Habitat
Open woodlands and low shrublands, usually supporting shrubby understorey of emu-bush, or sometimes grevillia, paperbarks or acacias. Also low open eucalypyt woodlands.
Australia from western coast east, largely south of c. 19° south, to western slopes of Great Divide; typically absent from larger desert regions (e.g. Simpson Desert), Nullarbor Plain, and moister coastal and subcoastal areas of south-west, south and south-east.
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Nest
Small, open, shallow, composed of twigs, grass and rootlets, bound with cobweb, usually in a dead fork or in fallen branches, seldom more than 2 m above the ground.
Eggs (Guide)
2 or 3; buff with dusky purple spotted zone near the large end; swollen-oval; about 15 x 12 mm. Incubation: by female.
Young
Altricial, nidicolous. Fledge in about 15 - 16 days.
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