From Opus

Photo by Tom Tarrant

Melanodryas vittata

[edit] Identification

• Olive brown upperparts
• Light grey brown below
• Indistinct white wing bar
• Dark eyeline
• White mark at bend of wing
• Short thin bill

Juvenile

• Dark brown upperparts with pale streaks
• Mottled underparts

[edit] Distribution

Endemic to Tasmania (with Flinders Island and King Island),

[edit] Taxonomy

Two subspecies recognized:

• M. v. vittata on Tasmania and Flinders Island
• M. v. kingi on King Island

[edit] Habitat

Dry forests, heathland and sedges.

[edit] Behaviour

The diet includes insects and seeds.

The cup shaped nest is made from grass, bark and roots, lined with hair and/or wool. Only the female incubates the eggs.

[edit] References

Birds in Backyards

[edit] External Links

• View more images of this species on the ABID