Olive Whistler at Black Range, NSW
Identification history
| Pachycephala olivacea | 5 Jul 2020 | AndrewMcCutcheon |
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User's notes
At first I thought I took a photo of a female Golden Whistler, but on closer inspection of the images on my computer I realized it was an elusive Olive Whistler. It was foraging for food low in the undergrowth in the small area of grassy woodland we have on our block. Needless to say this is my only sighting of this species (listed as Vulnerable in NSW) at Black Range.
5 comments
AndrewMcCutcheon
wrote:
6 Jul 2020
Hi Max, I know these greyish brown whistlers are hard to identify, but I still think this bird is an Olive Whistler. I have seen lots of (and photographed some) female or immature Golden Whistlers. Certainly the colors are not so clearly distinct on this whistler but the head is definitely grey and the wings an olive brown, while the lower breast is a light tawny buff with a white edge just below the wing. As well as that the throat has a mottled or scalloped pattern with a smooth grey upper breast below that is not present in the plain forms of the Golden W. Enlarging my images to look at the under-tail coverts I cannot see any sign of yellow. I am thinking of sending these images to some Birdlife Aust. experts I know in Melbourne to confirm what species this bird is. I should also mention that the location at Black Range is close to Wet Sclerophyll forest (good for Olive Whistlers) and is about 260 metres above sea level.
AndrewMcCutcheon
wrote:
7 Jul 2020
Hi Max, Had some trouble with the internet over the last few days, hence my comment appearing twice. The first attempt to send was very slow at responding, so I tried again thinking it did not get through, the result being it appears twice. Is there a way of removing one of them? I agree that Olive Whistlers are not easy to confirm, and want to be certain with this one so I will go ahead and contact the experts I know in Melbourne.
AndrewMcCutcheon
wrote:
8 Jul 2020
Hi Max, I have had a look at Matthew's Olive Whistler sightings and agree with you that the bird reported on 9 April is an immature Golden Whistler. But the other whistler he reported on 26 May could possibly be the same individual I photographed. There is a sign of tawny buff on the breast and a lighter colored throat compared to the dark grey head. If the bird I photographed is confirmed to be an Olive Whistler then it's possible the bird Matthew saw may be one as well. As you will see I have removed the repeated text.
AndrewMcCutcheon
wrote:
9 Jul 2020
Hi Max, I have just received confirmation that this bird is an Olive Whistler from Mike Carter, a Birdlife Australia member well known by many for his expertise on birds. In his words: "Yes, that is an Olive Whistler – a female. The contrast between the grey head and brown back are good clues and I suspect the extent of mottling on the throat is greater than in any Golden Whistler."
AndrewMcCutcheon
wrote:
13 Jul 2020
Thanks Max, that is a good website. Unfortunately the Olive Whistler was not making any calls, but I am paying more attention to any unusual whistler calls which so far have led me finding yet another Golden Whistler. I will keep trying to find these elusive birds.
Location information
- Places Black Range, NSW
Sighting information
- At least 1 Abundance
- AndrewMcCutcheon Recorded by
-
Collections
NSW Government Priority Species Birds Intermediate size Other Birds AndrewMcCutcheon South Coast NatureMapr
Species information
- Pachycephala olivacea Scientific name
- Olive Whistler Common name
- Sensitive
- Rare or uncommon native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Machine learning
