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 LC    Australasian Figbird* Id (Atlas): 432
    Sphecotheres vieilloti

Description (10)
Image of Australasian Figbird (Male)
 

Other Names (World)
Australasian Figbird, Figbird, Banana-bird, Mulberry-bird, Red-eye, Green Figbird (vieilloti), Grey-breasted Figbird (vieilloti), Gray-breasted Figbird (vieilloti), Southern Figbird (vieilloti), Yellow Figbird (ashbyi, flaviventris), Northern Figbird (ashbyi, flaviventris), Grey Figbird, Gray Figbird, Grey-throated Figbird, Gray-throated Figbird, Banana-bird, Mulberry-bird, Stalker Figbird, Shrike

Family
Oriolidae (Old World Orioles)

Size
26 - 29 cm

First Described (Guide)
Vigors & Horsfield, 1827

Derivation
Sphëc-o-ther'-es - Gk, sphex, sphecos, wasp; Gk, theras, I hunt: vi&ruml;i'-dis - L., green

Abundance (Guide)
A - C

Common. Adults sedentary, immatures nomadic.

Habitat
Mainly in and at the edges of rainforests, including monsoon forest, vine forest and thickets, and subtropical rainforests, with fruiting trees.

Range (Guide)
Australia (B), Papua New Guinea (B).

Image of Range of Australasian Figbird
Northern and eastern Australia, west to the Kimberley, WA and south to about Kiama, NSW.
 
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.

Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).

Status LC
Secure.

For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Habits
Usually in noisy flocks of 100 or more. Sometimes singly or in twos.

Food
Mainly fruit. Occasionally seeds, nectar, insects and, rarely, vertebrates.

Voice
A squeaky, emphatic 'chyer' or 'jokyer'. A squeaky 'see-kew, see-kew'. A strong, mellow song, 'tu-tu heer, tu-heer'.



Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (92)...)

 
Australasian Figbird (Sphecotheres) [XC269936]
     by Albert Vrielink from Cairns, Queensland, Australia (song)

 
Australasian Figbird (Sphecotheres vieilloti) [XC565276]
     by James Lambert from Grange Forest Park (near Grange), Brisbane City, Queensland, Australia (call)

Breeding Season (Guide)
October - February.

J F M A M J J A S O N D
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


Nest
Open, shallow, composed of vine-tendrils and twigs, built into the forked leafy twigs of an outer branch of a tree, at heights up to 25 m above the ground.

Eggs (Guide)
3; shades of dull green, with brown and purple spots; oval; 32 x 24 mm. Incubation: about 16 - 17 days; by both sexes.

Young
Altricial, nidicolous. Fledge in about 15 - 17 days.

Subspecies
Sphecotheres vieilloti (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) has been split into Australasian Figbird (Sphecotheres vieilloti) and Timor Figbird (Sphecotheres viridis) (which includes flaviventris) following Andrew (1992).

Has sometimes been considered conspecific with Timor Figbird (Sphecotheres viridis) and Wetar Figbird (Sphecotheres hypoleucus). Moreover, subspecies flaviventris has been treated as a separate species, but hybridizes widely with nominate in eastern Queensland.

The following 5 subspecies are recognised:

  • cucullatus (von Rosenberg, HKB, 1866)   -  Kai Is (off south-western New Guinea).
  • salvadorii Sharpe, 1877   -  South-eastern New Guinea.
  • ashbyi Mathews, 1912   -  Northern Australia (northern western Australia and northern Northern Territory).
  • flaviventris Gould, 1850   -  Islands in Torres Strait and north-eastern Australia (Cape York and north-eastern Queensland).
  • vieilloti Vigors & Horsfield, 1827   -  Eastern Australia.


Similar Species
Female and juvenile with Olive-backed Oriole (Oriolus sagittatus) and Yellow Oriole (Oriolus flavocinctus).

Compare Images


References
See References.

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


Files:
JPG files for Australasian Figbird (Sphecotheres vieilloti) - 10 filesMP3 files for Australasian Figbird (Sphecotheres vieilloti) - 1 files


More Information

BirdLife International

For more information about the Australasian Figbird see... Show Articles BirdLife International Species Factsheet.


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