A history and reassessment of the unique but missing specimen of Rawnsley's Bowerbird Ptilonorhynchus rawnsleyi, Diggles 1867, (Aves: Ptilonorhynchidae)

Abstract

The first comprehensive history and reassessment of the unique, now lost, skin specimen of Rawnsley's Bowerbird Ptilonorhynchus rawnsleyi, Diggles 1867, is discussed. The specimen was previously thought to have conceivably represented an aberrant adult or advanced subadult male Satin Bowerbird, but some traits exhibited by it suggested this was unlikely. On balance, Rawnsley's Bowerbird was, until 2004, best considered to represent a unique adult male individual of a natural hybridisation between a Regent Bowerbird Sericulus chrysocephalus and a Satin Bowerbird Ptilonorhynchus violaceus. Following the completion of the present paper, an individual adult male bird apparenly of this putative hybrid combination was sighted and photographed in early November 2003 and this remarkably coincidental record is detailed, illustrated and discussed in the context of this contribution.

Keywords:

• Rawnsley's Bowerbird
• Ptilonorhynchus rawnsleyi
• Ptilonorhynchidae
• Satin Bowerbird

Acknowledgements

I am most grateful to Kathy Buckley, Librarian, Queensland Museum; Ann Datta, Librarian, The Natural History Museum; and Rod Fisher, Applied History Centre, University of Queensland, for their interest and help in obtaining references and literature. My thanks to Dan Blunt for permission to reproduce his digital image of a live Rawnsley's Bowerbird. I thank Walter Boles, Ann Datta, Clemency Fisher, Rod Fisher, Dawn Frith, Peter Higgins, Glen Ingram, Mary LeCroy and Ian McAllan for constructively commenting upon a draft of this contribution; and Gareth Dyke and Cyril Walker for the opportunity to submit it and for editorial guidance. Dedicated to the memory of Colin Harrison, admired and loved mentor, friend, colleague, ornithologist and more.