From Opus

Photo by Neil
Sydney, Australia

Rhipidura leucophrys

[edit] Identification

19-21.5cm
Black upperparts, throat and tail

• White underparts, eyebrow and sub-moustachial whiskers
• Black bill and legs
• Dark brown iris
  

Sexes similar

[edit] Distribution

Australia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago, and eastern Indonesia].

Juvenile
Photo by aa2
Perth, Australia, January 2009

[edit] Taxonomy

It is unrelated to the true wagtails of the genus Motacilla.

[edit] Subspecies^[1]

Three subspecies are recognised:

• R. l. picata:

• Northern Australia (Broome, Western Australia to Cape York Peninsula)

• R. l. leucophrys:

• Mainland Australia, except north

• R. l. melaleuca:

• Moluccas, New Guinea, Bismarck Archaepelago and Solomon Islands

[edit] Habitat

Most habitats, except dense forests - wetlands, urban lawns, parks, and gardens, golf courses.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Diet

The diet includes insects.

[edit] Breeding

It builds a cup-like nest on a tree branch from grass stems, strips of bark, and other fibres, bound together with spider webs. The clutch consits of 2-4 creamy-white eggs with brownish markings which are incubated by the female for 14 days. The young fledge after a further 14 days.

[edit] References

1. 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. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist.
2. Wikipedia
3. BF Member observations

• List of references

[edit] External Links

• View more images of this species on the ABID