White-bellied Cuckooshrike
White-bellied Cuckooshrike
26-28 cm. Noticeably smaller than Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike. Note short black mask joining dark eye, margined by fine, white, rear eye-ring. Upperparts blue-grey with darker flight/tail feathers; underparts white in n. Aust., greyer southward in e. Aust. Immature: dark mask extends to ear-coverts; underparts lightly barred. Race robusta (s. Q-Vic.) greyer below; has widespread dark morph with extensive black in plumage. Males have smutty black head/throat/breast; females retain grey crowns but have smutty side of head/nape, heavy black barring on breast/flanks. Both have distinct white rear eye-ring. Dark morph immatures mostly resemble females. Habits: like Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, with less wing shuffling. Singles, pairs; small autumn-winter companies in treetops, over grasslands.
like Black-faced, but smaller.
- Other name
- Little, Papuan or White-breasted Cuckoo-shrike.
- Similar Species
- Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, imm.: larger; black mask extends further over ear-coverts; faint grey barring on breast; call differs. Adult Black-faced from dark morph robusta by size, grey crown and nape, purer, smaller area of black; call differs.
- Voice
- distinctive, peevish 'kissik, kissik' or 'quiseek'.
- Habitat
- forests/woodlands, river red gums; open grasslands; mangroves, plantations, gardens.
- Breeding
- Aug.-March.
- Range & Status
- tropical n. Aust., from Kimberley (WA) to C. York Pen. (Q); larger, greyer breasted, migratory race robusta widespread but patchy in e. Aust. from s. Q, s. to Vic., w. to Grampians NP/se. SA; w. in river red gum woodlands on Murray R. to c. Berri (SA). Sedentary; migratory; nomadic. Also e. Indonesia, PNG, Solomon Is.
- Distribution key to races
- 1. Coracina papuensis apsleyi 2. Coracina papuensis hypoleuca 3. Coracina papuensis oriomo 4. Coracina papuensis artamoides 5. Coracina papuensis robusta
