Animalia Life

Oreoica gutturalis
SUBFAMILY
Pachycephalinae
TAXONOMY
Falcunculus gutturalis Vigors and Horsfield, 1827, Bass Strait. Two subspecies.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
French: Carillonneur huppй; German: Haubengudilang; Spanish: Campanero Crestado.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
8.3–9.1 in (21–23 cm); 0.13–0.15 lb (57–67 g). Brownish upperparts with white around bill, black crest tip and breast, and buff belly.
DISTRIBUTION
O. g. gutturalis: South, southwest and inland southeast Australia; O. g. pallescens: northern, west central, and central Australia.
HABITAT
Arid inland and coastal woodlands and scrubs.
BEHAVIOR
Sedentary or locally nomadic in more arid areas. Territorial through year, rather solitary except when breeding. Unobtrusive, keeping to cover, except when male sings from elevated perch. Unusual and distinctive song consists of two slow, then three fast ringing notes, reminiscent of a cowbell; has a ventriloquial effect, making the singing bird difficult to locate.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Insects and seeds. Forages on the ground, moving by hops.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Breeding season August–January, usually earlier in south, later in north, and often opportunistically in more arid regions. Depending on conditions, a second brood may be raised. The nest, a deep cup of bark strips, short twigs, leaves, and grass, is placed in fork, on top of broken stump, or in dense shrub, 3.3–10 ft (1–3 m) from ground. An odd and unexplained habit is the placement of paralyzed caterpillars around rim of the nest during incubation. The two to four eggs are pale bluish white with black, brown, and lavendergray blotches. Both sexes incubate (14–17 days). Fledging period 11–12 days.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Common in interior, decreasing towards coastal districts and more humid regions, populations may be contracting in some regions.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.

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