Rufous whistler

Pachycephala rufiventris

Photo by Tobias Hayashi (Flickr)

Common name:
rufous whistler (en); sibilante-ruivo (pt); siffleur itchong (fr); silbador rufo (es); schlichtmantel-dickkopf (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Pachycephalidae


Range:
This species is found in Papua-New Guinea, in New Caledonia and throughout mainland Australia.


Size:
They are 16-18 cm long and weigh 25 g.


Habitat:
These birds are mostly found in forested areas, including woodlands, open forests and savannas, but can also be found in scrublands, gardens and agricultural areas.


Diet:
Rufous whistler mostly eat insects, but will also take seeds, fruits and, occasionally, leaves. They do most of their foraging in the forest canopy.


Breeding:
They form monogamous pairs and breed in July-February. The female build the nest, a fragile cup made of twigs, grass, vines and other materials, bound and attached to a tree fork with spider web. There she lays 2-3 which she incubates alone for 13 days. The chicks are cared for by the female and fledge 11 days after hatching. Each pair raise 1-2 broods per season.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
The rufous whistler has a very large breeding range and is reported to be fairly common. There is evidence for both local increases and decreases, so the overall population trend is not clear, but this species is not considered threatened at present.