Sedentary and moderately common in the far north. Migratory and breeding visitor to the south-east, August - October.
Habitat
Mainly rainforests, paperbark woodlands and forests and magrove associations. Occasionally in open eucalypt forests adjacent to above habitats.
Habits
Usually singly or in twos. Occasionally in small, possibly family, groups.
Food
Arthropods, mainly insects. Also fruits and seeds.
Voice
Male has a harsh, descending, cicada-like buzz, repeated eight - twenty times. Also a soft 'twik' or 'twok'. Both sexes a quick, rolling 'choik' or 'chuit', like a young rosella.
Common Cicadabird (Edolisoma tenuirostre) [XC800937]
by Marc Anderson from Wild Dog Mine Balanataman Rural LLG (near Kuraip), Gazelle District, East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea (call)
Common Cicadabird (Edolisoma tenuirostre) [XC526006]
by Marc Anderson from Julatten, Mareeba Shire, Queensland, Australia (call)
Breeding Season (Guide)
October - January in the south, January - March in the north.
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Nest
Small, open, composed of short dry twigs bound with cobweb and draped with lichen, usually in a horizontal fork of a tree, from 10 - 25 m above the ground.
Eggs (Guide)
1; slightly glossy, pale blue to green-grey, spotted and blotched with red-brown and grey, with slate-grey underlying spots and blotches at times in irregular zone at the larger end; oval; about 32 x 22 mm. Incubation: 22 days; by female.
Young
Fledge in 27 - 28 days.
Subspecies
Forms a superspecies with Sumba Cicadabird (Edolisoma dohertyi), Sula Cicadabird (Edolisoma sula), Kai Cicadabird (Edolisoma dispar) and Coracina salomonis. Kai Cicadabird (Edolisoma dispar) and Coracina salomonis formerly treated as conspecific with present species. Subspecies salvadorii and talautensis of Sulawesi Cicadabird (Edolisoma morio) sometimes treated as subspecies of present species, for no valid reason. Micronesian subspecies (monacha, nesiotis and insperata) probably represent a separate species, and other subspecies likely also to involve more than one species; detailed study of taxonomic limits required. Mainland New Guinea subspecies muellerii apparently indistinguishable from migratory Australian nominate subspecies, leading to suggestion that all or most populations of former are migrants from Australia and that taxon should be considered synonymous with nominate. Further study is needed. Racial identity of birds on Lomblen and of those on Seram Laut uncertain, former tentatively included in timoriensis and latter in amboinensis; similarly, birds in north-eastern Australia (Cape York Peninsula) presumed to belong with melvillensis.
The following 30 subspecies are recognised:
tenuirostre (Jardine, 1831) - Eastern Australia from eastern Queensland (south of Cape York Peninsula) south to eastern New South Wales and eastern Victoria (Melbourne). Non-breeding north to south-eastern New Guinea (where possibly also a resident population).
monacha (Hartlaub and Finsch, 1872) - Palau Is. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Palau Cicadabird (Edolisoma monacha).
nesiotis (Hartlaub and Finsch, 1872) - Caroline Is (Yap). Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Yap Cicadabird (Edolisoma nesiotis).
insperatum (Finsch, 1876) - Caroline Is (Pohnpei). Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Pohnpei Cicadabird (Edolisoma insperatum).
pelingi Hartert, 1918 - Banggai Is (Peleng, Banggai), off eastern Sulawesi.
edithae Stresemann, 1932 - Southern Sulawesi.
pererratum (Hartert, 1917) - Tukangbesi Is (Kaledupa, Tomea), off south-eastern Sulawesi.
emancipatum (Hartert, 1896) - Tanahjampea I (between Sulawesi and Flores).
kalaotuae Meise, 1929 - Kalaotoa (north of Flores).
timoriense (Sharpe, 1878) - Eastern Lesser Sundas (Lomblen and Timor).
grayi Salvadori, 1879 - Northern Moluccas (Morotai, Halmahera, Ternate, Tidore, Bacan). Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Moluccan Cicadabird (Edolisoma grayi).
obiense (Salvadori, 1878) - Central Moluccas (Bisa, Obi). Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Obi Cicadabird (Edolisoma obiense).
nehrkorni Salvadori, 1890 - Waigeo I, off western New Guinea.
numforanum J. L. Peters and Mayr, 1960 - Numfoor I, in Geelvink Bay (north-western New Guinea).
meyerii Salvadori, 1878 - Biak I, in Geelvink Bay. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Geelvink Cicadabird (Edolisoma meyerii).
muellerii Salvadori, 1876 - Western Papuan Is (Kafiau, Misool), New Guinea (except S) and D’Entrecasteaux Archipelago.
aruense (Sharpe, 1878) - Aru Is and coastal south-western New Guinea (east to R Fly and Daru I).
admiralitatis (Rothschild and Hartert, 1914) - Admiralty Is. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Admiralty Cicadabird (Edolisoma admiralitatis).
matthiae Sibley, 1946 - Northern Bismarck Archipelago (Storm I, St Matthias Is).
remotum (Sharpe, 1878) - Bismarck Archipelago (New Ireland, New Hanover, Feni Is). Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Melanesian Cicadabird (Edolisoma remotum).
ultima Mayr, 1955 - Tabar, Lihir and Tanga Is (off New Ireland).
heinrothi Stresemann, 1922 - New Britain.
rooki Rothschild & Hartert, 1914 - Umboi I (west of New Britain).
tagulanum (Hartert, 1898) - Louisiade Archipelago (Misima I, Tagula I).
rostratum (Hartert, 1898) - Rossel I (eastern Louisiade Archipelago). Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Rossel Cicadabird (Edolisoma rostratum).
saturatius (Rothschild and Hartert, 1902) - Northern and central Solomon Is (Buka I, Bougainville I, Choiseul, New Georgia Group, Santa Isabel). Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Melanesian Cicadabird (Edolisoma remotum).
erythropygium (Sharpe, 1888) - Southern Solomons (Guadalcanal, Malaita). Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Melanesian Cicadabird (Edolisoma remotum).
melvillense Mathews, 1912 - Northern Australia from Melville I and Kimberley east to Arnhem Land, also north-eastern Queensland (Cape York Peninsula).
Similar Species
Adult, females, juveniles and immatures with Barred Cuckoo-shrike (Coracina lineata) which has a bright yellow eye against a grey head.
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