Geographic Range
Green catbirds are found from south-eastern Queensland to southern New South Wales
on the east coast of Australia.
- Biogeographic Regions
- australian
Habitat
Green catbirds are found primarily in the rainforests of the tropical and subtropical
regions of Australia. Occasionally they are also found in paperbark and adjacent eucalypt
forests.
- Habitat Regions
- tropical
- Terrestrial Biomes
- forest
- rainforest
Physical Description
Green catbirds are rather large, stout birds weighing an average of 207 grams and
having a length of approximately 28 cm. They have an overall color of emerald green
with white spots and a dusky crown, nape and face with a red eye and a white bill.
Juvenile green catbirds are a more dull green color. Spotted catbirds (
Ailuroedus crassirostris melanotis
) are a subspecies that differs in the faint black markings on the face and brighter
green color. Green catbirds are sometimes confused with satin bowerbirds (
Ptilonorhynchus violaceus
), which are more olive green, have blue eyes, a darker bill, and more "scalloped
patterning" on the underbody.
- Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- homoiothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- Sexual Dimorphism
- male larger
Reproduction
Like other bowerbirds (
Ptilonorhynchidae
), male green catbirds attempt to attract mates by displaying colorful leaves, fruits,
or flowers in their beaks. When a female comes close, the male chases her from branch
to branch and makes a raspy clicking sound. If the female leaves, the male preens,
feeds, and calls before once again displaying the leaves, fruits, or flowers. Once
the female accepts the male, they are mated for life (monogamous). Even though green
catbirds are bowerbirds, they do not build a bower as do other bowerbirds. Instead
they build a nest that looks like a cup composed of leaves, twigs and vines. This
nest is noted for the unusual layer of soft, wet wood beneath the lining of twigs
and leaves which gives the nest its thick, heavy design. The nest is set in a tree
fork, tree fern, low branches of trees, or in prickly shrubs.
- Mating System
- monogamous
Green catbirds are seasonal breeders with the average breeding season starting in
September and going through the end of January. The average clutch size is two or
three cream or olive colored eggs, which hatch after about 24 days of incubation.
Fledging occurs about 22 days after hatching.
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- seasonal breeding
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- oviparous
Only female green catbirds build the nest and incubate the eggs. After hatching both
the male and female look after and feed the young. They also both defend the territory
throughout the year. This territory is used for nesting and feeding.
- Parental Investment
- altricial
-
pre-fertilization
- provisioning
-
protecting
- female
-
pre-hatching/birth
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- male
- female
-
provisioning
-
pre-weaning/fledging
-
provisioning
- male
- female
-
protecting
- male
- female
-
provisioning
Lifespan/Longevity
There is little available information for the lifespan and longevity of green catbirds in the wild and in captivity.
Behavior
Green catbirds are active during the day and are territorial. They live as mated pairs
or small family groups and do not migrate.
- Key Behaviors
- flies
- diurnal
- motile
- sedentary
- territorial
Home Range
The average home range of the green catbirds is about five acres or around 20,000
m^2. This range is much reduced during the breeding season.
Communication and Perception
The call of green catbirds has been said to sound like a cat meowing or a human baby
crying. They are mostly solitary birds except for living with their mate, they use
primarily vocalizations to communicate with mates, although visual displays are part
of the initial courtship.
- Other Communication Modes
- duets
Food Habits
Green catbirds primarily eat fruits, flowers, and other plant material. During breeding
season they often prey on the hatchlings of other birds or small reptiles to feed
their young. Foraging is usually done in pairs or small family groups by moving from
one tree to the next in the mid and upper canopy of the forest.
- Animal Foods
- birds
- reptiles
- insects
- Plant Foods
- leaves
- fruit
- flowers
Predation
There is little information on the predators of green catbirds, although it is likely
that eggs and hatchlings are preyed on by nest predators. Green catbirds actively
defend their territories and nests. They also use a broken wing display to distract
potential predators from nests.
Ecosystem Roles
Since green catbirds eat fruit, flowers, and other plant material, it is assumed that
they aid in the dispersal of seeds and maybe even with the pollination of some plant
species.
- Ecosystem Impact
- disperses seeds
- pollinates
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Green catbirds eat some insects, which may be potential pests, and they aid in the dispersal and pollination of native plants.
- Positive Impacts
- controls pest population
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
Green catbirds may occasionally take cultivated fruits, although their impact is negligible.
Conservation Status
Green catbird populations are considered relatively large and stable. They are described
as "common" in most of their range and have an estimated global range size of 20,000
to 50,000 km^2." Humans are the biggest threat to these birds due to the destruction
of their habitat.
Additional Links
Contributors
Tanya Dewey (editor), Animal Diversity Web.
Amanda Kaminski (author), Northern Michigan University, Alec R. Lindsay (editor, instructor), Northern Michigan University.
- Australian
-
Living in Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, New Guinea and associated islands.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- tropical
-
the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.
- forest
-
forest biomes are dominated by trees, otherwise forest biomes can vary widely in amount of precipitation and seasonality.
- rainforest
-
rainforests, both temperate and tropical, are dominated by trees often forming a closed canopy with little light reaching the ground. Epiphytes and climbing plants are also abundant. Precipitation is typically not limiting, but may be somewhat seasonal.
- endothermic
-
animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- monogamous
-
Having one mate at a time.
- iteroparous
-
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
- seasonal breeding
-
breeding is confined to a particular season
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- oviparous
-
reproduction in which eggs are released by the female; development of offspring occurs outside the mother's body.
- altricial
-
young are born in a relatively underdeveloped state; they are unable to feed or care for themselves or locomote independently for a period of time after birth/hatching. In birds, naked and helpless after hatching.
- diurnal
-
- active during the day, 2. lasting for one day.
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- sedentary
-
remains in the same area
- territorial
-
defends an area within the home range, occupied by a single animals or group of animals of the same species and held through overt defense, display, or advertisement
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- duets
-
to jointly display, usually with sounds in a highly coordinated fashion, at the same time as one other individual of the same species, often a mate
- herbivore
-
An animal that eats mainly plants or parts of plants.
- folivore
-
an animal that mainly eats leaves.
- frugivore
-
an animal that mainly eats fruit
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
References
Becker, C. 2003. Modern Theory of Evolution . Indiana: Iuniverse Inc.. Accessed March 10, 2008 at http://books.google.com/books?id=dZgUg0QgrHIC .
Hindwood, K., W. Cooper. 1968. A Portfolio of Australian Birds . Rutland, Vermont and Tokyo, Japan: Charles E Tuttle Company Publishers.
Innis, G., J. McEvoy. 1992. Feeding Ecology of Green Catbirds (Airuroedus crassirostris) in Subtropical Rainforests of South-Eastern Queensland. Wildlife Research Management and Conservation , 19/3: 317-329. Accessed March 10, 2008 at www.publish.csiro.au/paper/wr9920317.htm .
Mayr, E., K. Jennings. 1952. Geographic Variation and Plumages in Australian Bowerbirds (Ptilonorhynchidae). American Museum of Natural History , 1602: 18. Accessed April 12, 2008 at http://hdl.handle.net/2246/2402 .
Morcombe, M. 2000. Field Guide to Australian Birds . Australia: Steve parish Publishing.
2008. "Green Catbird" (On-line). Accessed April 02, 2008 at http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/plantsanimals/GreenCatbirds.htm .
2007. "Green Catbird" (On-line). Birds In Backyards. Accessed April 12, 2008 at http://www.birdsinbackyards.net .