Animalia Life
Ailuroedus crassirostris
TAXONOMY
Ailuroedus crassirostris Paykull, 1815, Nova Hollandia = Sydney,
New South Wales, Australia.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Spotted catbird, large-billed cat bird, Australasian
catbird; French: Jardinier vert; German: Grьnlaubenvogel;
Spanish: Capulinero Verde.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
12.2 in (31 cm); female 0.37–0.47 lb (169–211 g), male
0.37–0.64 lb (167–289 g). Brownish head with lime-green upperparts
and lighter, streaked coloring underneath; whitetipped
wing coverts and tail.
DISTRIBUTION
Subtropical coastal east Australia, from Dawes Range in north to
due east of Canberra, at sea level to 3,300 ft (1,000 m) altitude.
HABITAT
Primarily subtropical rainforest, but also adjacent rainforest
edges, eucalyptus forests, gardens, and orchards.
BEHAVIOR
Perennial socially monogamous pair bonding within an allpurpose
territory. Mean year round home range is up to five
acres (two ha) but is smaller during the breeding season. Only
females build nest, incubate, and brood. Both sexes feed young.
Vocal repertoire is of cat-like wailing territorial song and
sharp, high-pitched, tick-like contact notes. No mimicry.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Omnivorous, but predominantly frugivorous; specializes in Ficus
figs and other fruits. Also eats flowers, buds, leaves, stems, seeds,
arthropods, and small vertebrates, including birds. Mostly forages
in the canopy but also to the ground.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Breeding mid-September through February/March, egg laying
peaks October through December. A large, bulky, open cup
nest is mostly built in tree forks, but also found in vine tangles,
atop epiphytic ferns, and in tree ferns, at 6.6–60 ft (2–18 m)
above ground. Nests are composed of a stick foundation, a cup
of large dried leaves and occasional vine stems, a layer of decaying
wood and sometimes earthy matter of epiphytic Asplenium
ferns, and a fine twiglet/vine tendril egg-cup lining. One
to three pale buff, unmarked eggs are laid. Incubation last
23–24 days; nestling period is 21 days.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened. Fairly common and widespread throughout
remaining habitat, but rare to absent in rainforest patches of
about 6 acres (2.5 ha) and smaller.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Once shot for eating and for sport. Some birds are still killed
because they attack cultivated fruit crops.
Photo Gallery of - Green catbird
