White-fronted honeyeater

White-fronted honeyeater
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Meliphagidae
Genus: Purnella
Mathews, 1914
Species:
P. albifrons
Binomial name
Purnella albifrons
(Gould, 1841)
Distribution of white-fronted honeyeaters throughout Australia.

The white-fronted honeyeater (Purnella albifrons) is a medium-sized bird species endemic to Australia. Mainly distributed throughout arid and semi-arid landscapes. The white-fronted honeyeater has distinct colourings with a white face, black or brown upper chest with white speckles and yellow panels on their brown wings.[2]

The white-fronted honeyeater was described by the English bird artist John Gould in 1841 and given the binomial name Glyciphila albifrons.[3] The specific epithet combines albus meaning 'white' with frons meaning 'forehead' or 'front'.[4] The white-fronted honeyeater was formerly in the genus Phylidonyris,[5] but is now classified as their own genus, Purnella.[6] The generic name was chosen to honour the oologist and collector, Herbert A. Purnell.[6][7]

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Purnella albifrons". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22704372A93965157. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22704372A93965157.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ BirdLife Australia. "White-fronted Honeyeater | BirdLife Australia". birdlife.org.au. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
  3. ^ Gould, John (1840). "Glyciphila albifrons". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. Part 8: 160–161. Although bearing the year 1840 on the title page, the volume did not appear until 1841.
  4. ^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  5. ^ Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, ed. (1986). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 12. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 429.
  6. ^ a b Mathews, Gregory M. (1914). "New species". Austral Avian Record. 2 (5): 110–116 [111].
  7. ^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 324. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.