Food
Mainly insects, occasionally seeds, fruit and leaves.
Voice
A long, loud, rapid succession of ringing notes, 'che-wit-chwit-chwit-chwit' or 'joey-joey-joey'. A high, thin, drawn-out beginning, powerful, ringing whip-crack finish, 'eeee-chiew' and 'eee-chong'.
Nest
Open, cup-shaped, composed of dry twigs and grasses, lined with fine grass and rootlets, in a tree or bush, usually from 1 - 12 meters above the ground.
Eggs (Guide)
2 or 3; dull olive blotched dark brown; oval; about 23 x 17 mm. Incubation: 12 - 15 days; by both sexes.
Young
Altricial, nidicolous. Fledge in 10 - 15 days.
Subspecies
Five subspecies, nominate rufiventris, mainland Australia, south of about 20°S, south of Kimberley Divide, WA, central NT, Selwyn Range, western Qld and foot of Cape York Peninsula, north-eastern Qld, falcata, north-western and northern-central Australia, from Kimberley Divide and Dampier Land, WA, east through Arnhem Land to south-western head of Gulf of Carpentaria, NT including Groote Eylandt, pallida, Cape York Peninsula, north-eastern Qld, south-west to south-eastern head of Gulf of Carpentaria and south-east to region of Endeavour River, minor, Tiwi Island, NT. Extralimitally, one subspecies in New Caledonia.
rufiventris (Latham, 1801) - Southern four-fifths of mainland Australia.
minor Zietz, FR, 1914 - Bathurst I and Melville I, off northern Territory (northern Australia).
falcata Gould, 1843 - North-western western Australia (Kimberley area) and northern third of northern Territory.
pallida Ramsay, EP, 1878 - North-eastern Australia (Cape York Peninsula and north-western Queensland).
xanthetraea (Forster, JR, 1844) - New Caledonia.
Similar Species
Female with female and immature White-breasted Whistler (Pachycephala lanioides) which are generally larger and have stouter bills.
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