A couple of ids please

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donnanags
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A couple of ids please

Saw these two birds at Mount Annan Botanic Gardens yesterday. I think the first two are a female Rufous Whistler & I was wondering if the third was a female golden whistler? Thank you
Donna

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I think they're all Rufous Whistlers.

davethewonder
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Donna - I think you were spot on.
First two are definitely Rufous. I guess the third one is open for debate. I think it's probably a Golden, as it has a very very slight yellow tinge on the breast and lacks any rufous colouring. I have seen both Rufous and Golden in at Mt Annan before, literally in the same tree, so wouldn't be surprised if they were together again. 

I have attached a couple of photos - first two of Rufous female, and the last one of Golden female/imm. All taken in Mt Annan. 

Dave

 

Dave, Sydney. 

donnanags
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Thanks Nathan and Dave. great photos Dave.

donnanags
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Thanks Nathan and Dave. great photos Dave.

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You're right there Dave,I forgot that all Rufous's had some rufous colouring on their feathers, unlike Goldens.

ihewman
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The main thing you look for in female Golden Whistler is the yellow tint on the undertail and also the white-ish throat with very fine horizontal barring... The bird in your last photo looks a bit scruffy and still shows a lighter colour to the gape and base of the bill, which suggests young bird. It is starting to show a bit of yellow tint on the undertail, but doesn't appear to have developed that throat pattern yet, so I'm going with a young female Golden Whistler. Although, given the location, the race that occurs there is race youngi (coincidence?) which seems to lack the yellow tint (or either has a very slight colour) even in the adults...

Brandon (aka ihewman)

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