While the main distribution of this species is within the Murray Mallee of South Australia and Western Victoria, there are records for suburban Adelaide and Eyre Peninsular. SA AFL 04/04
Habits
Usually singly or in twos, rarely in threes.
Food
Mainly insects, occasionally seeds and fruit.
Voice
A series of deliberate, swelling yet abrupt whistles of even pitch and strength, 'wheit-wheit-wheit' or 'whieot-whieot-whieot'. Song s wistful, mellow, husky, almost scratchy sound, rising, falling, rising, 'wheit-chi-u, wheit-chi-u, wheit-chi-u', wheit-chu, wheit-chu'.
Nest
Cup-shaped, composed of strips of fine bark and grasses bound with cobweb, lined with fine grasses and usually having green tendrils around the rim, in a low bush or cluster of porcupine-grass.
Eggs (Guide)
2 or 3; pale buff to white, sparingly marbled with umber-brown, with blurred lavender streaks; oval; about 24 x 17 mm. Incubation: about 15 days; by both sexes.
Young
Altricial, nidicolous. Fed by both parents.
Subspecies
No subspecies.
Similar Species
Very similar in all respects to the closely-related Gilbert's Whistler (Pachycephala inornata), the male of which has black lores. In brief glimpses with Grey Shrike-thrush (Colluricincla harmonica).
Compare Images
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
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BirdLife International Species Factsheet