps with stronger grey streaking on flanks, undertail paler pink]
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*''D. h. fulgidum'': "'''Salvadori's Flowerpecker'''". Tanimbar Island (Yamdena, Larat and Lutu) [thicker central belly stripe than ''kiense'', warmer buff underparts. Female browner than ''kiense'' with warmer buff vent area]
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*''D. h. ignicolle'': Aru Islands
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*''D. h. hirundinaceum'': Islands in Torres Strait and treed areas of mainland [[Australia]]
  
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[edit] Appearance
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==Habitat==
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Female and male mistletoebirds do not look similar. Like a peacock, the male is more striking to look at. The male is blue-black, has a red chest and a slight red undertail, and a black center stripe running down its white belly. The female is less vibrant compared to the male. The female is dark grey, with only a light grey belly and just a touch of red under the tail. This bird is only 10-11cm in size.
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[[File:20210223- MG 9621.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Juvenile<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|thunor|thunor}}<br />Cobar, [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]], 23 February 2021]]
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Trees and shrubs; anywhere where mistletoe grows.
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==Behaviour==
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[edit] Food
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====Diet====
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The Mistletoebird eats a variety of different foods. Most commonly it eats the berries of the mistletoe plant, hence the name. It also has been found eating nectar, pollen, spiders, and insects in order to balance its diet. During harvest season the mistletoe bird eats grapes and vines of whose leaves have fallen off.
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Their diet consists of mistletoe berries, fruit, nectar, pollen, spiders, moths, .
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====Breeding====
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Both adults build the nest<sup>*</sup> of crushed plants, palm threads and spider webs.
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[edit] Home
 
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The female mistletoe bird builds the nest by herself with no help from the male. The nest is made of crushed plants and spider webs, which holds it together and holds it to the tree. She will lay the eggs in the nest and look after them till they hatch. When they have hatched both parents will feed them.
 
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By eating the mistletoe, this bird is able to spread the seeds, which is a parasitic plant. When the birds eat the berries, the seeds pass through them, which takes anywhere from 4-25 minutes. Then when they excrete the seeds, they are sticky and stick to the branch of a tree and sprout.
 
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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mistletoebird"
 
  
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<sup>*</sup>Most on-line sources state that only the female builds the nest, but [http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=430459 this picture] shows a male collecting nesting material from a palm.
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==References==
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#{{Ref-Clements6thAug19}}#Bird Forum Member observations
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#Cheke, R., J. del Hoyo, N. Collar, C. Mann, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Mistletoebird (Dicaeum hirundinaceum), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, B. K. Keeney, P. G. Rodewald, and T. S. Schulenberg, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.mistle1.01
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#{{Ref-Eatonetal21}}
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{{ref}}
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==External Links==
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{{GSearch|"Dicaeum hirundinaceum" {{!}} "Mistletoebird"}}
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{{GS-checked}}1
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<br />
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<br />
  
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==External Links==
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[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Dicaeum]]
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*[http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showgallery.php?mcats=all&what=allfields&si=mistletoebird View more images of Mistletoebird in the gallery]
 
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[[Category:Birds]]
 

Latest revision as of 17:36, 17 August 2023

Photo © by peterday
Windy Point Quarry, Adelaide, South Australia September 2015
Dicaeum hirundinaceum

Includes Salvadori's Flowerpecker

Identification

Female
Photo © by peterday
Manning Flora and Fauna Reserve, South Australia September 2019

9 cm (3½ in)

  • plumage bluish-black
  • chin and chest red or reddish (Moluccan subspecies)
  • undertail red or pinkish (Moluccan subspecies)
  • belly white or reddish buff (Moluccan subspecies)
  • belly with black centre stripe

Female

  • upperparts dark grey
  • belly light grey
  • undertail with a slight red tinge

Juvenile has an orange bill with a black tip

Distribution

Australia, Papua New Guinea, and eastern Indonesia.

Taxonomy

Sub-adult male
Photo © by Ken Doy
Sandy Camp Rd Wetlands, Queensland, Australia, June 2018

Moluccan island subspecies have quite different plumage. Reference [4] elevates these (kiense, fulgidum) as "Salvadori's Flowerpecker" (D. kiense).

Subspecies

There are 4 subspecies [1], some of which might be better elevated to specific status:

  • D. h. kiense: "Salvadori's Flowerpecker". Southern Wallacea (Watubela, Tayandu and Kai islands) [male underparts suffused with pinkish than Australian Mistletoebird; red of throat/chest and undertail less saturated, more pinkish. Female similar to Australian Mistletoebird, perhaps with stronger grey streaking on flanks, undertail paler pink]
  • D. h. fulgidum: "Salvadori's Flowerpecker". Tanimbar Island (Yamdena, Larat and Lutu) [thicker central belly stripe than kiense, warmer buff underparts. Female browner than kiense with warmer buff vent area]
  • D. h. ignicolle: Aru Islands
  • D. h. hirundinaceum: Islands in Torres Strait and treed areas of mainland Australia

Habitat

Juvenile
Photo © by thunor
Cobar, New South Wales, Australia, 23 February 2021

Trees and shrubs; anywhere where mistletoe grows.

Behaviour

Diet

Their diet consists of mistletoe berries, fruit, nectar, pollen, spiders, moths, .

Breeding

Both adults build the nest* of crushed plants, palm threads and spider webs.

*Most on-line sources state that only the female builds the nest, but this picture shows a male collecting nesting material from a palm.

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Bird Forum Member observations
  3. Cheke, R., J. del Hoyo, N. Collar, C. Mann, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Mistletoebird (Dicaeum hirundinaceum), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, B. K. Keeney, P. G. Rodewald, and T. S. Schulenberg, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.mistle1.01
  4. Eaton, JA, B van Balen, NW Brickle, FE Rheindt 2021. Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago (Greater Sundas and Wallacea), Second Edition. Lynx Editions. ISBN978-84-16728-44-2

Recommended Citation

External Links

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1

Retrieved from ‘https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/index.php?title=Mistletoebird&oldid=267890’
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