Grey Whistler
Pachycephala simplex· 啸鹟科(2 photos)
Locations:
Grey Whistler
Pachycephala simplex includes
Pachycephala simplex peninsulae.
14-15 cm. Small whistler with glossy black, longish, slightly hooked bill; large head; dark eye. Two populations in n. Aust.: Grey Whistler: (Top End, NT): browner above, white below, buff-grey breastband; white bend of wing. Female: whitish below; undertail-coverts lemon. Grey-headed Whistler: (ne. Q): head grey; faint white eyebrows meet over bill; faint whitish eyelids; shadowy eyeline; large, dark eye. Upperparts washed olive; bend of wing cream; throat white; breast washed olive-grey; underparts lemon; legs/feet blackish. Female: whitish below; undertail-coverts lemon. Singles, pairs: quiet; searches foliage, often high.
- Other name
- Brown Whistler.
- Similar Species
- Fairy Gerygone, female. Yellow-legged, Lemon-bellied Flycatcher.
- Voice
- clear, slow, descending call, 'eee-see-wee-weekyou', or only 'eee-see'; lacks whipcrack. Contact-call: 'zuity-beaut'.
- Habitat
- rainforests, monsoon forests, vine and coastal scrubs; mangroves, paperbarks.
- Breeding
- Sept.-March.
- Nest
- cup of grass, leaves, vine tendrils, rootlets, spiders' web.
- Eggs
- 2; whitish/pale buff, spotted dull brown, lavender.
- Range & Status
- Grey Whistler: Top End (NT), coastal islands; from c. Port Keats e. to Groote Eylandt. Grey-headed Whistler: from C. York (Q) s. to c. Ingham on e. coast; up to c. 900 m in mountain rainforests. Uncommon. Sedentary; seasonally nomadic. Also PNG, e. Indonesia.
- Distribution key to species
- 1. Pachycephala s. simplex 2. Pachycephala s. peninsulae
