SEPTEMBER, 1985 213 COLOURS AND MARKINGS OF THE MOUTHS OF NESTLING AUSTRALIAN SONGBIRDS WALTER E. BOLES AND N.W. LONGMORE' INTRODUCTION many species. These data are less easy to obtain The colours and markings of the mouths of for species which nest in hollows or which con­ nestling songbirds (Passeriformes) have been struct domed or covered nests because young r~ported by several authors: Ingram (1907), are usually fed inside the nest where they are Ticehurst (1910), Bates (1911), Swynnerton out of view. (~916), Wetherbee (1961), Ficken (1965), Har­ Some photographs permit a complete view of mon (1975) and Maclean & Vernon (1976). In­ the tongue and inside mouth. Others are less gram (1907) thought it possible that these comprehensive and for some species our record characters may be of some taxonomic use a of the inside mouth is based on a composite of suggestion echoed by subsequent authors. The s~veral photographs. This makes the assump­ families they considered were primarily Euro­ non that there is no significant variation bet­ pean, North American and African. In this ween individuals of the same age, and indeed, paper, we report on the mouth-colours and past authors have remarked on the consistency markings of the nestlings of over 120species of of these characters within a particular species. Australian songbirds, representing more than A comparison of our results for these same 30 families, and discuss some of their tax­ species supports this. The same assumption is onomic implications. necessary for those species in which only a Ingram (1907) was concerned only with single individual has been examined. Though tongue-markings whereas Ficken (1965) dealt the concordance between our observations and only with the colours of the mouth linings. In those of previous authors supports this assump­ this paper we discuss both aspects of the nestl­ tion for most species, we did find examples and ings' mouths, as did Maclean & Vernon (1976) suggestions of individual variation within who divided colours and markings of the some. The data are still insufficient to deter­ mouths into three categories: mine the cause of this variation. "1. Yellow or orange with black markings on We have complete (single individual or com­ the tongue and sometimes on the tips of the posite) information from at least one represen­ mandibles; markings also occur rarely on the tative of all but the following Australian palate. passerine families: Atrichornithidae (scrub­ 2. Yellow, orange, pink, red Or purplish birds), Climacteridae (tree-creepers) and without markings. Paradisaeidae (birds-of-paradise). Our search 3. The estrildid condition with elaborate of the literature and of available photographs papillae and markings on the gape, tongue and has not been exhaustive and we encourage mandibles." (p.95). observers to supplement our report as more in­ formation is acquired. The specializedmarkings of nestling grassfin­ ches (Bstrildidae) of category 3 have been il­ Selected sources of information are given in lustrated and discussed by Immelmann (1982) Figure 1 for those species in which we have and others and will not be considered further recorded some variety of markings. These have here. been cited because they illustrate the markings for the species in question; in the case of com­ METHODS posite views, photographs verifying the lack of Mouth-colours were Obtained using markings for part of the mouth lining are omit­ photographs in books and in the National ted. Throughout, the major sources are ab­ Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife breviated thus: RD - Reader's Digest Com­ (NPI), Australian Museum, Sydney. Much bird plete Book of Australian Birds, NPI - Na­ photography takes place at nests. Nestling birds tional Photographic Index of Australian readily gape, thereby exposing the linings of the Wildlife and WW - The Wrens and Warblers inside of their mouths; photographs provide a of Australia. Where the same picture appears readily obtainable source of information for both in an NPl photograph and in a book, the SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ORNITHOLOGIST, 29 214 citation of the latter is given because of its norhina red ones. Because of the limited range greater accessibility. The page number, in the of possible mouth-colours, families in which case of books, or acquisition number in the case they are the same are not necessarily closely of the National Photographic Index, is given related, e.g. Dicaeidae and Corvidae. It is after the source. highly probable that the unmarked condition is ancestral to those in which markings are pre­ RESULTS . sent. Of Australian species we examined, those The unmarked condition (category 2 of lacking mouth-markings are listed with their Maclean & Vernon 1976) is by far the most fre­ mouth-colours in Table I; species for which we quent among Australian passerines. "The have insufficient views are not listed. mouth colours of almost all nestling [North American] passerines are either red or yellow" Maclean & Vernon (1976) divided their third (Ficken 1965: 71). In Australian species, category, comprising species with tongue yellow-orange is the most common colour but and/or palate markings, into eight groups rang­ orange-red or red are characterisitics of several ing from species with only two tongue-spots to families (liable I). From her data on North those with spots plus elaborate palate mark­ American ~pecies, Ficken (p.73) considered that ings. These authors included a few Australian "nestling mouth-lining colour is usually a good genera in this category to which we have added family character". This appears true for others with several previously unreported pat­ Australian passerines as well, with the excep­ terns. All Australian species for which we have tion of the Cracticidae in which Cracticus and recorded markings have yellow-orange mouth­ Strepera have yellow-orange linings and Gym- linings. Figure 1. Mouth- markings recorded in nestling d) Little Grassbird Megalurus gramineus Australian passerines. Unless another author is (NPI300) cited, all markings have been confirmed by us; European Skylark Alauda arvensis (In­ the photographic references for each are given gram 1907) as described under Methods. Patterns for which e) Tawny Grassbird Megalurus timoriensis we have incomplete views have a dashed line in- (WW 290, WW 291) dicating the limit of our observation. t) Singing Bushlark Mirafra javanica (RD a) Clamorous Reed Warbler Acrocephalus 336) stentoreus (NPI XTC 435) European Skylark Alauda arvensis (Har­ Golden-headed Cisticola Cisticola exilis rison 1975; RD 337 - incomplete) (NPI 3110) g) Rufous Songlark Cincloramph us Zitting Cisticola C. juncidis (NPI T2107) mathewsi (NPI 1813) White-fronted Chat Ephthianura h) Brown Songlark Cincloramphus crucalis albifrons (RD 512) i) (NPI 45]3; Maclean & Vernon 1976) Orange Chat E. aurifrons (WW 316) New Holland Honeyeater Phylidonris Crimson Chat E. tricolor (RD 510) novaeho/landiae (NPI 2286) Yellow-throated Honeyeater Meliphaga White-cheeked Honeyeater P. nigra (RD flavicollis (RD 484 faint, absent in NPI 498, NPI 1287) XT1814) Crescent Honeyeater P. pyrrhoptera (RD Grey-fronted Honeyeater M. plumula 496) (RD 486) (Basal section of tongue and internal Yellow-tufted Honeyeater M. melanops nares are also black but are indicated by melanops (NPI 428) stippling for contrast.) white-eyes Zosterops (Swynnerton 1916) j) Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta b) cuckoo-shrikes Coracina (Maclean & Ver- (NPI 1901) ~1~~ ~ Lesser Lewin's Honeyeater Meliphaga Fuscous Honeyeater M. fusca (NPI 3129) notata (NPI 3662) Mangrove Honeyeater M. fasciogularis 1) (NPI3128) Chiming Wedgebill Psophodes cristatus (RD 397) c) Eastern Silvereye Zosterops lateralis (NPI 383, NPI 2841) Chirrupping Wedgebill P. occidentalis (RD 397) Yellow-tufted (Helmeted) Honeyeater M. melanops cassidix (NPI 4283) m) Orange-winged Sittella Daphoenositta SEPTEMBER,1985 215 chrysoptera chrysoptera (NPl 345 - in- n) Black-capped Sittella D,c. pileata (RD _ complete view) incomplete view) I I I 1__- 216 SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ORNITHOLOGIST, 29 The simplest pattern is a pair of spots on the differs markedly from the elaborate tongue, tongue (Fig. la) which in some species are dif­ palate and mandible markings of the Brown fuse and appear as blurred streaks (Fig. 1b). Songlark C. eruralis (Fig. l h) as reported by Spots are characteristic of the Old World Maclean & Vernon (1976). warblers (Sylviidae), accentors (Prunellidae), The greatest diversity of mouth-markings we several species of true shrikes (Laniidae) and have found within a family is in the honeyeaters Australian chats (Ephthianuridae) (Ingram (Meliphagidae). An unmarked condition ap­ 1907; Swynnerton 1916; Maclean & Vernon pears to be the most frequent (16 species of ten 1976). We have recorded tongue-spots in the genera: Table I) but five patterns of markings following sylviid warblers and ephthianurine have been identified in the following species: chats: Clamorous Reed Warbler Acrocephalus Grey-fronted Honeyeater Meliphaga stentoreus, Golden-headed Cisticola Cisticola plumula (Fig. la). exilis, Zitting Cisticola C. juncidis, White­ Yellow-tufted Honeyeater M. melanops fronted Chat Ephthianura albifrons, Crimson (subspecies melanops as in Fig. la (NPI 428); chat E. tricolor and Orange Chat E. aurifrons. subspecies cassidix (Helmeted Honeyeater) as Several species of honeyeater exhibit this pat­ in Fig. lc - very dark [NPI 4283]). tern. Because of the diversity of markings in this family these are discussed together below. Yellow-throated HoneyeaterM.