| Case Summary for:
Submission No 357: Red-capped Flowerpecker Dicaeum geelvinkianum;
Saibai Island, Torres Strait, QLD. 5th February 2002 (Unpublished). Submitted
by: Rohan Clarke. Verdict: Accepted Another Red-capped Flowerpecker submission this time, from the foreshore of Saibai Island. This case involved two birds seen together on the 5th February that appeared to be an adult female and a recently fledged juvenile. The submission is based on notes taken at the time of the sighting. A thorough submission was provided to the committee along with copies of field notes. The female had a pinkish-red cap extending from in front of the eye, to the rear of the crown. The back and wings were grey, the throat breast and belly were soft olive-green, with the throat slightly paler than other ventral surfaces. A small area of pinkish-red surrounded the vent but it was not pronounced and did not extend to all the undertail coverts. The second bird appeared to be a juvenile. It differed from the female in that it displayed no pinkish-red on the crown, which instead appeared olive-green. Further, some dark streaking on the sides of the throat was visible. The diagnostic features of female Red-capped Flowerpecker are pinkish-red crown, grey dorsum, a mostly olive ventral surface with a pinkish vent patch (Cheke et al 2001), all of which were noted. Given the location and description members were once again quick to accept
the record, agreeing with the observer's suggestion that the birds were
either the race albopunctatum or rubrigulare. This is the fourth
confirmed record for Australia, (but the second occurrence by date) with
all other records from a nearby locality on Saibai Island.
· Beehler, B.M et al. 1986. Birds of New Guinea, Princeton
University Press, Princeton, New Jersey.
Tony Palliser
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