Eastern Whipbird

1. Black head and crest with a prominent white cheek patch

2. Olive-green back and long tail; pale underparts

3. Loud, whip-crack duet call echoing through dense forest

Eastern Whipbirds are monogamous and defend their territories year-round. Breeding occurs from late winter through summer, typically from July to February. Nests are shallow bowls made of twigs and grasses, placed low in shrubs or dense vegetation. The female lays 2-3 pale blue eggs with dark spots and is solely responsible for incubation and brooding, while both parents feed the chicks once hatched. The male continues to help care for fledglings for several weeks after they leave the nest. Their diet consists mainly of insects and other small invertebrates, which they forage for on the forest floor.

Eastern Whipbirds inhabit rainforests, wet eucalypt forests, and dense scrub along Australia’s eastern coast, from Victoria through New South Wales and into central and northern Queensland. They are most often encountered in the thick vegetation of gullies and near watercourses, where they forage on the ground among leaf litter. The best way to locate them is by listening for their distinctive calls, especially at dawn and dusk`.`