Australasian figbird
species of bird in the family Oriolidae
The Australasian figbird (Sphecotheres vieilloti), also known as the green figbird (not to be confused with the Timor figbird), is a conspicuous, medium-sized passerine bird native to a wide range of wooded habitats in northern and eastern Australia, southern New Guinea, and the Kai Islands. It is common in large parts of its range, and occurs in numerous protected areas. Consequently, it is rated as least concern by BirdLife International and the IUCN.
Taxonomy and systematics
Formerly, the Australasian figbird was considered as a subspecies of the green figbird and referred to as simply the figbird, a name still commonly used in Australia, where the Australasian figbird is the only figbird present. The Australasian figbird was split from the green figbird primarily based on differences in measurements, plumage, and biogeography. Additionally, the Australasian figbird has sometimes been split into two separate species, the more northern, yellow figbird (S. flaviventris) and the green or southern figbird (S. vieilloti), but the two intergrade widely where they come into contact, supporting the view that they are part of a single biological species.
Subspecies
Five subspecies are recognized:
S. v. salvadorii – Sharpe, 1877: Originally described as a separate species. Found in south-eastern New Guinea
S. v. cucullatus – (Rosenberg, HKB, 1866): Originally described as a separate species. Found on Kai Islands (off south-western New Guinea).
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Australasian figbird” is species of bird in the family Oriolidae. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Australasian, figbird and species, not as a finished interpretation.
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The phrase “species of bird in the family Oriolidae” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 17, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q1588820. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1877 and 1866.
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This entry incorporates text from “Australasian figbird” 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.