Southern whiteface facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Southern whiteface |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Aphelocephala
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| Species: |
leucopsis
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The southern whiteface (Aphelocephala leucopsis) is a small bird that lives only in Australia. It is found in dry areas across most of the southern part of the continent, but not in Tasmania. This bird looks a bit like a finch. It mostly eats insects. The southern whiteface is quite common where it lives, but its total numbers seem to be going down.
Contents
About the Southern Whiteface Name
These birds were first called Xerophila. But scientists later found that some shellfish already had that name. So, the whitefaces were renamed to the genus Aphelocephala.
There are three types of whiteface birds:
- the southern whiteface
- the banded whiteface (A. nigricincta)
- the chestnut-breasted whiteface (A. pectoralis)
The name Aphelocephala comes from two Ancient Greek words. Apheles means 'simple', and kephale means 'head'. The second part of its scientific name, leucopsis, also comes from Ancient Greek. Leukos means 'white', and opsis means 'face'.
Scientists have found that whitefaces are most closely related to the scrubtit (Acanthornis magnus). This is a bird found only in Tasmania. Whitefaces have a stronger beak than scrubtits. This is because whitefaces eat more seeds, which need a tougher beak to crack.
What the Southern Whiteface Looks Like
The southern whiteface is a sturdy bird, similar to a thornbill. Its back is brown, and its belly is white. It has dark brown wings and a black tail with a thin white tip. Sometimes, its belly has a grey tint, and its sides might be grey or reddish-brown.
This bird has special marks on its face. It has a white band across its forehead. There is also a darker stripe along the top edge of this band. Adult birds are about 11.5 cm (4.5 in) long. They have cream-colored eyes, grey legs, and a short, dark grey beak. Male and female adult birds look the same. Young birds are different because they do not have the black band at the back of their face.
The southern whiteface makes a fast, noisy chirping sound. It sounds like "tchip-tchip-chiptchipt-chipt-chip" or "tzip-tzip-tziptzip". When it is alarmed, it makes a harsher sound like "kzzurrk, kzzurrk-kzzurrk".
You can tell this bird apart from other whiteface species. It looks a bit duller and does not have a band across its chest. Both the banded whiteface and the chestnut-breasted whiteface have chest bands.
There are two main types of southern whiteface:
- A. l. leucopsis: This type is found in southeastern and central Australia. Its grey color on the sides can vary. Birds in the northwest are paler.
- A. l. castaneiventris: This type lives in southwestern Australia. It has a reddish-brown wash on its sides.
Where the Southern Whiteface Lives
The southern whiteface lives only in Australia. It usually lives in dry, open woodlands. These woodlands have shrubs or grass on the ground. They also live on grassy plains across much of southern Australia.
You won't find this bird in Tasmania or near the coast of the mainland. It prefers woodlands with Acacia trees, especially mulga trees. It also likes areas with drought-resistant chenopod shrubs, like saltbush and bluebush. These birds usually stay in one place. However, during dry years, some birds might move to wetter areas.
Southern Whiteface Behavior
Diet and Foraging
Southern whitefaces mainly eat arthropods. These include insects and arachnids like spiders. They also eat seeds and leaves. They almost always look for food on the ground. They prefer places with few trees, a layer of herbs, and not much leaf litter. When they search on the ground, they use leaf litter, herbs, and bare ground. They do not often look for food in grass or above ground, like on tree trunks. They catch their insect prey by picking it off surfaces.
Southern whitefaces usually look for food in small groups of 2 to 8 birds. But in the non-breeding season, they might gather in larger groups. Sometimes, as many as 70 birds have been seen feeding together in winter. They also often join other bird species to feed. These mixed groups often include other whiteface and thornbill birds.
Reproduction and Nesting
Southern whitefaces usually breed once or twice a year. This happens from July to October in most areas. However, the breeding time can change in dry regions. If there is enough rain, they might breed outside their usual season. If there is a drought, they might not breed at all.
We don't know much about how these birds form pairs. They are often seen nesting in pairs. But sometimes, up to 4 adult birds have been seen helping to raise the chicks. This is called co-operative breeding.
The southern whiteface builds a dome-shaped nest with an entrance on the side. They use dry grasses or bark for the nest. They line it with feathers or fur. Nests are often placed in shrubs or tree hollows. They can be from less than 1 meter (3 feet) off the ground to more than 10 meters (33 feet) high.
The eggs are dull white or buff-colored. They have brown spots at the larger end. They are oval-shaped and about 18 x 14 mm (0.7 x 0.55 in) in size. A female usually lays 3 to 4 eggs. We don't know how long the eggs take to hatch. But the young birds are born helpless. They leave the nest between 14 and 19 days after hatching.
Conservation Status
The southern whiteface is common in some places. It is currently listed as of least concern on the IUCN Red List. This means it is not in immediate danger. However, records show that the number of southern whitefaces has dropped by 43% in recent years.
The places where these ground-feeding woodland birds live need different types of ground cover. Things like leaf litter and fallen branches can be damaged by fire. Grass and herbs can be affected by grazing animals. New plant species can also change the open ground. So, managing their habitat is very important for this bird's future.
Currently, the main threats to the southern whiteface are:
- Disturbance to the understory by grazing animals.
- Clearing of habitat for farming.
Some studies also suggest that mining might harm these birds. We don't know the exact reason for their decline in mining areas. It could be habitat damage, noise, or pollution.
Images for kids
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A southern whiteface bird.
See also
In Spanish: Cariblanco meridional para niños
