MARCH,1977 175 NOTES ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE CHIMING AND CHIRRUPING WEDGEBILLS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA S. A. PARKER Received June, 1976, accepted January, 1977 INTRODUCTION map) as east to Mount Dare Station, Oodna­ Ford & Parker (1973) drew attention to the datta, Coober Pedy and Brumby Creek, and fact that the Wedgebill actually cor.sists of two south to Tarcoola, and the range of the Chir­ largely allopatric forms, similar in appearance ruping as west to Oodnadatta, Mulgaria and but having quite different calls. On the basis Bookaloo and south to Nectar Brook and Cal­ of this difference, and the results of preliminary perum. The apparent sympatry at Oodnadatta playback experiments, they suggested that the was based on skins of both forms labelled two forms should provisionally be regarded 'Oodnadatta', two of P. occidentalis in the as separate species, the Chiming Wedgebill South Australian Museum collected by A. Psophodes occidentalis (Mathews, 1912) and Chenery in July, 1906, and one of P. cristatus the Chirruping Wedgebill P. cristatus (Gould, in the S. A. White Collection collected by Cap­ 1838). They gave the range of the Chiming tain S. A. White on June 23, 1914. The present Wedgebill in South Australia (op. cit.: 115, note discusses further information concerning 176 SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ORNITHOLOGIST, 27 the provenance of these three skins, and gives tralian Museum: they are not from Wilmington some new locality records for both wedgebills itself (which is on the Willochra Plain, from in South Australia. where wedgebills have never been reported) but from the Nectar Brook area and Winninowie THE 'OODNADATTA' SKINS on the western side of the Flinders Ranges. An It is dear from White's (1951: 707-708) additional locality from this area is Redcliff remarks that his party arrived at Oodnadatta Point settlement, 9.5 km W of Nectar Brook on June 20 and left on June 27 or 28. He RS, where three birds were recently seen in wrote: 'We were delayed for a short time at Umbrella Bush Acacia ligulata (Matheson the railhead owing to the non-arrival of our 1976) . camel train, but the time was utilised in col. Ford & Parker (1973) wrote 'Wedgebills lecting around Oodnadatta.' We may assume, probably do not occur in the Simpson Desert therefore, that his wedgebill was taken in the , Subsequent records have happily proved vicinity of Oodnadatta. us wrong. Wilson (1974 and in litt.) recorded The two specimens collected by Chenery, the Chirruping Wedgebill at several points in however, are apparently not from Oodnadatta, the Northern Territory and Queensland sectors in spite of their being so labelled. All bird of the Simpson in 1969; and in September, 1976 skins in the South Australian Museum are listed I heard this species several times in the South on a card index, under species. John Sutton Australian sector between Poeppel's Corner and (who curated the bird collection from 1923 to Eyre Creek. 1938) entered Chenery's specimens on the rele­ vant card as from 'Oodnadatta', but subse­ FURTHER RECORDS OF quently altered this to 'Todmorden, near Ood­ P. OCCIDENTALIS nadatta', presumably on the advice of Chenery. On an expedition to the South Australian Todmorden is a cattle station on the Alberga sector of the Great Victoria Desert in October, Creek about 82 km WNW of Oodnadatta. 1976, I recorded the Chiming Wedgebill at the Thus, no sympatry is yet known between P. following additional localities: Birthday Rocks, occidentalis and P. cristatus. 44 km N of Tarcoola, in dense thickets of Acacia tarculensis; 29 and 77 km WNW of FURTHER RECORDS OF P. CRISTATUS Tallaringa Well, at the former spot in Acacia Recent records have extended the known linophylla among sandhills; 10 km NW of Emu range of the Chirruping Wedgebill in South in A. linophylla among sandhills; Observatory Australia. On April 5, 1973, Mrs. J. B. Paton Hill. Almost certainly the southern limits of (pel's. comm.) encountered this form 32 km this form in the Great Victoria Desert have NW of Anna Creek HS, and collected a speci­ yet to be determined. men (SAM B28122). On April 12-13, 1973, I take this opportunity to correct a point of she observed and heard it at the Peake crossing. identification. Slater (1974: pI. 8) depicted P. Both localities are immediately to the west of cristatus and P. occulentalis as identical in ap­ Lake Eyre, and the habitat in both cases was pearance. As mentioned by Ford & Parker Muehlenbeckia cunninghamii, Eragrostis austra­ (op. cit.), they differ slightly: P. cristatus is lasica and Acacia victoriae along a watercourse. faintly streaked on the breast and upper abdo­ Mr. J. B. Cox (pel's. comm.) noted the Chirrup­ men, whereas P. occidentalis is unstreaked ing Wedgebill on the eastern edge of Port below. Specimens in fresh plumage can be Augusta during 1972 (the occurrence of this identified by this character, but worn specimens species near Port Augusta has tor long been can be difficult to assign. well known in South Australia but not hitherto ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS published - Ed.) Mr. P. Langdon (pel's. I should like to thank Mrs. J. B. Paton, Mr. J. B. Cox comm.) recorded it at Sandy Creek a few km and Mr. P, Langdon for allowing me to use their unpub­ lished records. south of Port Augusta West on March 13 and REFERENCES April 11, 1965, in boxthorn Lycium australe, Condon H. T. 1968-1969. A Handlist of the Birds of South Australia (2nd & 3rd eds.) Adelaide: S. Aust. Orn, Assoc. and also on Pandurra Station about 35 km Ford, J. R. & S. A. Parker. 1973. A second species of WSW of Port Augusta on May 29 and June wedgebill ? Emu 73: 113-118. M~~~~1~~ine:;;: :ea.1~.t 'f>~~. b~~~S 1~J-1~~ 24, 1974, in Acacia victoriae on the edge of a Redcliff Point SI31ter, P. 1974. A Field Guide to Australian Birds. Passer­ watercourse. ines. Rigby. White, S. A. 1915, Narrative in Scientific notes on an ex­ Eggs of the Chirruping Wedgebill were stated pedition into the north-western regions of South Australia. Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Aust; 39: 707-723. by Condon (1968) to have been taken in the Wilson, M. 1974. Birds of the Simpson Desert. Emu: 74: Wilmington district between 1953 and 1957. 169-176. Some of these eggs are now in the South Aus- South Australian Museum, Adelaide, S.A. 5000.