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The willie (or willy) wagtail (''Rhipidura leucophrys'') is a passerine bird native to Australia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago, and Eastern Indonesia. It is a common and familiar bird throughout much of its range, living in most habitats apart from thick forest. Measuring in length, the willie wagtail is contrastingly coloured with almost entirely black upperparts and white underparts; the male and female have similar plumage. Three subspecies are recognised; ''Rhipidura leucophrys leucophrys'' from central and southern Australia, the smaller ''R. l. picata'' from northern Australia, and the larger ''R. l. melaleuca'' from New Guinea and islands in its vicinity. It is unrelated to the true wagtails of the genus ''Motacilla''; it is a member of the fantail genus ''Rhipidura'' and is a part of a "core corvine" group that includes true crows and ravens, drongos and birds of paradise. Within this group, fantails are placed in the family Dicruridae, although some authorities consider them distinct enough to warrant their own small family, Rhipiduridae. The willie wagtail is insectivorous and spends much time chasing prey in open habitat. Its common name is derived from its habit of wagging its tail horizontally when foraging on the ground. Aggressive and territorial, the willie wagtail will often harass much larger birds such as the laughing kookaburra and wedge-tailed eagle. It has responded well to human alteration of the landscape and is a common sight in urban lawns, parks, and gardens. It was widely featured in Aboriginal folklore around the country as either a bringer of bad news or a stealer of secrets. ==Taxonomy== The willie wagtail was first described by ornithologist John Latham in 1801 as ''Turdus leucophrys''. Its specific epithet is derived from the Ancient Greek words ''leukos'' "white" and ''ǒphrys'' "eyebrow". Other early scientific names include ''Muscicapa tricolor'' by Vieillot, and ''Rhipidura motacilloides'' by naturalists Nicholas Aylward Vigors and Thomas Horsfield in 1827, who erected the genus ''Rhipidura''. The generic term is derived from the Ancient Greek ''rhipis'' "fan" and ''oura'' "tail".〔 John Gould and other early writers referred to the species as the black-and-white fantail, although did note the current name. However, ''willie wagtail'' rapidly became widely accepted sometime after 1916. ''Wagtail'' is derived from its active behaviour, while the origins of ''willie'' are obscure.〔Boles, p. 381〕 The name had been in use colloquially for the pied subspecies of the white wagtail (''Motacilla alba'') on the Isle of Man, and Northern Ireland. Other vernacular names applied include shepherd's companion (because it accompanied livestock), frogbird, morning bird, and Australian nightingale.〔Boles, p. 387〕 Many Aboriginal names are onomatopoeic, based on the sound of its scolding call.〔Boles, p. 382〕 ''Djididjidi'' is a name from the Kimberley, and ''Djigirridjdjigirridj'' is used by the Gunwinggu of western Arnhem Land. In Central Australia, southwest of Alice Springs, the Pitjantjatjara word is ''tjintir-tjintir(pa)''. Among the Kamilaroi, it is ''thirrithirri''. In Bougainville Island, it is called ''tsiropen'' in the Banoni language from the west coast,〔Hadden, p. 270〕 and in Awaipa of Kieta district it is ''maneka''.〔Hadden, p. 268〕 In Solomon Islands Pijin it is sometimes called the ''polis'' (police) or ''pris'' (priest) bird, because of its black-and-white colouring. The willie wagtail is unrelated to the Eurasian wagtails of the family Motacillidae. It is one of 47 members of the fantail genus ''Rhipidura''; some authorities classify this group of birds as a subfamily Rhipidurinae within the drongo family Dicruridae, together with the monarch flycatchers, while others consider them distinct enough to warrant their own family Rhipiduridae. Early molecular research in the late 1980s and early 1990s revealed that the fantails belong to a large group of mainly Australasian birds known as the parvorder Corvida comprising many tropical and Australian passerines. More recently, the grouping has been refined somewhat and the fantails have been classified in a "core corvine" group with the crows and ravens, shrikes, birds of paradise, monarch flycatchers, drongos and mudnest builders. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Willie wagtail」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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