Register      Login
Emu Emu Society
Journal of BirdLife Australia
RESEARCH ARTICLE

The vocalisations and species status of the White-lined and Kimberley Honeyeaters

Eliot T. Miller A B D and Sarah K. Wagner C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Harris World Ecology Center, Department of Biology, University of Missouri, St Louis, MO 63121, USA.

B Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia.

C Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.

D Corresponding author. Email: eliotmiller@umsl.edu

Emu 114(2) 116-120 https://doi.org/10.1071/MU13073
Submitted: 10 August 2013  Accepted: 4 October 2013   Published: 4 April 2014

Abstract

The genus Meliphaga includes five species found in Australia. Two of these, the White-lined (M. albilineata) and Kimberley (M. fordiana) Honeyeaters, are endemic to sandstone habitats in the Northern Territory and Western Australia respectively. Few details are known about their vocalisations. Although large molecular differences separate the taxa, they are morphologically similar, and not all have accepted their status as full species. To shed more light on their distinctness, we combined our recordings of song with all other known recorded vocalisations and analysed vocal differences between the species. We demonstrate large differences between the songs of the species. Specifically, the White-lined Honeyeater sings songs with longer and more tremulous notes, longer pauses between notes, and a higher minimum frequency. The evidence presented here supports the retention of the Kimberley Honeyeater as a distinct species.


References

Bioacoustics Research Program (2011). Raven Pro: Interactive Sound Analysis Software. Version 1.4. (Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Ithaca, NY.) Available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/raven [Verified 19 September 2012].

BirdLife International (2012). Species factsheet: Meliphaga albilineata. (BirdLife International: Cambridge, UK.) Available at http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=5272 [Verified 19 November 2013].

Bowman, D. M. J. S., Brown, G. K., Braby, M. F., Brown, J. R., Cook, L. G., Crisp, M. D., Ford, F., Haberle, S., Hughes, J., Isagi, Y., Joseph, L., McBride, J., Nelson, G., and Ladiges, P. Y. (2010). Biogeography of the Australian monsoon tropics. Journal of Biogeography 37, 201–216.
Biogeography of the Australian monsoon tropics.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Christidis, L., and Boles, W. E. (2008). ‘Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds.’ (CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne.)

Christidis, L., and Schodde, R. (1993). Relationships and radiations in the meliphagine honeyeaters, Meliphaga, Lichenostomus and Xanthotis (Aves:Meliphagidae): protein evidence and its integration with morphology and ecogeography. Australian Journal of Zoology 41, 293–316.
Relationships and radiations in the meliphagine honeyeaters, Meliphaga, Lichenostomus and Xanthotis (Aves:Meliphagidae): protein evidence and its integration with morphology and ecogeography.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Deignan, H. G. (1964). Birds of the Arnhem Land Expedition. In ‘Records of the American–Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land. Vol. 4: Zoology’. (Ed. R. Specht.) pp. 345–425. (Melbourne University Press: Melbourne).

Dingle, C., Poelstra, J. W., Halfwerk, W., Brinkhuizen, D. M., and Slabbekoorn, H. (2010). Asymmetric response patterns to subspecies-specific song differences in allopatry and parapatry in the Gray-breasted Wood-Wren. Evolution 64, 3537–3548.
Asymmetric response patterns to subspecies-specific song differences in allopatry and parapatry in the Gray-breasted Wood-Wren.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 20666843PubMed |

Edwards, S. V., Kingan, S. B., Calkins, J. D., Balakrishnan, C. N., Jennings, W. B., Swanson, W. J., and Sorenson, M. D. (2005). Speciation in birds: genes, geography, and sexual selection. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 102, 6550–6557.
Speciation in birds: genes, geography, and sexual selection.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD2MXktlais7k%3D&md5=e35e8857376b18d06e5f7351a7defae3CAS | 15851678PubMed |

Eldridge, M. D., Potter, S., and Cooper, S. J. (2011). Biogeographic barriers in north-western Australia: an overview and standardisation of nomenclature. Australian Journal of Zoology 59, 270–272.
Biogeographic barriers in north-western Australia: an overview and standardisation of nomenclature.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Ford, J. (1978). Geographical isolation and morphological and habitat differentiation between birds of the Kimberley and the Northern Territory. Emu 78, 25–35.
Geographical isolation and morphological and habitat differentiation between birds of the Kimberley and the Northern Territory.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Ford, J. (1987). Notes on Kimberley birds. Western Australian Naturalist 16, 181–184.

Ford, J., and Parker, S. A. (1973). A second species of wedgebill? Emu 73, 113–118.
A second species of wedgebill?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Freeman, D. J. (1971). The nest of the White-lined Honeyeater. Emu 71, 86–87.
The nest of the White-lined Honeyeater.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Fujioka, T., Chappell, J., Honda, M., Yatsevich, I., Fifield, K., and Fabel, D. (2005). Global cooling initiated stony deserts in central Australia 2–4 Ma, dated by cosmogenic 21Ne-10Be. Geology 33, 993–996.
Global cooling initiated stony deserts in central Australia 2–4 Ma, dated by cosmogenic 21Ne-10Be.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD2MXhtlCit7nO&md5=59236244db2d1a997f3012ee2440de5aCAS |

Helbig, A. J., Knox, A. G., Parkin, D. T., Sangster, G., and Collinson, M. (2002). Guidelines for assigning species rank. Ibis 144, 518–525.
Guidelines for assigning species rank.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Higgins, P. J., Peter, J. M., and Steele, W. K. (Eds) (2001). ‘Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Vol. 5: Tyrant-flycatchers to Chats.’ (Oxford University Press: Melbourne.)

Irwin, D. E. (2000). Song variation in an avian ring species. Evolution 54, 998–1010.
| 1:STN:280:DC%2BD3cvhvFygsg%3D%3D&md5=4afb4b922e26eb001d68b7c9db70c45bCAS | 10937272PubMed |

Johnstone, R. A. (1995). Sexual selection, honest advertisement and the handicap principle: reviewing the evidence. Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 70, 1–65.
Sexual selection, honest advertisement and the handicap principle: reviewing the evidence.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:STN:280:DyaK2M3jsVyguw%3D%3D&md5=7c3e2c4973fca9b9293f9dac8f4d8514CAS | 7718697PubMed |

Johnstone, R. E., and Burbidge, A. H. (1991). The avifauna of Kimberley rainforests. In ‘Kimberley Rainforests of Australia’. (Eds N. L. McKenzie, R. B. Johnston, and P. G. Kendrick.) pp. 361–391. (Surrey Beatty: Sydney.)

Kikkawa, J., Webb, L. J., Dale, M. B., Monteith, G. B., Tracey, J. G., and Williams, W. T. (1981). Gradients and boundaries of monsoon forests in Australia. Proceedings of the Ecological Society of Australia 11, 39–52.

Lendon, A. (1966). Notes on Northern Territory birds. Australian Bird Watcher 2, 191–206.

Lerner, H. R. L., Meyer, M., James, H. F., Hofreiter, M., and Fleischer, R. C. (2011). Multilocus resolution of phylogeny and timescale in the extant adaptive radiation of Hawaiian honeycreepers. Current Biology 21, 1838–1844.
Multilocus resolution of phylogeny and timescale in the extant adaptive radiation of Hawaiian honeycreepers.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC3MXhsVKmurnN&md5=9cabf940bd59085653fb05657cc10317CAS |

Longmore, N. W. (1983). Nidification of the White-lined Honeyeater Meliphaga albilineata. Emu 83, 275.
Nidification of the White-lined Honeyeater Meliphaga albilineata.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Manly, B. F. J. (2005). ‘Multivariate Statistical Methods: A Primer’, 3rd edn. (Chapman & Hall/CRC: Boca Raton, FL.)

Mayr, E. (1942). ‘Systematics and the Origin of Species, From the Viewpoint of a Zoologist.’ (Harvard University Press: Cambridge, MA.)

Miller, E. T., Zanne, A. E., and Ricklefs, R. E. (2013). Niche conservatism constrains Australian honeyeater assemblages in stressful environments. Ecology Letters 16, 1186–1194.
Niche conservatism constrains Australian honeyeater assemblages in stressful environments.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:STN:280:DC%2BC3sfgtlWmsA%3D%3D&md5=2068eb37e65bdbea906fb531a541f976CAS | 23848846PubMed |

Norman, J. A., Rheindt, F. E., Rowe, D. L., and Christidis, L. (2007). Speciation dynamics in the Australo-Papuan Meliphaga honeyeaters. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 42, 80–91.
Speciation dynamics in the Australo-Papuan Meliphaga honeyeaters.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD28Xht1CgsbvK&md5=a3137435a2b11e68ce7a79b27596286bCAS | 16904917PubMed |

Price, T. (2008). ‘Speciation in Birds.’ (Roberts and Company: Greenwood Village, CO.)

R Development Core Team (2011). R: a language and environment for statistical computing. (R Foundation for Statistical Computing: Vienna, Austria.) Available at http://www.R-project.org [Verified 18 November 2013].

Rix, C. E. (1970). Birds of the Northern Territory. South Australian Ornithologist 25, 147–191.

Schodde, R. (1988). New subspecies of Australian birds. Canberra Birds Notes 13, 119–122.

Schodde, R., and Mason, I. J. (1975). Occurrence, nesting and affinities of the White-throated Grass-wren Amytornis woodwardi and White-lined Honeyeater Meliphaga albilineata. Emu 75, 12–18.
Occurrence, nesting and affinities of the White-throated Grass-wren Amytornis woodwardi and White-lined Honeyeater Meliphaga albilineata.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Schodde, R., and Mason, I. J. (1999). ‘Directory of Australian Birds: Passerines.’ (CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne.)

Slabbekoorn, H., and Smith, T. B. (2002). Bird song, ecology and speciation. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London – B. Biological Sciences 357, 493–503.
Bird song, ecology and speciation.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Smith, L. A., and Johnstone, R. E. (1974). First record of White-lined Honeyeater in northern Kimberley, WA. Emu 74, 58.
First record of White-lined Honeyeater in northern Kimberley, WA.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Smith, L. A., Johnstone, R. E., and Dell, J. (1978). Birds. Wildlife Research Bulletin, Western Australia 7, 29–41.

Storr, G. M. (1980). Birds of the Kimberley Division, Western Australia. Special Publication 11, Western Australian Museum, Perth.

White, H. L. (1916a). Description of a new honeyeater of the genus Ptilotis, from north Australia. Emu 16, 165.
Description of a new honeyeater of the genus Ptilotis, from north Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

White, H. L. (1916b). North Australian birds. Part 3. Emu 16, 117–158.
North Australian birds. Part 3.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

White, H. L. (1916c). North Australian birds. Part 4. Emu 16, 205–231.

Woinarski, J. C. Z. (1993). A cut-and-paste community: birds of monsoon rainforests in Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory. Emu 93, 100–120.
A cut-and-paste community: birds of monsoon rainforests in Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |