Barred Cuckooshrike

1. Bright yellow eyes that sharply contrast with the bluish-grey head.

2. Bold black-and-white barring on the lower body.

3. Unique wing-shuffling behaviour upon landing.

These birds breed from October to February, constructing shallow cup-shaped nests high in forest trees. Both parents share responsibilities for incubating eggs and raising their young. Outside the breeding season, Barred Cuckooshrikes are social birds, traveling in small flocks that can occasionally grow to 4 individuals.

Barred Cuckooshrikes inhabit the canopies of rainforests and wet eucalypt forests along Australia's eastern coast, from Cape York in Queensland to northern New South Wales. They are often found in fruiting trees, particularly figs, where they feed and sometimes join mixed-species feeding groups with figbirds and fruit-doves. Early mornings are ideal for spotting these birds as they actively move between trees. Their call is a soft, melodic chatter that bird watchers describe as resembling a toy harmonica.