Bowerbird & Australasian Babbler
Featured bowerbird and catbird images belong to the Ptilonorhynchidae family that I photographed in the tropical rainforest, woodland, and shrubland habitat. The Australasian babbler, from the Pomatostomidae family, habitat includes in woodland and shrubland Habitat. See Taxonomy Note at end of this page.
Bowerbirds, Catbirds and Australasian Babblers
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Bowerbirds, Catbirds and Australasian Babblers Notes
Images of showcased species are ‘Red List 2019’ assessed as ‘Least Concern’. The Spotted Catbird is an Australasian endemic; the other three species are Australian endemics. I photographed the featured species in Australia’s rainforests. The Satin Bowerbird exhibits plumage dimorphism.
Bowerbirds, Catbirds and Australasian Babblers Behaviour
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Bowerbirds, Catbirds and Australasian Babblers Behaviour Notes
The gallery features a short photo essay on Australian endemic western bowerbirds at Olive Pink Botanic Gardens in Alice Springs. A male Western Bowerbird busy arranging ornaments at the front of its avenue bower built below the branches of a low shrub. There were at least three birds around the bower area. Other images show birds perched in trees squawking, preening, and resting. The bower decoration was mainly white with a few green natural and made-made objects. Other featured birds are the Great Bowerbird and Spotted Catbird feeding in Queensland. And a short sequence showing the Grey-crowned Babbler [Rufous-breasted] hunting in trees and on the ground in Alice Springs.
Bowerbirds, Catbirds and Australasian Babblers Taxonomy
Bowerbirds (Ptilonorhynchidae) and Australasian Babblers (Pomatostomidae) are basal oscines placed in parvorder Climacterida and Orthonychida, respectively. Both parvorders are part of suborder Passeri, J Boyd’s Taxonomy in Flux refers, and depicted in the simplified family tree:
(a) Climacterida comprises Ptilonorhynchidae which splits into two subfamilies: Bowerbirds (Ptilonorhynchinae) and Catbirds (Ailuroedinae).
(b) Orthonychida contains Australasian Babblers (Pomatostomidae).
Some authorities place Ptilonorhynchidae in Menuroidea and Pomatostomidae in Corvoidea, both under Corvida.
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