Lord Howe golden whistler


The Lord Howe golden whistler, also known as the Lord Howe whistler or Lord Howe Island golden whistler, and locally as the “robin” or “yellow robin”, is a small bird in the whistler family, Pachycephalidae. It is a subspecies of the Australian golden whistler that is endemic to Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea, part of New South Wales, Australia.

Taxonomy and systematics

The Lord Howe golden whistler was originally described as a separate species.

Description

Males are similar to those of the nominate subspecies, though with a broader yellow collar. Females differ slightly in having their primary and secondary feathers distinctly washed with cinnamon-brown, a yellowish-grey belly and pale-yellow under-tail coverts.

Distribution and habitat

The whistler is restricted to Lord Howe Island, where it widely distributed through the native subtropical rainforest, as well as in remnant native vegetation on roadsides in settled areas.

Behaviour

Breeding

The whistler breeds from September to January. It builds an open cup-shaped nest of palm fibres and vine tendrils, lined with grass, in which it lays a clutch of two eggs.

Feeding

The whistlers eat spiders, insects and insect larvae, foraging through tree branches as well as on the ground in leaf litter.

Status and conservation

The population of the Lord Howe golden whistler has been estimated at about 2,000 breeding birds and stable. It has been listed as vulnerable by the Australian Government because of its small distribution. It is not listed anymore.