Mallee emu-wren
| Mallee emu-wren | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Maluridae |
| Genus: | Stipiturus |
| Species: | S. mallee |
| Binomial name | |
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Stipiturus mallee Campbell, 1908 |
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| Distribution of the mallee emu-wren | |
The mallee emu-wren (Stipiturus mallee) is a bird species in the family Maluridae. It is endemic to Australia.
Its natural habitat is temperate grassland. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The mallee emu-wren is one of three species of the genus Stipiturus, commonly known as emu-wrens, found across southern and central Australia. It was first described in 1908 by Archibald James Campbell, and has been considered a subspecies of either of the other two species; with anywhere from one to three species recognised in total. No subspecies are recognised. The common name of the genus is derived from the resemblance of their tails to the feathers of an emu.
The mallee emu-wren is an average 16.5 centimetres (6.5 in) from head to tail. The adult male mallee emu-wren has olive-brown upperparts with dark streaks, and a pale rufous unstreaked crown, and grey-brown wings. It has a sky blue throat, upper chest, lores and ear coverts. The lores and ear coverts are streaked with black, and there is white streaking under the eye. Though still long, the tail is not as long as in other emu-wrens, and is composed of six filamentous feathers, the central two of which are longer than the lateral ones. The underparts are pale brown. The bill is black, and the feet and eyes are brown. The female resembles the male but lacks blue plumage. Its crown is paler red and it has white lores. Its bill is dark brown. The mallee emu-wren moults yearly after breeding, and birds have only the one plumage.[1] The most recognizable and identifiable feature is the six emu-like feathers on its tail. This feature is highly distinguishable from other species found in its home range.
The mallee emu-wren is restricted to open mallee woodland with spinifex understory in northwestern Victoria and southeastern South Australia. This region is rich in Triodia or as it is commonly known spinifex. The spinifex grass often grows to 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) in height and provides the optimal habitat for the mallee emu-wren (Howe 1933). [1] Formerly classified as a vulnerable species species by the IUCN[3], recent research shows that its numbers are decreasing more and more rapidly. It is consequently uplisted to endangered status in 2008[4]. The mallee emu-wren is listed as nationally endangered under the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The current estimated total population size is approximately 4,000 birds. Although this species is widely dispersed throughout the Murray Sunset Reserve its home ranges are patchy throughout the 488 square kilometres (188 sq mi) reserve. (Brown 2008) Recent studies have concluded that the species is wider spread than thought before. However the species is much rarer in the southern regions of the preserve (Brown 2008). Their dispersion is heavily connected to the prevalence of Triodia. Triodia is a plant genus that is grass like and forms a hummock. This biotic factor is the most heavily influencing factor in the dispersion of mallee emu-wren (Brown 2008).
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