Golden whistler

Pachycephala pectoralis

Photo by Jarrod Amoore (Flickr)

Common name:
golden whistler (en); sibilante-dourado (pt); siffleur doré (fr); chiflador dorado (es); gelbbauch-dickkopf (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Pachycephalidae


Range:
This species is found in southern and eastern Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia, Fiji and the Solomon Islands.


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


Habitat:
The golden whistler is found in virtually any wooded habitat within its range, preferring the denser areas. They are also found in scrublands, plantations, agricultural land and gardens within rural and urban areas.


Diet:
They mainly feed on insects, spiders and other small arthropods, but will also take berries.


Breeding:
Golden whistlers breed in September-January. The nest is a shallow bowl made of twigs, grass and bark, bound together with spider web and lined with finer grass. It is placed in a fork in a scrub or tree, up to 6 m above the ground. There the female lays 3-2 eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for 15 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 12 days after hatching. Each pair raises a single brood per season.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, it is reported to be common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.