Crested shrike-tit

Falcunculus frontatus

Photo by Sohn Joo Tan (Sohnjoo's Photography)

Common name:
crested shrike-tit (en); sibilante-picanço (pt); falconelle à casque (fr); silbador cabezón (es); meisendickkopf (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Pachycephalidae

Range:
This species is endemic to Australia, with three sub-species occurring in different parts of the country. F.f. frontatus is found in south-eastern Australia, from southern Queensland to south-eastern South Australia. F.f. whitei is found in the north of the Northern Territory and the Kimberley region of Western Australia. F.f. leucogaster is found in south-western Western Australia.

Size:
These birds are 16-17 cm long and weigh 25-30 g.

Habitat:
The crested shrike-tit is mostly found in Eucalyptus woodlands and forests, both in moist and dry areas. They also use scrublands, plantations and urban areas.

Diet:
They feed on insects, such as beetles, katydids, tree crickets, and cicadas, as well as spiders. They also take some seeds, berries and fruits.

Breeding:
Crested shrike-tits can breed all year round, varying between different parts of their range. The nest is a cup made of bark shreds, moss and spider webs, placed on a fork near the top of an Eucalyptus tree, usually 5-10 m above the ground. The female lays 2-3 white eggs with bluish-grey spots, which are incubated for 16-20 days. The chicks fledge 14-17 days after hatching. Each pair raises 2 broods per year.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be generally uncommon. The population is estimated to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat loss and degradation, especially through forest clearance for agriculture. The nests of the crested shrike-tit are known to be predated by cats.