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Millerbird

species of bird

Specimen drawers, botanical folios and brass scientific instruments under study light
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 3, 2026
Entity authorityQ630022
Source-derived summary

The millerbird (Acrocephalus familiaris) is a species of Old World warbler in the family Acrocephalidae endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.

Taxonomy

It has two subspecies, A. f. kingi and A f. familiaris. The nominate subspecies, the Laysan millerbird, became extinct sometime between 1916 and 1923. The other, the critically endangered Nīhoa millerbird, is the only race left, inhabiting the small island of Nīhoa in Hawaiʻi, though it has since been reintroduced to Laysan. It is the only Old World warbler to have colonised Hawaiʻi, and there is no fossil evidence that the species ever had a distribution beyond these two islands.

Behavior and breeding

Millerbirds form long-term pair bonds and defend territories over a number of years. Territories can be as large as 0.95 hectares (2.3 acres), although 0.19–0.40 hectares (0.47–0.99 acres) is more typical. Breeding occurs variably from January to September depending on food availability.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Millerbird” as species of bird. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Millerbird, species and bird.

Editorial reviewA practical orientation to terminology and classification, particularly when read beside dated observations, specimens or technical literature. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1916, 1923—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Millerbird, species and bird providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Millerbird”, the useful work is to connect “species of bird” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 3, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q630022. The first chronological checks are 1916 and 1923.

Critical limits

Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

Best used for
  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
Verify next

Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Millerbird”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Millerbird primary sources, Millerbird archive and Millerbird research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Millerbird”?
  2. Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
  3. Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Millerbird” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.