Animalia Life
Microeca fascinans
SUBFAMILY
Petroicinae
TAXONOMY
Sylvia leucophaea Latham, 1801, Sydney, New South Wales,
Australia. Four subspecies.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Brown flycatcher; French: Miro enchanteur; German:
Weisschwanzschnдpper; Spanish: Tordo Australiano de Cola
Blanca.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
5–5.5 in (12.5–14 cm); 0.5–0.65 oz (14–18 g). Sandy crown and
back, white throat and belly, brownish gray and white wings
and tail, white around eye and black stripe through eye.
DISTRIBUTION
Most of Australia, except for central and western deserts, and
northern Cape York; absent from Tasmania and Kangaroo Island.
Also around Port Moresby, New Guinea.
HABITAT
Wide variety of woodlands and open scrub, lightly timbered
farmland and occasionally in gardens.
BEHAVIOR
Generally quiet but active and tame. Often wags tail side to
side or spreads feathers. Sedentary or showing local movements.
Song is a loud, repeated “peter-peter”; also makes
whistling calls.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Mostly sallies for flying insects from a perch on a branch,
fence post, or overhead wires but also pounces onto ground after
larvae, beetles, and worms, occasionally hovering just above
the ground.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Breeds from July to December and occasionally at other times.
Nest is made of grass and roots and placed in a horizontal fork
on a living or dead tree branch. Clutch of two to three pale
blue eggs, blotched with brown and lavender. Eggs are incubated
for 16–17 days. Young are fed by both parents and
fledge at 14–17 days.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Common in many parts of range but has declined in agricultural
regions where most of the native vegetation has been lost
or degraded.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Despite dull colors, the jacky winter’s trusting and lively habits
and distinctive song make it a popular bird.