A chunky, well-rounded songbird with an olive-yellow back, black head, and white chin.
Meet the Black-tailed Whistler
The Black-tailed Whistler-tailed whistler or Mangrove Golden Whistler (Pachycephala melanura) measures between 16 to17 cm, looking very similar to the more widely distributed Golden Whistler. Males have a black hood and nape (back of the head), with a bright yellow collar around the neck, extending down to the underside of the body. The back and tail coverlets are olive green, with grey wings. The tail is black, which is the main distinguishing feature from that of the Golden Whistler. The throat and cheeks are white. The black extends from the head down to form a band on the chest, separating the yellow underside and white throat.
Females are less distinctive than the males, with a mostly grey head and back, pale grey throat, olive green tail, and a whitish to yellow belly.
Juveniles can be a lot more yellow than their male adult counterparts.
“Mangrove Golden Whistler – female (Pachycephala melanura)” by Lip Kee is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
An Australasian species, these birds can be found extending from southeast Asia to Australia, including New Zealand and many Pacific islands.
As one of their names implies, this species loves to live in areas restricted to the growth of mangroves.
This bird is thought to feed on insects, spiders as well as other small arthropods. Small crabs are also thought to be eaten.
Black-tailed whistlers build thin cup-shaped nests from grass, rootlets, twigs, and spiderwebs The female lays two or three eggs within. Both parents feed the chicks once they have hatched.
This bird is regarded as of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
“Mangrove Golden Whistler – Darwin_S4E5663” by fveronesi1 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
You can watch and listen to this bird right here in the video below: