- Lalage leucomela
Identification
17-18cm. Black upperparts, dark grey rumps, and white markings through the wings. Their underparts are white with fine dark barring and a cinnamon vent. Females have browner upper-parts and barred, grey-buff underparts.
Distribution
New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, and eastern Australia.
Taxonomy
Lalage leucomela has 15 subspecies:[1]
- L. l. keyensis
- Kai Islands (Kai Kecil, Kai Besar and Add)
- L. l. polygrammica
- Aru Islands and eastern New Guinea
- L. l. obscurior
- D'Entrecasteaux Archipelago
- L. l. trobriandi
- Trobriand Islands
- L. l. pallescens
- Louisiade Archipelago (Misima and Tagula)
- L. l. falsa
- Bismarck Archipelago (New Britain, Umboi and Duke of York)
- L. l. karu
- New Ireland (Bismarck Archipelago)
- L. l. albidior
- New Hanover (Bismarck Archipelago)
- L. l. ottomeyeri
- Lihir Islands (Bismarck Archipelago)
- L. l. tabarensis
- Tabar Island (Bismarck Archipelago)
- L. l. sumunae
- Dyaul Island (Bismarck Archipelago)
- L. l. macrura
- North-western Western Australia (western Kimberley Division)
- L. l. rufiventris
- Northern Northern Territory (Melville Island, Arnhem Land, Groote Eylandt)
- L. l. yorki
- Northern Queensland (islands in southern Torres Strait and Cape York Peninsula)
- L. l. leucomela
- Eastern Australia (central Queensland to central New South Wales)
Mussau Triller was formerly included in this species.
Habitat
Rainforest, vine forest, riverine thickets, eucalypt forest and woodland, with a particular preference for the border areas between closed and open forests.
Behaviour
The diet includes insects (especially caterpillars), fruit (particularly figs), berries, and seeds.
They breed during rains. The nest is a very small shallow cup made of dry grass, twigs, rootlets, and spider webs placed on a horizontal branch or fork. 1 egg is laid.
References
- Clements, JF. 2010. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2010. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/Clements%206.5.xls/view
- Gill, F and D Donsker (Eds). 2010. IOC World Bird Names (version 2.7). Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Varied Triller. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 2 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Varied_Triller
