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Geographic overlap of Olive-backed Oriole O.sagittatus and the Green Oriole O.flavocinctus is extensive in northern Australia, but they generally are separated by habitat. They overlap in New Guinea, however, where their habitat distinction is much reduced. Genetic methods in an earlier study detected unexpected hybridisation between the two species in New Guinea. Here, we ask whether hybridisation between the two species may have gone unnoticed in northern Australia, whether genetic methods again may detect it, and whether this may relate to habitat management and conservation. We find no evidence for hybridisation in Australia and conclude that its occurrence in New Guinea is indeed likely related to the reduced habitat distinction between the two species there relative to their range in Australia. We also examine taxonomic corollaries of our genomic data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biogeographic barriers can restrict gene flow, but variation in ecological drivers of dispersal influences the effectiveness of these barriers among different species. Detailed information about the genetic connectivity and movement of waterfowl across biogeographic barriers in northern Australia and Papua New Guinea is limited. We compared genetic connectivity for four species of Australasian waterfowl that vary in their capacity and predisposition for dispersal: Radjah Shelduck (Radjah radjah), Wandering Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna arcuata), Green Pygmy Goose (Nettapus pulchellus), and Pacific Black Duck (Anas superciliosa). We obtained >3,700 loci from double-digest restriction-associated DNA sequencing for 15 to 40 individuals per species and found idiosyncratic patterns of population structure among the four species. The mostly sedentary Radjah Shelduck exhibited clear genetic differences between New Guinea and Australia as well as among locations within Australia. Although the population structure was consistent with isolation by distance, the Torres Strait and Carpentaria Barrier contributed more to genetic differences than geographic distance alone. In contrast, the presumed sedentary Green Pygmy Goose did not show obvious structure. Likewise, populations of the more dispersive Wandering Whistling Duck and Pacific Black Duck were unstructured and genetically indistinguishable between southern New Guinea and northern Australia. Our data suggest that some Australo-Papuan biogeographical barriers are insufficient to impede gene flow in waterfowl species capable of dispersing great distances. In sedentary species like the Radjah Shelduck, these barriers, perhaps coupled with its ecology and natural history, restrict gene flow. Our findings bring new insight into the population ecology of Australo-Papuan waterfowl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decline of woodland birds around the world is well known. There are likely to be many causal factors acting together and interacting synergistically, such as habitat fragmentation and the invasion of exotic species. Similarly, insect declines, which likely have been occurring for some time in Australia, have been recorded around the world in recent years, especially in areas of intensive agriculture or urbanisation. Because a large proportion of woodland birds are insectivorous, we ask whether the loss of food resources could also be a driver of bird declines. We encourage more research into this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Forest Kingfisher Todiramphus macleayii inhabits eucalypt savannas, rainforests and mangroves across its distribution in Australasia. Two Australian subspecies are consistently recognised but the taxonomic status of resident New Guinean populations is unsettled. Genomic data from populations sampled across the species' Australian and New Guinean ranges support the recognition of resident New Guinean populations at the subspecies level as T. m. elisabeth. Further work is required to examine island populations that remain unsampled genetically and to place the species in a broader phylogenetic analysis of Todiramphus kingfishers. We also report genetically based detection of a migrant individual in New Guinea either from eastern Australia or the Trans-Fly region of southern New Guinea. Our study provides a first insight into how genetic diversity is structured within this species across its range. It highlights remaining areas for study and illustrates the potential of DNA sequence data in tracking migratory movements of the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Buff-breasted Button-quail Turnix olivii is arguably the rarest, most threatened bird species in Australia. Despite many reports over the last four decades, the species has never been reliably photographed nor its vocalisations definitively recorded. No records in contemporary literature are supported irrefutably. Consequently, examining historical museum specimens of skins and eggs is critical to ascertain the species' distribution and autecology, understand potential threatening processes, and ultimately determine the species' conservation status. We review all known specimens of Buff-breasted Button-quail and contextual information where available. Current literature suggests the holotype was collected in 1899, while the last collected specimens (six skins, four clutches of eggs) were collected by William Rae McLennan near Coen in 1921 and 1922. We found a total of 15 specimens: seven skins and eight clutches of eggs. Two specimens collected by McLennan previously documented as 'missing' were located in the Natural History Museum, Tring. An additional four clutches of eggs not previously reported were located. Two represented verified specimens while the other two require further analysis to determine identity. All specimens were collected in the Cape York Peninsula bioregion. There are no specimens from the more southern Wet Tropics and Einasleigh Uplands bioregions, where the majority of contemporary observations have been made. As there have been no verified specimens collected for nearly a century, we argue that considerable concern and urgent action are warranted to improve the conservation outlook of this species. The species should be listed as critically endangered in both state and federal legislation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genomic approaches to phylogeography routinely reveal that our estimates of species level diversity within island systems are woefully underappreciated. A recent analysis of population genetics, phylogeography and historical demography of two pied monarchs (Monarchidae), the Spectacled (Symposiachrus trivirgatus) and Spot-winged Monarchs (S. guttula), uncovered unexpected instances of paraphyly and genetic diversity. Here, we discuss the taxonomic implications for these species complexes and recommend recognising three species within what has been considered S. trivirgatus. We defer the naming of a genetically distinct and admixed population of S. guttula on Gag Island, Indonesia, and, pending further study, we advocate continued recognition of this species as monotypic. This study highlights cryptic diversity in the Indo-Pacific species complex and the need for thoroughly sampled phylogenomic datasets to reconcile taxonomy with the complex evolutionary history of birds in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shortfalls in our knowledge of the most basic parameters, such as overall range and population size, ensure evidence-based conservation of poorly known or 'missing' species is inherently difficult. Often, the only source of such knowledge is anecdotal reports, which are usually considered too unreliable to be of value. Methods that help conservation decision-makers use anecdotal records of poorly known or 'missing' species to decide where conservation action should occur, and how urgent that action might be, will support better conservation decisions for those species. Here, we use a Delphi-style process based on expert opinion to assess the largely anecdotal sightings record of the Night Parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis), an endangered species from arid central Australia that underwent a significant decline following the arrival of Europeans. Our results clarify the patterns and possible causes of this decline and subsequent range contraction. We conclude that the species persists in only two broad regions, and is probably extinct throughout much of its former range. Our method is applicable to other poorly known species with a similarly sporadic and largely anecdotal sightings record. This method could be used to clarify the historical and current distribution and status of such species, a critical first step in understanding their conservation requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Western Whistler Pachycephala occidentalis Ramsay, 1878, endemic to south-western Western Australia, is almost phenotypically identical with P. pectoralis fuliginosa, the westernmost of six subspecies of Golden Whistler P. pectoralis on Australia and its islands. New mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence data affirm multiple prior studies in aligning P. pectoralis fuliginosa with other subspecies of P. pectoralis, not P. occidentalis. Conversely, principal coordinates and phylogenetic analyses of new data from >17,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms show P. occidentalis and P. pectoralis fuliginosa barely differentiated from each other, neither being close to any P. pectoralis subspecies. In earlier work, weak, ambiguous signal in nuclear DNA sequences possibly suggested close relationship between P. occidentalis and P. pectoralis fuliginosa but was 'swamped' by the phylogenetic signal of the mtDNA. Accordingly, we recognise one species, P. fuliginosa Vigors and Horsfield, 1827, having two subspecies P. fuliginosa occidentalis and P. fuliginosa fuliginosa. Western Whistler remains an appropriate English name for the species P. fuliginosa. MtDNA of Golden Whistler P. pectoralis is hypothesised to have introgressed westwards into the range of P. fuliginosa fuliginosa but not further west into P. fuliginosa occidentalis and we address this. Our conclusions open questions for the conservation of the Western Whistler, now known to have a greater breeding range spanning drier parts of South Australia and Victoria and, potentially, western New South Wales where its occurrence is still unproven. For example, what are the extents of seasonal range overlap, intergradation and niche differentiation of Golden and Western Whistlers in south-eastern Australia and of the two subspecies of Western Whistler? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic diversity, population delineation and rates of gene flow can be used to help understand long-term population dynamics, which is important for conserving species with fragmented distributions. Here, we sequenced 19 nuclear introns (nuDNA) and a portion of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) across three subspecies of Pacific Black Ducks (Anas superciliosa ssp.; NmtDNA = 162; NnuDNA = 49) from Australia and surrounding islands in order to measure levels of genetic structure and gene flow. First, despite evidence of gene flow from Australia, Pacific Black Ducks from the Solomon Islands were significantly differentiated from all other groups in both mtDNA and nuDNA. This is probably due to genetic drift resulting in lowered genetic diversity. We found the lowest levels of genetic differentiation between locations sampled in Australia, suggesting strong connectivity across the continent. Despite elevated differentiation in mtDNA between Australia and other islands (i.e. Timor, New Zealand), low nuDNA divergence suggests some connectivity. Such marker discord is common among waterfowl and is likely due to male-biased dispersal from Australia. Finally, mtDNA of Pacific Black Ducks from New Zealand showed introgression of haplotypes from feral mallards (A. platyrhynchos), which were established in the 1800s. Overall, these data suggest that A. superciliosa ssp. consist of three distinct genetic units that correspond with subspecies classifications and require individual conservation planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A well-supported genus-level classification of any group of organisms underpins downstream understanding of its evolutionary biology and enhances the role of phylogenetic diversity in guiding its conservation and management. The lorikeets (Psittaciformes: Loriini) are parrots for which genus-level systematics (phylogenetic relationships and classification) has long been unstable and unsatisfactory. Instability has manifested through frequently changing compositions of some genera (e.g. Trichoglossus and Psitteuteles). Other genera (e.g. Charmosyna, Vini) have become so large that their phenotypic heterogeneity alone at least questions whether they are monophyletic assemblages that genera should comprise. Recent molecular phylogenetic and phenotypic studies have improved the framework with which to rationalise genus-level systematics in lorikeets but some trenchant uncertainty has remained. Here we utilise published genomic data and tetrahedral analysis of plumage colour to develop a full review of the genus-level classification of lorikeets. Using existing phylogenetic relationships and a newly estimated time-calibrated tree for lorikeets, we show where paraphyletic assemblages have misled the classification of genera. We assign six species to three new genera and six other species to four previously described generic names that have been in synonymy in recent literature. Our taxonomic revision brings a new perspective informing and guiding the conservation and management of the lorikeets and their evolutionary biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taxonomy of the Striated Grasswren Amytornis striatus complex has long been contentious and remains incompletely resolved. Its many populations are distributed widely but disjunctly and show only subtle distinction in morphology and plumage. Genetic data are meagre and have not been correlated with phenotype. We conducted a phenotypic analysis across its range and obtained mitochondrial DNA sequences from most populations. We recognise three species: south-eastern Striated Grasswren Amytornis striatus sensu stricto, Opalton Grasswren Amytornis rowleyi in central Queensland and Rufous Grasswren Amytornis whitei in the remainder of the range, with subspecies in the Pilbara and in the central and western deserts. In A. striatus as so circumscribed, we separate allopatric Murray Mallee and central New South Wales populations subspecifically. Isolated populations of Rufous Grasswren, from the North West Cape Peninsula, Western Australia and Eyre Peninsula, South Australia are also distinct. Awareness of such unanticipated diversity within the group has profound implications for conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phylogeographic studies of northern Australian birds frequently detect the influence of the Carpentarian Barrier in vicariantly structuring present-day genetic variation. Several barriers further west (e.g. Canning Barrier), and, where data are available, the Arafura Sea and Torres Strait separating Australia and New Guinea have an overall lesser effect. Using sequence data from mitochondrial (mtDNA) and nuclear DNA, we tested whether the Blue-winged Kookaburra (Dacelo leachii), widespread in monsoonal northern Australia and southern New Guinea, shows evidence of vicariance by these barriers. Viewed in phylogenetic context of other Australo-Papuan kookaburras (D. novaeguineae, D. gaudichaud, D. tyro), clear phylogeographic subdivisions were absent within the range of D. leachii. Subspecies groupings explained a significant amount of molecular variance within D. leachii, the most distinct being New Guinean D. l. intermedia. Genealogical relationships among mtDNA haplotypes suggest a recent connection between New Guinea and Western Australia, a history recently proposed for at least one other bird species of similar open woodland habitat. Species distribution modelling similarly indicated that climatic conditions during the last glacial maximum (LGM) may have facilitated a connection between New Guinea and present-day Western Australia along the exposed Arafura shelf, and that suitable conditions remained continuous across the Carpentarian Barrier during the LGM. This work adds to a growing body of data on population genetic structuring of Australia's birds in relation to biogeographic barriers and it is the first such analysis of a large-bodied, non-passerine bird having an extensive geographic range in tropical and subtropical Australia and New Guinea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Splendid Fairywren Malurus splendens has four distinct phenotypic forms currently recognised as subspecies, although three species have been recognised within the group in the past. Here, we use multilocus nuclear DNA to test the recent hypothesis that the Splendid Fairywren represents three allopatric taxa with little to no modern-day contact, despite phenotypic evidence of periods of past contact and gene flow. Our nuclear dataset is concordant with earlier mtDNA-based data in supporting three distinct genetic groups within M. splendens. These genetic groups align with the three phenotypically distinct forms recently hypothesised to be allopatric and previously described at species-level – western M. splendens, central M. callainus and eastern M. melanotus. Nuclear gene flow does not appear to be rampant between the three forms; however, several individuals show signals of admixed nuclear ancestry, which we cannot distinguish as having resulted from incomplete lineage sorting, poor phylogenetic signal, or gene flow. Given changing modern taxonomic interpretations of the significance of gene flow in speciation, we argue that recognising three distinct species within the M. splendens complex might better represent their evolutionary distinctiveness, rather than continuing to treat these genetically and morphologically distinct forms as subspecies of a widespread polytypic species. Our study highlights the interesting complexity of determining species status when taxa are in the ‘grey zone’ near the subspecies/species continuum, and the value gained from adding perspectives from nuclear DNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three isolated areas of non-rainforested open woodland habitats, often collectively termed 'savanna', occur in eastern New Guinea and are here termed the Trans-Fly, Central Province and Oro Province savannas. Their avifauna is mostly shared with eucalypt-dominated savannas widespread across tropical and subtropical Australia. Though the avifaunas of these New Guinean savanna regions are well-inventoried, their potential for evolutionary and ecological research has been relatively little explored. We outline the distribution and palaeoenvironmental history of these New Guinean savannas. We describe the often underappreciated floristic uniqueness and complexity of the largest bloc, which is the Trans-Fly. We discuss avian endemism and species diversity in the New Guinean savannas and we review divergence of the New Guinean populations of savanna birds from their closest relatives, usually in Australia. We review molecular phylogeographic patterns evident in New Guinea savanna birds. Several species are closest to populations or other species in north-western Australia not the geographically closer north-eastern Australia. We discuss palaeo-modelling of Pleistocene habitats that explains this. We review bird migration between Australia and the Trans-Fly. Throughout, we highlight areas for further research such as the origin of the Oro Province savannas and the origins of several distribution patterns that seem particularly puzzling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights from the article: The youngster was Ernst Mayr and he was employed almost immediately by Rothschild to collect birds in New Guinea. His wide array of publications on the birds of New Guinea, the Pacific and Australia included the first list of New Guinean birds and a compact book on birds of the south-west Pacific (Mayr [42], [43]). Mayr's early work in the Solomon Islands culminated in his publication, with Jared Diamond, of their encyclopaedic book on birds of northern Melanesia (Mayr and Diamond [45]). ' List of New Guinea Birds: A Systematic and Faunal List of the Birds of New Guinea and Adjacent Islands'.

Two species of orioles, namely the Olive-backed Oriole (Oriolus sagittatus) and the Yellow Oriole (O. flavocinctus), occur across northern Australia. In New Guinea, both are confined to the Trans-Fly region immediately north of Cape York Peninsula. They occur there in Melaleuca-dominated 'swamp savanna', which is neither eucalypt savanna nor rainforest typical of their Australian habitats. A readily identifiable specimen of the Olive-backed Oriole collected in 2014 from the Trans-Fly has a mitochondrial DNA ND2 haplotype identical with Yellow Orioles. Its dorsal plumage has traits typical of Yellow Orioles. We infer it to have been descended from a hybridisation event involving a female Yellow Oriole followed by successive generations of backcrossing with Olive-backed Orioles. Three aberrantly plumaged orioles from New Guinea's Trans-Fly region date from 1937, 1969 and 2014. The 1969 specimen appears to be an aberrant Yellow Oriole. Molecular data are similarly not available for the 1937 specimen but its plumage is suggestive of hybrid origin. The 2014 bird's ND2 haplotype is identical with some Olive-backed Orioles and is inferred to be descended from hybridisation involving a female Olive-backed Oriole. Integration of phenotypic and genetic data directs study to understand drivers underpinning an unusually high frequency of aberrantly plumaged orioles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complex spatial and temporal phylogenetic patterns have emerged among Pacific Island radiations and their Australian and New Guinean congeners. We explore the diversification of Australo-Pacific Petroica robins using the first phylogeny with complete species-level sampling of the genus. In doing so we provide the first assessment of the phylogenetic affinities of two poorly known species with highly restricted ranges in the highlands of New Guinea – Subalpine Robin (Petroica bivittata) and Snow Mountain Robin (P. archboldi). Our analyses suggest that Petroica underwent an initial diversification during the Plio-Pleistocene that established four major lineages restricted to New Zealand (four species), Australia (four species), New Guinea (two species) and Pacific Islands + Australia (three or four species). All lineages appear to have undergone species diversification in situ with the exception of the Pacific Islands + Australia lineage where long-distance over-water dispersal must be invoked to explain the placement of the Red-capped Robin (P. goodenovii) within the iconic Pacific robin species complex (P. multicolor + pusilla). Two scenarios fit this biogeographic pattern: (1) a single 'upstream' colonisation of mainland Australia from a Pacific Island ancestor resulting in P. goodenovii, or (2) two or three 'downstream' colonisations from a mainland Australian or New Guinean ancestor resulting in the distinct Pacific robin lineages that occur in the south-west Pacific. Overall, biogeographic patterns in Petroica suggest that long-distance dispersal and island colonisations have been rare events in this group, which contrasts with other Australo-Pacific radiations that show evidence for repeated long-distance dispersals and multiple instances of secondary sympatry on islands across the Pacific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The honeyeaters are the most species-rich clade of birds east of Wallace's Line. They occupy a wide range of habitats, from desert to rainforest, and occur throughout Australia, New Guinea, and oceanic islands across Wallacea and the Pacific. Honeyeater natural history is well characterised, but comparative studies of this group are hampered by the lack of a well-supported phylogeny. Here, we infer the first genome-scale, genus-level phylogeny of the honeyeaters using 4397 ultraconserved elements from 57 species. We analysed the data using concatenated and species-tree approaches, and we found support for novel clades previously undetected in analyses of single- or multi-locus datasets. Despite sequencing thousands of loci, phylogenetic relationships of the New Caledonian Crow Honeyeater (Gymnomyza aubryana) remain equivocal. This study provides a new phylogenetic framework from which to study the ecology and evolution of one of Australasia's most iconic avian clades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advances in sequencing technology and phylogenetics have revolutionised avian biology by providing an evolutionary framework for studying natural groupings. In the parrots (Psittaciformes), DNA-based studies have led to a reclassification of clades, yet substantial gaps remain in the data gleaned from genetic information. Here we provide an overview of published genetic data of parrots, characterise sampling depth across the phylogeny, and evaluate support for existing systematic treatments. We inferred a concatenated tree with 307 species from a 30-gene supermatrix. We recovered well-supported relationships among recently proposed clades. Taxonomic groups were more stable towards the base of the tree and increased sampling will be required to clarify relationships at the tips, particularly below the generic level. Only a third of species have been sampled intraspecifically in population genetic or phylogeographic surveys. Intraspecific sampling has not been geographically or phylogenetically even across Psittaciformes, especially poor in the cockatoos, Southeast Asia, and parts of Australo-Papua. Threatened species are poorly sampled in the Neotropics. We highlight where effort should be focused to improve sampling based on geography and conservation status. In sum, phylogenetic relationships among the major parrot clades are robust, but relationships within and between genera and species provide opportunities for future investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Australian arid zone is well recognised as a source of evolutionary novelty and diversity. Roles for selection vs. drift in the region remain less understood. We surveyed mitogenomic diversity and genome-wide nuclear markers in the Mulga Parrot (Psephotellus varius) to add to phylogeographic data from arid zone species. We found structured diversity either side of the Flinders Ranges–Lake Eyre Basin (Eyrean barrier; net nucleotide divergence 1.92% forND2). Coalescent analysis suggests that this arose during the mid-Pleistocene approximately 402 000 years ago. In both phylogroups, however, the mitogenome is under pervasive purifying selection. Purifying selection in the context of consistent environments either side of the Eyrean barrier may have maintained ancestral plumage and morphological traits, though in other plumage traits there is some plumage divergence that is geographically concordant with the phylogeographic structure. This leads to the essentially ‘cryptic’ genetic diversity uncovered here, despite indications of ongoing adaptation to aridity inP. variusas evidenced by increasing bill surface area (shown by earlier work to have increased relative to body size by 10.4% since 1871), a result we affirm here across the species as a whole. This study also demonstrates the utility of shallow ‘genome skimming’ sequencing for population analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Although it is well understood that New Guinea and Australia are essentially one landmass that connects periodically during sea-level fluctuations, the biogeographic history and effects of environmental change for species that span the two islands has not been studied in depth. The New Guinean subspecies of the Australian Magpie,Gymnorhina tibicen papuana, is known to share morphological traits with subspecies from north-western and south-western Australia (G. t. longirostrisandG. t. dorsalis, respectively). Here, we use molecular data to explore the relationships of the New Guinean subspecies. Mitochondrial DNA supports a close relationship with a previously identified Australian phylogroup, which includes the two western Australian subspeciesG. t. longirostrisandG. t. dorsalisand western populations of what has been recognised as a northern subspeciesG. t. eylandtensis. We infer that the formation of land bridges, most likely during the most recent glacial period, allowed movement of magpies between New Guinea and Australia but not, evidently, involving Cape York Peninsula, which is that part of Australia closest today to the range ofG. t. papuana. Dispersal would have ceased following the most recent sea-level rise 16 500 years ago. Overall, our study is consistent with a hypothesis that savannah-associated species dispersed between Australia and New Guinea via a western route across land bridges associated with the Sahul Shelf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Western Whipbird (Psophodes nigrogularis) has a highly disjunct west–east distribution across southern Australia. Earlier morphological analyses recognised four subspecies in one species:P. n. nigrogularisandP. n. oberonin south-west Western Australia, andP. n. leucogasterof the Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas and the Murray Mallee, andP. n. lashmari, restricted to Kangaroo Island, both in eastern Australia. Later morphological analyses elevatedP. n. nigrogularisto monotypic species rank, and placed the remaining western and two eastern taxa as three subspecies of a second speciesP. leucogaster. Initial mtDNA analysis questioned both arrangements but could not include all taxa. We used mtDNA sequence data from all available specimens of the entire group (DNA extracted from cryo-preserved tissues, toe-pads and feathers; holotypes excepted) to derive a more stable view of species limits. The samples fell into two strongly divergent but geographically structured groups, completely reflecting the eastern and western components of the distribution. Thus we see merit in treating the two geographical groupings as two species,P. nigrogularisin the west andP. leucogasterin the east, each having two subspecies. Nuclear data could test whether the two western subspecies in particular are genetically isolated or currently exchanging genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A population of Night Parrots (Pezoporus occidentalis) was discovered in 2013 in western Queensland and has become the primary focus of efforts aimed at conserving habitat and protecting the species from extinction. Critical information on nesting habitat and location, breeding season and behaviour, clutch size and breeding success is currently limited to anecdotal 19th-century observations and accounts by early natural historians. Here we describe several breeding attempts at Pullen Pullen Reserve. Our observations include nest and fledgling descriptions, habitat and clutch characteristics, breeding seasonality, adult breeding behaviour and vocalisations. We also identify a King Brown Snake (Pseudechis australis) as the predator responsible for one nesting failure. Our observations confirm historical reports of nesting habitat, egg and clutch size and breeding seasonality and provide important new information on vocalisations and adult behaviour around an active nest. These new data provide a basis for future studies and conservation management of this enigmatic threatened species. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Conventional thinking for many years held that the holotype of the GalahEolophus roseicapilla, obtained in 1801 by the Baudin Expedition from France, was from south-eastern Australia. This did not mesh well with what is known of Galahs not having occurred in that part of Australia at that time. That it must have been a western bird is now strongly supported by bibliographic and morphological evidence. Our earlier phylogeographic study of the Galah had shown geographical structure in its mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). We reasoned that if mtDNA could be extracted from the holotype the matter should be resolvable. We report the results of this work and affirm the case made from morphological and bibliographic data. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A new, apparently isolated subspecies of the Australian Ringneck Parrot (Barnardius zonarius) is described from the Upper Cooper Creek drainage in far north-eastern South Australia and neighbouring extreme south-western Queensland. If two species are recognised inBarnardius, this form would be a subspecies ofB. barnardi. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A2083683-6FAE-4D3F-9B2A-BAA0C47AC8FF [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The microscopic characteristics of downy barbules of feathers can assist with species identification in forensic investigations, particularly when only minute fragments remain. Using light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), we characterised the feather morphology of 62 species of birds from 18 Orders including representatives of all Orders found in Australia, except Sphenisciformes (penguins). We demonstrate that with a few notable exceptions, Australian birds display similar feather characteristics to their well-studied Northern hemisphere relatives. We also show that the microscopic characteristics of downy barbules can be used to differentiate these Orders. A more detailed investigation of 39 parrot species revealed substantial similarities among the species, indicating that microscopic characteristics could not differentiate among parrot species. However, there were some features (barbule length and macroscopic features, i.e. colour), that may provide clues as to the species of origin. Importantly, the microscopic feather characteristics provide investigators with a simple, fast and cost effective mechanism with which to test assertions about the potential species of origin. This may preclude the requirement for further more expensive testing (such as DNA analysis) or direct further testing towards a smaller, more targeted number of species, reducing the amount and cost of testing required. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla) is a widespread Australian bird. Its geographical variation and subspecies remain poorly understood. We sampled 192 specimens from across the entire range of the species to assess its phylogeographical structure using the mitochondrially encoded NADH dehydrogenase 2 (MT-ND2) gene. A subset of specimens was examined for nuclear DNA diversity using the Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) method. Weakly defined structure was evident in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) data, which suggested three geographically defined haplogroups that broadly coincide with the three conventionally recognised subspecies: E. r. roseicapilla - western haplogroup; E. r. albiceps - eastern haplogroup; and E. r. kuhli - northern haplogroup. The three haplogroups all overlap and intersect broadly across the centre of the Australian continent. Geographical expansions of each haplogroup appear to have occurred before and after the Last Glacial Maximum (~20000 years ago), the species itself probably having undergone an earlier expansion at c. 60000 years ago. The preliminary nuclear AFLP data suggest very little structure though they likely track more recent processes of gene flow and population admixture. Expansion of the species since European settlement represents another, later expansion uncoupled from what is tracked in the mtDNA data. Future quantitative analyses of phenotypic variation will enhance the precision of how geographical variation in all datasets in this species should be interpreted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sex biases in bird populations, particularly an excess of males, can threaten small, isolated populations by reducing reproductive rates. A skew in sex-ratio can be caused by (i) differential mortality at conception or hatching, (ii) differential survival to adulthood, or (iii) stochastic population processes. However, an observed sex-ratio bias can also result from a bias in census methods rather than a realised bias. Distinguishing between the two possibilities is critical to identifying the underlying causes. An excess of males has long been observed in the Kangaroo Island population of the endangered South Australian Glossy Black-Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami halmaturinus) (Psittaciformes: Cacatuidae), and our census data confirm this. Here, we use DNA-based sexing to test the accuracy of morphologically based nestling sex assignments in C. l. halmaturinus. We find that in all but one case, the DNA-based sexing was concordant with the sex assigned as nestlings, thus confirming the validity of nestling plumage-based sexing in a larger sample from this population. Our analysis of nestling sex data suggests that the adult sex-ratio is a function of a skew at fledging and not caused by higher rates of female mortality post fledging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on several papers on ornithology that were published on December 12, 2014. Topics discussed in the papers include the response of birds to global climate change, the evolution of sex chromosomes in birds, and DNA sequences in birds. The papers also focus on mutations of protein-coding genes in birds, and the effect of gene expression on singing behaviour in oscine songbirds.

Recent phylogeographic studies have examined the location and timing of putative Plio-Pleistocene bio-geographical barriers in moulding present-day patterns of diversity in southern Australian vertebrates. We previously investigated the divergence history of an assemblage of southern Australian birds. Here we more explicitly incorporate idiosyncratic effects of dietary ecology and habitat on the long-term demographic stability and the presence or absence of genetic structure on each of 12 species of bird. Our data suggest that the Eyrean Barrier (Flinders Ranges-Lake Eyre Basin) has been critical in shaping present-day diversity, especially that of mesic and mallee environments, and that other barriers (e.g. Murchison Barrier, Nullarbor Barrier) have played a lesser role. In contrast, nectarivory and occurrence in patchily distributed habitats are correlated with weak or no phylogeographic structure. Population expansions were most prevalent in western parts of species' ranges. Substantial genetic divergences accompanied by moderate or no phenotypic divergence challenge traditional approaches to taxonomy in the Blue Bonnet (Northiella haematogaster), Chestnut Quail-thrush (Cinclosoma castanotum), White-eared Honeyeater (Nesoptilotis leucotis) and Scarlet Robin (Petroica boodang) and we suggest taxonomic treatments for each of these species that accommodate existing data. We elevate some taxa to species rank and note where further analyses of gene flow will be useful in clarifying remaining issues. Further phylogeographic study in the region of the Mount Lofty Ranges, Flinders Ranges, Spencer Gulf and Gulf St Vincent) of South Australia is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphological and vocal diversity among closely related species reflects a combination of shared ancestry and recent species-specific adaptations. A small group of Australo-Papuan passerines in the core Corvoidea, the whipbirds and wedgebills (Psophodes, Androphobus), provide an opportunity to explore this. Vocally, the Western Whipbird (Psophodes nigrogularis sensu lato) is very similar to the two species of wedgebills, whereas the sibilant whipcrack-like song of male Eastern Whipbirds is distinctive among the group. Using phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA we show that Australian whipbirds are not sister taxa but that the Eastern Whipbird is sister to the wedgebills and that the Western Whipbird is sister to the other three members of the group. Wedgebills are nested within the whipbird clade, supporting their current inclusion in Psophodes. The topology and reconstruction of ancestral states suggests the similarity in vocalisation among wedgebills and the Western Whipbird is a result of shared ancestral character states, whereas the whipcrack-like song of the Eastern Whipbirds is autapomorphic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Australo-Papuan fairy-wrens, emu-wrens and grasswrens comprise the passerine family Maluridae. They have long been known for their spectacular plumages, remarkable behavioural ecology and intriguing biogeography. The family has provided an ideal model with which to explore how phylogenetic and phylogeographic analyses of DNA-sequence data can inform understanding of evolutionary history and present-day biology. We review what has been learned of the phylogeny of the group and the phylogeographic history of individual species. We conclude that there is now a strong framework within which to pursue the remaining species-level taxonomic issues, and to extend ecological and behavioural studies into a new era of more detailed genetic questions such as the role of gene-environment interactions in adaptation. We highlight some remaining examples of such questions and discuss how they might be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the museum collections in ornithology, which recorded avian biodiversity for the future. It states that the museum collections which underpin all classifications of birds and understanding of changes in their populations have played a significant role in the study of avian biology. It says that the advent of the theory of evolution by natural selection in July 1858 served as repositories of the evidence for and results of evolution. It adds that the museum collections of natural history specimens became useful for the aristocracy and curious natural historians.

Evaluations of relationships among honeyeaters (Passeriformes : Meliphagidae) have used dense taxon and nucleotide sampling. Here we focus on the systematically contentious meliphagid genus Lichenostomus. We use data from two molecular markers that were common to two major recent studies, the mitochondrial protein-coding gene ND2 and the nuclear intron Fib5. Based on complete species-level sampling of Lichenostomus, we confirm the recent finding that Lichenostomus is not monophyletic. We recover seven distinct lineages dispersed within the meliphagid assemblage. Two uniform and unadorned species, the White-gaped (L. unicolor) and Yellow (L. flavus) Honeyeaters, were sister species close to some other taxa currently placed in Lichenostomus. The only two mangrove specialists, the Varied (L. versicolor) and Mangrove (L. fasciogularis) Honeyeaters from north-eastern and central-eastern Australia respectively, were not sister-species, but the former was sister to the pair comprising Mangrove Honeyeater and the widespread Singing Honeyeater (L. virescens). Two endemic New Guinean species, the Obscure (L. obscurus) and Black-throated (L. subfrenatus) Honeyeaters, are a sister pair to the Yellow-faced Honeyeater (L. chrysops) of eastern Australia. We suggest a revised generic nomenclature for the species recently placed in Lichenostomus and erect one new genus-group name, Bolemoreus, to include two species that have been previously grouped in Caligavis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent evidence points to the Amytornis textilis–modestuscomplex of grasswrens being not one but two species: Amytornis textilis(Western Grasswren), including A. t. myall, and Amytornis modestus(Thick-billed Grasswren). We present morphological support for this change and evidence of diversity within both A. t. textilisand A. modestus. In the latter we reinstate the currently unrecognised subspecies A. m. modestusfrom the valleys of the MacDonnell Ranges, which is presumed extinct, and A. m. indulkanna, ranging north-west of Lake Eyre and Lake Torrens. Other discrete populations are described at the periphery of the northern Flinders Ranges and in the south-western Lake Frome Basin. The former resembles A. m. indulkannabut shows sexual dimorphism in the tail. The population from the south-west Lake Frome Basin shares sexual dimorphism in the tail with the Flinders Ranges population but has a longer tail, and it is more strongly marked, darker and less consistently ‘thick-billed’ than any of the other three. Populations north-east of Lake Eyre and in New South Wales are incompletely evaluated. Molecular genetic studies are planned to clarify relationships between all extant and extinct populations of the complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widespread cyclic aridity during the Pleistocene is hypothesised to have had a significant impact on widespread Australian birds causing range-wide contractions to historical refugia and population differentiation while in isolation. In this study we tested a priorihypotheses for the impact of Pleistocene climatic and edaphic changes on the population history of the widespread Australian Pied Butcherbird (Cracticus nigrogularis). Analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences from 55 individuals of C. nigrogularisrevealed low genetic diversity, poor geographical structure and signatures of a recent demographic expansion. In contrast with long-standing biogeographical hypotheses, our data suggest that C. nigrogulariswas likely to have been restricted to multiple refugia across its current range rather than undergoing range-wide contractions to one or few refugia. In addition, we found no evidence for the Carpentarian Barrier of northern Australia having limited dispersal in C. nigrogularis, which contrasts with predictions from intraspecific taxonomy and with population structures of several other bird species. Our data add to the increasing number of phylogeographical studies of widespread Australian birds that show evidence of maintaining large effective population sizes despite widespread aridity, as well as species-specific, rather than ecosystem-wide, responses to Pleistocene climatic changes and biogeographical barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comments on papers published in the January-June 2001 issue of 'Word & Image' about the materiality of print in early modern Europe. Empiricism and interpretation; Histories of art and literature; Fundamental problems as to where to draw the line between the iconic and the verbal; Debate about ornament; Approach to art through the avenue of archaeology.

The article presents a study which aims to clarify the nomenclatural status of the genus-group name of some honeyeaters or Meliphagidae that are recently introduced. The study has focused on the molecular systematic of 20 species of Australo-Papuan honeyeaters that are being placed under Lichenostomus Cabanis genus. It states that dismantling Lichenostomus have been advocated and has recommended the classification of 20 species into seven smaller genera. Findings reveal that all except two of the 20 species involved have genus-group names which are available formal zoological nomenclature being set out at the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN).