Grey Fantail perching

Wildlife of Greater Brisbane (Qld Museum) has this identified as Rhipidura fuliginosa.

However, Pizzey & Knight's The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia has it as Rhipidura alisteri, which I'm inclined to go with as it's the newer book.

Shot this at about 2m range, no cropping on this one :)

View all photos taken: Tuesday, 5th August 2008, This photo: 1:21pm

Previous Photo: IR Tree Tetratych

Comments

  • s.westhead (Simon) said:
    That is a sharp lens. Well worth its weight in gold, well almost.
  • David de Groot said:
    And it almost cost as much ;-)
    Pretty darn impressive since it's wide open with the 1.4x TC attached.
  • -Gadabout- said:
    very nice :D Short tree or a tall ladder?
  • David de Groot said:
    I know you'll have trouble believing this but I've not yet deployed the ladder. :-)
  • -Gadabout- said:
    awh, that's no fun!! You gotta get out there with the ladder :D It'd be a great way to climb that first part of a tree...the part that has no branches.
  • David de Groot said:
    Yeah but it's heavy - it'd be fine going down the driveway but I need to cart it back up again later. Of course, I do have a ute....
  • -Gadabout- said:
    And you'd get that extra bit of height if you set the ladder up on the tray of the ute :D
  • Jen 64 said:
    Nice Shot re name I did a Google as both my books say Rhipidura fuliginosa, but www.museum.wa.gov.au/faunabase/_asp_bin/CheckListcx.asp?d...
    Has it list as Rhipidura fuliginosa or Rhipidura fuliginosa alisteri, plus a couple of others so I think you could flip a coin and win each way ;-)
  • David de Groot said:
    That's true, although it's not that stable...
    I think you're right Jen. There's mention of names changing in the front of Pizzey & Knight, and where the changes were known, they published those, so maybe this little fellow is one that the name is changing on.
  • Wes Cooper said:
    I have Simpson & Day and it says Rhipidura albiscapa keasti, keasti being the Queensland race. I'm not sure if it's then just Rhipidura keasti, ahh the complexities of life.
    Nice shot btw!
  • Wes Cooper said:
    Also, yes it is one awesome lens!
  • David de Groot said:
    Yeah Pizzey & Knight has albiscarpa too, but says that is the "nominative race" and lives in Tasmania/Bass Strait islands. The keasti race is apparently in the highlands of north east Qld, Alisteri in East and South East Australia, albicauda in West inland Australia & preissi in South west WA.
    Thus, I figured alisteri is probably the one I have here. None of these mention the fuliginosa race but presumably that's the old name.
  • circle j said:
    i have readers digest complete book of australian birds
    it says rhipidura fuliginosa whatever the name it is a
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