Habitat
Open and rather dry country, including open forests, woodlands, river margin and roadside trees, and usually never far from water, in flocks of up to twelve or more.
Nest
Basin-shaped, composed of mud reinforced with grass and lined with fine grass, on a horizontal limb of a tree, up to 15 m above the ground.
Eggs (Guide)
2 - 5; glossy, white, sparingly blotched with brown, black and grey; oblong-oval; about 29 x 22 mm. Incubation: about 18 days; by group members.
Young
Fledge in about 13 - 18 days.
Subspecies
Subspecies intergrade in north-central Queensland. Isolated population in Northern Territory formerly thought to represent a distinct race from that in northern Queensland, but now considered identical.
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
dalyi Mathews, 1923 - Northern Northern Territory (mainly south of Roper R) and northern and north-central Queensland, in northern Australia.
cinerea Gould, 1837 - Central and southern Queensland, inland New South Wales, northern Victoria (along Murray R) and eastern South Australia (mainly north of Murray R).
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