Crested Bellbird - BirdForum Opus

Alternative names: Bellbird; Crested Oreoica

Male
Photo by peterday
Gluepot Reserve South Australia, October 2015

Oreoica gutturalis

Identification

Female
Photo by Hans&Judy Beste
Cunamulla, South Western Queensland, June 2017

19 - 23cm (4-9 in).
Male

Grey-brown body
Grey head
Raised black crest
Black breast
White throat and forehead
Orange-red iris

Female

Paler
Breast not black
Smaller black crest

Juveniles are mainly brown with pale shaft streaks on body feathers.

Distribution

Most of Australia except coastal regions of north and east Australia.
Widespread and locally fairly common.

Taxonomy

A new study shows that this species is related to Rufous-naped Bellbird and Piping Bellbird and it is therefore placed in a separate family with these two species (Oreoicidae).

Subspecies

Immature male
Photo by Rufus
North of Waikerie, South Australia, April 2007

There are 2 subspecies^[1]:

O. g. pallescens in Western Australia, Northern Territory (except north), South Australia (except south) and west and central Queensland
O. g. gutturalis in southwest and south Western Australia, southern third of South Australia, south-central Queensland and New South Wales and northern Victoria

Habitat

Dry inland and sub-inland woodland.

Behaviour

Diet

The diet includes invertebrates and seeds.
Forages mainly on the ground.

Breeding

Breeding from late July to early March. Its nest is cup-shaped made from twigs, bark and leaves; both parents incubate the eggs. Lays 1 - 4 eggs.

Movements

Resident species, nomadic in some parts of its range.

References

Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2007. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553422
Simpson, K and N Day. 1998. Field Guide to the Birds of Australia. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7136-4877-5

List of references

Recommended Citation

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Crested Bellbird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 13 September 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Crested_Bellbird

External Links

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