- Anthochaera paradoxa
Identification
Male 44–50 cm (17¼-19¾ in); female 37–43 cm (14½-17 in)
- Dark brown upperparts
- Pale face, strongly streaked brown
- White head
- White underparts
- Heavy dark streaks on the breast and sides
- Yellow patch on belly
- Long tail
- Short strong bill
- Distinctive yellowish-orange wattles on the sides of the head. These wattles become larger and brighter during the breeding season.
Immature birds have a much paler head, smaller wattles and a browner underparts.
Distribution
Australasia: occurs only in Tasmania and King Island in Australia.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are two subspecies[1]:
- A. p. paradoxa:
- Northern and eastern Tasmania
- A. p. kingi:
- King Island (Bass Strait)
Habitat
Mainly dry eucalypt forests, woodlands, alpine forests and coastal heaths, urban parks and gardens, open spaces such as reserves, cemeteries and golf courses.
Behaviour
Diet
The diet includes eucalypt and banksia nectar also fruit and insects and spiders.
Breeding
The open, bowl-shaped nest of thin twigs, bark and grass is lined with bark, roots, grass and mammal fur or wool. It is built by the female, but both adults incubate the eggs and feed the young. The young remain dependent for a few weeks after fledging.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved November 2014)
- Australian Museum
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Yellow Wattlebird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Yellow_Wattlebird
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
