From Opus
Alternative names: White-bellied Thickhead; Shrike-like Thickhead; White-bellied Whistler (like Pachycephala leucogastra!)
- Pachycephala lanioides
[edit] Identification
18 - 20cm.
Male:
- Black head to nape and extending around upper breast in a band
- Rufous nape with narrower rufous band extending around below black band
- White throat and rest of underparts
- Grey to grey-back upperparts
- Black upper tail
- Black bill
Female:
- Grey-brown upperparts, darker on wings and tail
- Buff underparts, paler on throat
- Dark streaking on breast and throat
- Pale grey wash on breast
- Brownish bill
Juveniles similar to females but with pale rufous washed underparts and more strongly streaked.
[edit] Distribution
Coast of northern Australia.
Local but fairly common.
[edit] Taxonomy
Three subspecies recognized:
[edit] Habitat
Mangrove forests. Also in adjacent rainforest.
[edit] Behaviour
Feeds on insects, crustaceans and small molluscs.
Breeding season from August to October. The nest is a small cup made of fine twigs. It's placed 1.5 to 5m above the ground in a fork or in twigs near the trunk in mangrove. Lays 2 eggs.
Resident species.
[edit] References
- Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2007. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553422
- Simpson, K and N Day. 1998. Field Guide to the Birds of Australia. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7136-4877-5
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