Black-tailed Whistler

SCI Name:  Pachycephala melanura
Protonym:  Pachycephala melanura Proc.Zool.Soc.London(1842) (1842), Pt10 no.117 p.134
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Pachycephalidae / Pachycephala
Taxonomy Code:  bltwhi1
Type Locality:  north coast of Australia ; restricted to Derby, west Kimberley District, by Mathews, 1920, Birds Australia, 8, p. 229.
Author:  Gould
Publish Year:  1843
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

PACHYCEPHALA
(Pachycephalidae; Ϯ Golden Whistler P. pectoralis) Gr. παχυς pakhus  large, thick; κεφαλη kephalē  head; from the appearance of their large rounded heads the Indomalayan and Australasian whistlers were formerly known as 'thickheads'; "The interval betweeen the present groups and those of the Pari, where we entered on the family [Pipridæ], appears to be filled up by a race of birds peculiar to New Holland, and hitherto uncharacterized, of which the Muscicapa pectoralis, Lath. is the type*. These, uniting many external characters, at least, both of the Berry-Eaters and Flycatchers, exhibit also in general appearance a considerable resemblance to the Pari, and will be found, I conjecture, to be the connecting bond between all these groups.  ...  * Mr. Swainson has lately formed this group into a genus by the name of Pachycephala.  Nov. 1824." (Vigors 1825); "Genus. PACHYCEPHALA*. Swains. MSS.  ... Caput tumidiusculum.  ...  In their general appearance some of the species exhibit a resemblance to the birds of the genus Procnias, Ill., while by the puffed-out appearance of the feathers about the head, we trace an approximation to some of the Linnean Pari.  ...  * παχυς crassus, and κεφαλη caput" (Vigors & Horsfield 1827). 
Var. Pachycephalus. 
Synon. Alisterornis, Gilbertornis, Hylocharis, Hyloterpe, Lewinornis, Malacolestes, Mattingleya, Musciterpe, Muscitrea, Mutevodia, Pachycilodryas, Psaltricephus, Pucherania, Timixos.

melanura
Gr. μελανουρος melanouros  with a black tail  < μελας melas, μελανος  melanos  black; -ουρος -ouros  -tailed  < ουρα oura  tail.
● ex “Cinereous Fulmar” of Latham 1785 (syn. Adamastor cinerea).
● ex “Mocking Creeper” of Latham 1782 (Anthornis).
● ex “Gros-bec de la Chine” of Sonnerat 1782, and “Grey-necked Grosbeak” of Latham 1783 (syn. Eophona migratoria).

MENURA
(Menuridae; Ϯ Superb Lyrebird M. novaehollandiae) Gr. μηνη mēnē  moon; ουρα oura  tail. Latham gave the name “New Holland Menura” to the Australian Superb Lyrebird because of the numerous transparent lunules contained in the broad inner webs of the outer tail-feathers (cf. "Mηνη, a screen or umbrella, ουρα, a tail" (Ashmolean 1836)); "GENUS LIII. MENURA   ...   Rectrices elongatæ pinnulis distinctis, intermediæ duæ longiores angustæ, exteriores ad apicem patulæ revolutæ   ...   M. N. Hollandiæ. New Holland Menura   ...   rectrices prælongæ, scapis a basi ad medium binis, pinnulis disjunctis distantibus; intermediæ 2 angustæ albidæ longissimæ; exteriores basi modicæ, versus apicem revolutæ, pinnulis interioribus multo latioribus lunulis diaphanis ferrugineis, apice nigræ" (Latham 1802); "Menura Latham, 1801, Index Ornith., suppl., p. 61. Type, by monotypy, Menura novaehollandiae Latham." (Mayr in Peters 1979, VIII, 333). 
Var. Maenura, Melanura.
Synon. Harriwhitea, Lyriferi, Parkinsonius.

SUBSPECIES

Black-tailed Whistler (dahli)
SCI Name: Pachycephala melanura dahli
dahli
Prof. Friedrich Otto Dahl (1856-1929) German zoologist, collector in New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago 1896-1897 (subsp. Pachycephala melanura, Rhipidura).

Black-tailed Whistler (melanura)
SCI Name: Pachycephala melanura melanura
melanura
Gr. μελανουρος melanouros  with a black tail  < μελας melas, μελανος  melanos  black; -ουρος -ouros  -tailed  < ουρα oura  tail.
● ex “Cinereous Fulmar” of Latham 1785 (syn. Adamastor cinerea).
● ex “Mocking Creeper” of Latham 1782 (Anthornis).
● ex “Gros-bec de la Chine” of Sonnerat 1782, and “Grey-necked Grosbeak” of Latham 1783 (syn. Eophona migratoria).

Black-tailed Whistler (robusta)
SCI Name: Pachycephala melanura robusta
robusta
L. robustus  powerful, strong, robust  < robur, roboris  hardwood.

Black-tailed Whistler (spinicaudus)
SCI Name: Pachycephala melanura spinicaudus
spinicauda / spinicaudus
L. spina thorn; cauda tail.
● ex “Pato cola aguda” of de Azara 1802-1805, no. 429 (Anas).
● ex “Thorn-tailed Warbler” of Latham 1783 (Aphrastura).
● ex “Hirondelle à queue pointue de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 726, fig. 1, and “Hirondelle acutipenne de Cayenne” of de Buffon 1770-1783 (Chaetura).
● ex “Pie-grièche à queue épineuse” of Hombron & Jacquinot 1843 (Pachycephala).