- Microeca fascinans
Identification
5 to 5.5 inches (12.5 to 14 cm)
- Sandy crown and back
- White and brownish-grey wings and tail
- White throat and underparts
- Whitis supercilium
- Narrow black line from lores to behind eye
Distribution
Australia and New Guinea.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 4 subspecies[1]:
- M. f. zimmeri:
- Papua New Guinea (Port Moresby area)
- M. f. pallida:
- North and eastern Australia (north-western Western Australia to north-western New South Wales)
- M. f. fascinans:
- East Australia (Cooktown to southern Victoria and south-eastern South Australia)
- M. f. assimilis:
- Southern Australia (Shark Bay, Western Australia to south-western New South Wales)
Habitat
Woodlands and scrub where there are trees and an abundance of insects.
Behaviour
Diet
Diet consists insects, beetles, worms, and insect larvae and other small invertebrates. Insects are foraged on the ground and in the air.
Breeding
They breed in arid areas after rain.
The nest is constructed from grass and roots and is placed in a fork of a tree branch. The clutch contains 2-3 light blue eggs, blotched with lavender and brown. Incubation lasts for 16-17 days. Both parents feed the young birds for 14-17 days. There may be a second brood.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Boles, W. (2020). Jacky Winter (Microeca fascinans). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/59325 on 22 February 2020)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Jacky Winter. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Jacky_Winter
External Links
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