The Australian golden whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis) or golden whistler, is a species of bird found in forest, woodland, mallee, mangrove and scrub in Australia (except the interior and most of the north) Most populations are resident, but some in south-eastern Australia migrate north during the winter. Its taxonomy is highly complex and remains a matter of dispute, with some authorities including as many as 59 subspecies of the golden whistler (one of the highest numbers of subspecies in any bird), while others treat several of these as separate species. Taxonomy and systematics The Australian golden whistler was originally described in the genus Muscicapa by the English ornithologist John Latham in 1801. Subspecies The taxonomy of the golden whistler complex is difficult, and remains a matter of dispute. Some authorities include a wide range of – often strikingly different – taxa from Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji as subspecies of P. pectoralis, in which case the combined species simply is known as the golden whistler (a common name sometimes also used exclusively for the Australian species). Presently, six remaining subspecies are recognized: P. p. pectoralis - (Latham, 1801): Found in eastern Australia Norfolk golden whistler (P. p. xanthoprocta) - Gould, 1838: Originally described as a separate species. Found on Norfolk Island (Australia). Lord Howe golden whistler (P. p. contempta) - Hartert, 1898: Originally described as a separate species. Found on Lord Howe Island (Australia). P. p. youngi - Mathews, 1912: Found in south-eastern Australia P. p. glaucura - Gould, 1845: Originally described as a separate species. Found in Tasmania and the Bass Strait Islands (Australia) P. p. fuliginosa - Vigors & Horsfield, 1827: Originally described as a separate species. Found in south-central Australia Some authorities also consider the following related species as subspecies of the Australian golden whistler: Rusty-breasted (fulvous-tinted) whistler from south-western Wallacea, Bali and Java in Indonesia. Yellow-throated whistler from central and south-eastern Wallacea. Baliem whistler from west-central New Guinea. Black-chinned whistler from North Maluku in Indonesia. Bismarck whistler from the Bismarck and Louisiade Archipelagos in Papua New Guinea. Oriole whistler from the Solomons (except Santa Cruz Islands), and the islands of Bougainville and Buka in far eastern Papua New Guinea. Fiji whistler from central and northern islands in Fiji. White-throated whistler from southern islands in Fiji, and the central and northern Santa Cruz Islands in the Solomons. Additionally, all except the