White-throated gerygone

The white-throated gerygone (Gerygone olivacea) is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae. It is found in Australia and Papua New Guinea. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. Its common names include white-throated warbler, white-throated flyeater, bush canary, and native canary.^[3]

White-throated gerygone
Songs and calls Listen to White-throated gerygone on xeno-canto
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Acanthizidae
Genus:	Gerygone
Species:	G. olivacea
Binomial name
Gerygone olivacea (Gould, 1838)
Subspecies[2]
G. o. cinerascens - Sharpe, 1878 G. o. rogersi - Mathews, 1911 G. o. olivacea - (Gould, 1838)

Taxonomy and Systematics

Gerygone comes from the Greek word “gerugonos” meaning “echos”. The species name olivacea is latin for ‘olive-green’, given for its underbelly coloration. ^[4]

There are three recognized subspecies of G. olivacea: Gerygone olivacea ssp. cinerascens, Gerygone olivacea ssp. rogersi, and Gerygone olivacea ssp. olivacea.

Distribution and Habitat

The species is distributed through south-eastern New Guinea and northern and eastern Australia. G. olivacea ssp. cinerascens is found in south-eastern New Guinea and the Cape York Peninsula of Australia. G. olivacea ssp. rogersi is found in north-western Australia. G. olivacea ssp. olivacea is found primarily in New South Wales.

Gallery

• Gerygones nesting in Bougainvillea, rural New South Wales garden
• 
  Fig 1. The bird(s) wound sticky threads around a Bougainvillea stem.
  These threads appeared to be spider web.
• 
  Fig 2. The nest was located in among the Bougainvillea foliage.
  Both sexes seemed to help build it.
• 
  Fig 3. Other material was then stuck to the sticky foundation. The birds did not work on the nest every day.
• 
  Fig 4. The weight of the nesting material and the gerygones
  gradually bent the branch vertical.
• 
  Fig 5. The nest took several weeks to build.
  It was made from strips of bark, twigs,
  animal fur, and manufactured fibres.
• 
  Fig 6. This view shows the circular entry to the nest.
• 
  Fig 7. This view shows the rear of the nest.
• 
  Fig 8. The gerygones abandoned the nest soon after completion.
  It may have been a decoy nest.