Green-backed Honeyeater

SCI Name:  Glycichaera fallax
Protonym:  Glycichaera fallax Ann.Mus.Civ.Stor.Nat.Genova 12 p.335
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Meliphagidae / Glycichaera
Taxonomy Code:  grbhon1
Type Locality:  Naiabui (Hall Sound, southeastern New Guinea), Andai (Vogelkop Peninsula) and Aru Islands; restricted to Hall Sound by Mayr and Rand, 1936, Orn. Monatsb., 44, p. 43.
Author:  Salvadori
Publish Year:  1878
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

GLYCICHAERA
(Meliphagidae; Ϯ Green-backed Honeyeater G. fallax) Gr. γλυκυς glukus  sweet; χαιρω khairō  to delight in; "Glycichaera, nov. gen.  (γλυκυς, dulcis; χαιρω, gaudeo).  Novum genus GLYCICHAERA ex fam. MELIPHAGIDARUM ad genera CONOPOPHILAM et GLYCIPHILAM proxime accedens; rostro breviusculo, culmine incurvato; cauda mediocri, paullum emarginata; alis mediocribus, remigibus 4.^a et 5.^a longioribus et subaequalibus, 1.^a breviuscula; pedibus mediocribus; plumis laterum longis, floccosis; statura parva.   TYPUS:  Sp. 19. Glycichaera fallax, nov. sp.  ...  Io credei che questa specie potesse essere riferita al genere Euthyrhynchus, Schleg., che invece ho verificato essere identico al mio genere Timeliopsis." (Salvadori 1878); "Glycichaera Salvadori, 1878, Ann. Mus. Civ. Genova 12: 335.  Type, by original designation, Glycichaera fallax Salvadori." (Beehler and Pratt, 2016, Birds New Guinea, p. 301).    
Var. Glychichaera.
Synon. Macgillivrayornis.

fallax
L. fallax, fallacis  false, deceptive, deceiving  < fallere  to deceive. Epithet most frequently given to forms originally falsely identified, allocated to the wrong genus, or of uncertain relationships.
● "Differs from falki Hart. (Russian Turkestan) in being somewhat paler and duller on the upper side, the white eyebrow-stripe narrower; the crown of the head uniform fawn-colour; the chest paler and with narrow black bars on the flanks" (Sushkin 1927); "Hellmayr [1929] regards fallax as indistinguishable from pallida" (J. Peters 1934, II, 65, footnote) (subsp. Alectoris chukar).
● "I have two examples of a second species of this genus from Jamaica, which is, I suppose, undescribed. Before I had an opportunity of examining Mr. Osburn's specimens I was inclined to believe the latter were Mr. Gosse's E. cotta; but I now find that they are quite different, - Elainea fallax, as I propose to call it" (P. Sclater 1861) (Elaenia).
● "Io credei che questa specie potesse essere riferita al genere Euthyrhynchus, Schleg., che invece ho verificato essere identico al mio genere Timeliopsis" (Salvadori 1878) (Glycichaera).
● "The short crest of the males of this form furnishes the only certain character to distinguish it from huarandosae of the Chinchipe Valley. In ascertaining this measurement, the length of the occipital feathers should be taken rather than the distance from the exposed base of the culmen to the tip of the crest, since stretching or contraction of the skin of the head in preparation of the specimen will give a totally false conclusion" (J. Zimmer 1945) (subsp. Islerothraupis cristata).
● "This species bears a very close resemblance to Z. melodia, of which it is the western representative" (Baird 1854) (subsp. Melospiza melodia).
● "It was often killed by mistake, as it had a habit of perching motionless in low, thick brush or on the branch of a tall tree, where its plain colors made it difficult to identify. For this reason I think its name appropriate" (McGregor 1904) (subsp. Pachycephala philippinensis).
● "On the whole this bird has the appearance of a miniature Dicrurus, and may have to be placed in a new genus" (Ramsay 1885); "Ramsay had written on the label "Rhipidura (?) fallax (Ramsay) should be put in a new genus". This indicates the difficulty this species presents in classification using external characters" (Longmore 1991) (subsp. Symposiachrus axillaris).

SUBSPECIES

Green-backed Honeyeater (pallida)
SCI Name: Glycichaera fallax pallida
pallida
L. pallidus  pallid, pale, wan, sallow  < pallere  to be pale.

Green-backed Honeyeater (poliocephala)
SCI Name: Glycichaera fallax poliocephala
poliocephala / poliocephalum
Gr. πολιος polios  grey, grizzled, hoary, whitish, white; -κεφαλος -kephalos  -headed  < κεφαλη kephalē  head.

Green-backed Honeyeater (fallax)
SCI Name: Glycichaera fallax fallax
fallax
L. fallax, fallacis  false, deceptive, deceiving  < fallere  to deceive. Epithet most frequently given to forms originally falsely identified, allocated to the wrong genus, or of uncertain relationships.
● "Differs from falki Hart. (Russian Turkestan) in being somewhat paler and duller on the upper side, the white eyebrow-stripe narrower; the crown of the head uniform fawn-colour; the chest paler and with narrow black bars on the flanks" (Sushkin 1927); "Hellmayr [1929] regards fallax as indistinguishable from pallida" (J. Peters 1934, II, 65, footnote) (subsp. Alectoris chukar).
● "I have two examples of a second species of this genus from Jamaica, which is, I suppose, undescribed. Before I had an opportunity of examining Mr. Osburn's specimens I was inclined to believe the latter were Mr. Gosse's E. cotta; but I now find that they are quite different, - Elainea fallax, as I propose to call it" (P. Sclater 1861) (Elaenia).
● "Io credei che questa specie potesse essere riferita al genere Euthyrhynchus, Schleg., che invece ho verificato essere identico al mio genere Timeliopsis" (Salvadori 1878) (Glycichaera).
● "The short crest of the males of this form furnishes the only certain character to distinguish it from huarandosae of the Chinchipe Valley. In ascertaining this measurement, the length of the occipital feathers should be taken rather than the distance from the exposed base of the culmen to the tip of the crest, since stretching or contraction of the skin of the head in preparation of the specimen will give a totally false conclusion" (J. Zimmer 1945) (subsp. Islerothraupis cristata).
● "This species bears a very close resemblance to Z. melodia, of which it is the western representative" (Baird 1854) (subsp. Melospiza melodia).
● "It was often killed by mistake, as it had a habit of perching motionless in low, thick brush or on the branch of a tall tree, where its plain colors made it difficult to identify. For this reason I think its name appropriate" (McGregor 1904) (subsp. Pachycephala philippinensis).
● "On the whole this bird has the appearance of a miniature Dicrurus, and may have to be placed in a new genus" (Ramsay 1885); "Ramsay had written on the label "Rhipidura (?) fallax (Ramsay) should be put in a new genus". This indicates the difficulty this species presents in classification using external characters" (Longmore 1991) (subsp. Symposiachrus axillaris).

Green-backed Honeyeater (claudi)
SCI Name: Glycichaera fallax claudi
claudi
● Capt. Claud Alexander (1878-1904) British explorer on the Niger-Nile Expedition 1904 (syn. Caprimulgus nigriscapularis, subsp. Sylvia abyssinica, syn. Thamnolaea cinnamomeiventris coronata).
● Claudie River, northern Queensland, Australia (subsp. Glycichaera fallax).