Australasian Figbird
Sphecotheres vieilloti
Medium-sized songbird with stout bill and bare skin around eyes. Male olive above, yellow below (some with gray throat), with red skin around eyes, black cap, and black tail. Female olive-brown above, pale with fine streaks below, with gray skin around the eye and olive-brown tail. Female Olive-backed Oriole has longer bill, red eye, and greener back. Common around fruiting trees, and in parks and gardens, often in noisy flocks. Calls include fluting whistles and popping squeaks.
Identification
The Australasian figbird has a total length of 27.0–29.5 cm (10.6–11.6 in) and a jizz comparable to that of other orioles. With a body mass of around 111 to 130 g (3.9 to 4.6 oz), it is probably the largest of the Old World orioles. It is sexually dimorphic, and the racial differences are almost entirely limited to the male. Males of all subspecies have a black tail with broad white tips to the outer rectrices, white crissum (the undertail coverts surrounding the cloaca), blackish primaries, a black head, distinct bright red facial skin, a black bill with a red base, and pinkish legs. In the nominate subspecies, the body is largely olive-green, and the throat, neck and chest are grey. The subspecies cucullatus, ashbyi and flaviventris are yellowish olive-green above, and bright yellow below (including the throat). The last subspecies, salvadorii, resembles previous, but with a grey throat, collar and chest similar to the nominate subspecies, thereby giving it an intermediate appearance not unlike some hybrids between the nominate and flaviventris subspecies in Australia.<p>Females are drab-coloured, being dull brownish above, and white below with strong dark streaking. They have greyish facial skin, and a greyish-black bill. Juveniles resemble females, but the streaking below is typically not as strong. The other orioles in its range, the brown and olive-backed orioles, are superficially similar, but have entirely red bills when adult.<p>Australasian figbirds make a large number of different short calls, and are also able to mimic the voices of other birds, for example parrots and other species of orioles. The song consists of a series of simple whistles.
Taxonomy
Formerly, the Australasian figbird was considered as a subspecies of the green figbird and referred to as simply the figbird, a name still commonly used in Australia, where the Australasian figbird is the only figbird present. The Australasian figbird was split from the green figbird primarily based on differences in measurements, plumage, and biogeography. Additionally, the Australasian figbird has sometimes been split into two separate species, the more northern, yellow figbird (S. flaviventris) and the green or southern figbird (S. vieilloti), but the two intergrade widely where they come into contact, supporting the view that they are part of a single biological species.<p>Five subspecies are recognized:
- Scientific name
- Sphecotheres vieilloti
- Authority
- Vigors & Horsfield, 1827
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Oriolidae
- Genus
- Sphecotheres
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
As suggested by their name, Australasian figbirds are largely frugivorous, but also take small insects, nectar and small seeds. While largely a resident species (although the southern population may be migratory), it is nomadic in response to the availability of food.<p>Unlike most orioles, Australasian figbirds are gregarious, often forming flocks of 20 to 40 birds during the nonbreeding season, and even breeding in small, loose colonies. The flimsy, saucer-shaped nest is made from plant material, and usually placed relatively high in a tree. The clutch of two to four eggs is incubated by both sexes, and typically hatches after 16–17 days. It has been recorded nesting near the aggressive spangled drongo and helmeted friarbird, possibly gaining an advantage as they keep potential nest predators away. Australasian figbirds sometimes fall victim to nest parasitism by Pacific koels.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Northern Chestnut-breasted Wren
Cyphorhinus dichrous
Found at higher elevations than other members of its genus. Shy and uncommon denizen of forest undergrowth from 1,100–2,000 m. Chunky and short-tailed, dark brown above with rich rufous neck and breast. Blue eyering. Sexes alike. Could recall an antbird, but especially note pointier bill with a thicker base. Typically found in pairs or small family groups foraging on or near the ground. More easily heard than seen: listen for repeated sets of 2–3 eerie whistled notes stepping up in pitch, with little to no break between each set.
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Small cuckooshrike with a restricted range, found only on Yap, which is part of the larger Caroline Islands group in the Federated States of Micronesia. Males are mainly gray with black on the face, wing, and tail. Females brown on the back and rich buff below, with fine scaling. Seemingly only found in good forest. One frequent vocalization is an upslurred whistle. Distinctive within its small range.
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