Speckled Warbler

About the Speckled Warbler

The speckled warbler (Pyrrholaemus sagittatus) is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae. It is endemic to eastern Australia. Its natural habitat is temperate forests. The speckled warbler was first described by English physician and ornithologist John Latham in 1801. It was earlier grouped with the scrubwrens in Sericornis and then in the monotypic genus Chthonicola. Morphological similarities and DNA studies now place it as a sister taxon with the redthroat in the genus Pyrrholaemus. It is monotypic, having no subspecies. The generic name Pyrrholaemus is from classical Greek pyrrhos meaning 'flame-coloured, red' and laimos 'throat'. The specific epithet is the Latin sagittatus 'shot with arrows', referring to the bird's streaked chest. Other common names are blood tit, chocolate-bird, little fieldwren and speckled jack.

The speckled warbler is a small, ground-dwelling warbler, measuring 11.5 to 12.5 centimetres (4.5 to 4.9 in) in length and weighing 13.5 grams (0.48 oz). It has an off-white face, streaked with buffy-brown on the ear coverts, and the crown is brown with white speckles. The eye is brown, the bill is dark grey-brown, and the legs... Wikipedia →