Western whipbird

The western whipbird (Psophodes nigrogularis) is a passerine bird found in several scattered populations in Southwest Australia. It is predominantly olive green in colour. The western whipbird has sometimes been split into two species: the black-throated whipbird and the white-bellied whipbird.

Black-throated whipbird
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Psophodidae
Genus:	Psophodes
Species:	P. nigrogularis
Binomial name
Psophodes nigrogularis Gould, 1844

Taxonomy

The western whipbird was formally described in 1844 by the English ornithologist John Gould based on a specimen collected by John Gilbert in the Wongan Hills of Western Australia. Gould coined the current binomial name Psophodes nigrogularis.^[2][3] The specific epithet combines the Latin niger meaning "black" with Modern Latin gularis meaning "throated".^[4]

Four subspecies are recognised:^[5]

• P. n. nigrogularis Gould, 1844 – Two Peoples Bay, far southwest South Australia: (Endangered) The western heath subspecies is now restricted to a small patch east of Albany, having disappeared from large parts of its range due to land clearance.^[6]
• P. n. oberon Schodde & Mason, IJ, 1991 – southwest Western Australia, east of Two Peoples Bay: (Rare) The western mallee subspecies is found in scattered populations between the Stirling Ranges and Ravensthorpe. It is apparently common in the Fitzgerald River National Park.^[7]
• P. n. leucogaster Howe & Ross, JA, 1933 – coastal central south South Australia (white-bellied whipbird group)
• P. n. lashmari Schodde & Mason, IJ, 1991 – Kangaroo Island (off southeast South Australia) (white-bellied whipbird group)

The subspecies P. n. leucogaster and P. n. lashmari have been considered as a separate species, the white-bellied whipbird.^[5][8]

Description

The western whipbird is a slim bird some 21–25 cm (8.3–9.8 in) in length. It is predominantly olive green with a black throat and a narrow white cheek-patch edged with black on its face. It has a small crest and a long dark olive-green tail tipped with white, its underparts are a paler olive colour. The bill is black with blackish feet. Juveniles are a duller olive-brown in colour and lack the white cheek stripes and dark throat.^[9]

Breeding

Breeding occurs in spring. The nest is a bowl of twigs and sticks lined with softer material such as grasses, located in shrubs or trees less than 1–2 m (3–7 ft) above the ground. A clutch of two eggs, pale blue with blackish splotches and spots, measuring 26 mm × 19 mm (1.0 in × 0.7 in), is laid.^[10]