Shy heathwren facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Shy heathwren |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Hylacola
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| Species: |
cauta
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| Subspecies | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Calamanthus cautus |
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The shy heathwren (Hylacola cauta) is a small bird that lives only in Australia. It belongs to the Acanthizidae family. These birds usually live in mallee woodlands. They like areas with lots of thick shrubs and heath plants.
Shy heathwrens mostly eat insects they find on the ground. They sometimes eat seeds too. Their nests are shaped like a dome and are built on the ground. They often hide their nests inside clumps of grass or small bushes. Female heathwrens usually lay 2 to 3 eggs. These eggs are pinkish and have small freckles.
Contents
What Does a Shy Heathwren Look Like?
These birds have a tail that often sticks up, like a "cock-tail." Their lower back, called the rump, is a chestnut brown color. This color gets darker towards the tip of their tail.
Their belly feathers are white with brown stripes. Their back and the top of their head are greyish-brown. They have a white stripe above their eye, a white tip on their tail, and a white patch on their flight feathers. Their bill is black. Their eyes can be brown or yellowish-brown, and their legs are a slate-brown color.
Female heathwrens have slightly less bright colors than males. Young birds are even duller. Some young ones might have a fawn, or light brown, color on their underside. Adult shy heathwrens are about 12–14 centimetres (4.7–5.5 in) long.
Where Do Shy Heathwrens Live?
Shy heathwrens are not very common, but they live in many parts of southern Australia. You can find them from near West Wyalong in New South Wales all the way to the Murchison River in Western Australia.
In New South Wales, they live in two separate areas. One area is between Leeton, Willandra, New South Wales, Nymagee, and West Wyalong. The other area is from Balranald to Trentham Cliffs.
These birds are considered a threatened and vulnerable species in New South Wales. This means they need protection. Their homes are being lost because of human activities. Also, animals like foxes and cats sometimes hunt them.
About Their Name
The scientific name for the shy heathwren used to be Calamanthus cautus. This name grouped them with birds called fieldwrens. But in 2008, their name was changed.
The first part of their new scientific name, Hylacola, comes from two old words. Hylē is a Greek word meaning 'woodland'. -cola is a Latin word meaning 'dweller' or 'one who lives in'. So, Hylacola means 'woodland dweller'.
The second part of their name, cauta, comes from the Latin word cautus. This means 'shy' or 'wary'. This is why they are called the shy heathwren! Other common names for this bird include shy hylacola and mallee heathwren.
There are four different types, or subspecies, of the shy heathwren:
- Hylacola cauta cauta: Found in South Australia and Victoria.
- H. c. macrorhynchus: Found in New South Wales.
- H. c. halmaturina: Found on Kangaroo Island.
- H. c. whitlocki: Found in Western Australia.
See also
In Spanish: Sedosito tímido para niños
