- Daphoenositta chrysoptera
Identification
10–14 cm (4-5½ in)
- Orange-yellow iris
- Yellow eye-ring, legs and feet
- Long and slender and slightly up-turned bill
- Greyish upperparts
- Whitie underparts with varied streaking
- Pale upper tail coverts with dark-barring underneath
- Dark tail with a white tip
- Dark upper wings
Males have longer bills than females.
Variations
Southern and eastern birds - the underwings have an orange-rufous band, while in the north the band is white.
The sub-species differ in the patterns on the head and neck, the amount of streaking and in the wing patterns.
Distribution
Widely distributed in Australia.
Taxonomy
Papuan Sittella was formerly considered conspecific with this species.
Some authorities place this species in the genus Neositta.
Subspecies
Photo by nyoman
Nerang National Park, Queensland, Australia, May 2017
Five subspecies accepted which are sometimes recognized as full species:
- D. c. leucoptera in northern Australia (Fitzroy Range, Western Australia to northwest Queensland) - White-winged Sittella
- D. c. striata in northern Queensland (Cape York Peninsula) - Striated Sittella
- D. c. leucocephala in eastern Queensland (Repulse Bay to Brisbane) - White-headed Sittella
- D. c. chrysoptera in southeast Australia (south-central Queensland to Victoria) - Orange-winged Sittella
- D. c. pileata in southern Australia (North West Cape to western New South Wales and western Victoria - Black-capped Sittella
Habitat
Eucalypt woodlands and forests.
Behaviour
Diet
Their diet consists of insects and arthropods, including beetles. They feed by gleaning on tree trunks or branches, moving downwards or along branches.
Breeding
The nest is a deep open cup, constructed from bark and spider web. It is decorated on the outside with long pieces of bark. Co-operative brreders, the breeding pair having several helpers. Only the breeding female incubates the eggs and broods the young.
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/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved June 2017)
- Birds in Backyards
- List of references
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Varied Sittella. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 24 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Varied_Sittella
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
