- Gavicalis versicolor
Lichenostomus versicolor
Identification
Plain grey-brown upperbody, black streak through the eye from the bill to the neck, yellow streak below the eye grading into a white throat, white-grey underbody streaked dark grey-brown, small, inconspicuous white ear-tuft, yellow ear coverts, black bill, dark brown eye. Young birds are similar to adults, with a lighter forehead and crown and a narrower, duller face marking.
Distribution
Australia (only on the coastal strip of NE Queensland), Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Formerly placed in the genus Lichenostomus.
Habitat
Open shrublands and low woodlands, swamps, creeks, drainage channels, urban parks, gardens and farmyards.
Behaviour
The diet includes nectar, insects and fruit.
They are monogamous. An open cup-nest is built from matted grasses and lined with roots, wool or other mammal hairs. The female incubates the eggs alone but both adults feed the young. This species is parasitised by the Pallid Cuckoo.
