Calamanthus pyrrhopygius

About the Calamanthus pyrrhopygius

The chestnut-rumped heathwren (Hylacola pyrrhopygia) is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae. It is endemic to temperate and subtropical forests and heathlands of Australia. The chestnut-rumped heathwren was first described by the Irish zoologist Nicholas Aylward Vigors and the American physician and naturalist Thomas Horsfield in 1827. The generic name Hylacola derives from the Greek hylē 'woodland' and the Latin -cola 'dweller'. The specific epithet pyrrhopygia derives from Greek pyrrhos 'flame-coloured, red' and pyge 'rump'. It is also known colloquially as the scrub warbler.

There are three subspecies: Hylacola pyrrhopygia pyrrhopygia in New South Wales and Victoria; H. p. parkeri in the Mt Lofty Ranges of South Australia; and H. p. pedleri in the southern Flinders Ranges of South Australia.

The chestnut-rumped heathwren is a small bushland bird with an olive-brown back with conspicuous reddish-brown rump and tail coverts. It has a streaked brown-on-white chest and the belly and rear flanks are grey-buff. There is a dark subterminal band with a white tip on the usually erect tail. Both sexes have a dull white eyebrow; eyes are yellow, while... Wikipedia →