What is "wattlebird"

Wattlebird \Wat"tle*bird`\, n.

1. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of several species of honey eaters belonging to Anthoch[ae]ra and allied genera of the family Meliphagid[ae]. These birds usually have a large and conspicuous wattle of naked skin hanging down below each ear. They are natives of Australia and adjacent islands.

   Note: The best-known species ( Anthoch[ae]ra carunculata) has the upper parts grayish brown, with a white stripe on each feather, and the wing and tail quills dark brown or blackish, tipped with withe. Its wattles, in life, are light blood-red. Called also wattled crow, wattled bee-eater, wattled honey eater. Another species ( Anthoch[ae]ra inauris) is streaked with black, gray, and white, and its long wattles are white, tipped with orange. The bush wattlebirds, belonging to the genus Anellobia, are closely related, but lack conspicuous wattles. The most common species ( Anthoch[ae]ra mellivora) is dark brown, finely streaked with white. Called also goruck creeper.

2. (Zo["o]l.) The Australian brush turkey.

n. 1 Any of a group of Australian birds in the genus ''Anthochaera'' of the honeyeater family Meliphagidae. 2 Any of three birds in the family Callaeidae, endemic to New Zealand.

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Wattlebirds (Anthochaera) are members of the honeyeater family, and native to Australia. Species of wattlebird include the little wattlebird, the red wattlebird, the western wattlebird, and the yellow wattlebird. Recent evidence suggests the regent honeyeater belongs in this genus.

Wattlebirds are characterized by their wattles. These are bare fleshy appendages, usually wrinkled and often brightly coloured, hanging from the cheeks, neck or throat, and presumably serving for display. The exceptions are the little wattlebird and the regent honeyeater, which lack wattles.

Some other birds also have wattles, although they are not known by the term "wattlebird". Examples include the turkey; some vultures; and several species of lapwing. The entire Callaeidae family of New Zealand, comprising the tieke (also known as the saddleback), the kokako, and the extinct huia, are also known as wattlebirds, but are unrelated to this genus.

The regent honeyeater (Anthochaera phrygia) was formerly placed in its own genus Xanthomyza but was moved to Anthochaera based on phylogenetic analysis using DNA sequence data.

The genus Anthochaera was introduced in 1827 by the naturalists Nicholas Aylward Vigors and Thomas Horsfield. The word Anthochaera is derived from the Greek anthos meaning flower or bloom and khairō meaning to enjoy.

The genus Anthochaera contains the following species:

• Red wattlebird (Anthochaera carunculata)
• Little wattlebird (Anthochaera chrysoptera)
• Yellow wattlebird (Anthochaera paradoxa)
• Western wattlebird (Anthochaera lunulata)
• Regent honeyeater (Anthochaera phrygia)

Image:Western Wattlebird 1.jpg| Anthochaera lunulata, western wattlebird Wattlebird 2.jpg| Anthochaera paradoxa, yellow wattlebird Image:Littlewattlebird.jpg| Anthochaera chrysoptera, little wattlebird Image:Red_Wattlebird_Anthochaera_carunculata.jpg| Anthochaera carunculata, red wattlebird