Olive Whistler

1. Dark grey head with a contrasting white throat patch and pale grey breast band

2. Olive-brown back and yellowish-brown belly; larger and more robust than the Golden Whistler

3. Both sexes look similar; juveniles are duller and browner overall

Olive Whistlers are mainly insectivorous, foraging for arthropods among dense ground and shrub layers. They are mostly sedentary but may move to lower elevations during winter. Breeding takes place from September to December, with both parents sharing nest-building and chick-rearing duties. Nests are bowl-shaped, made of twigs, grasses, and spiderwebs, and are usually placed in forks of shrubs or small trees about 2 metres above the ground. Females lay 2-3 eggs per clutch, with both parents likely incubating the eggs and caring for the young.

Look for Olive Whistlers in the thick undergrowth of wet forests from southeastern Queensland’s McPherson Range through New South Wales, Victoria, southeastern South Australia, Tasmania, and nearby islands. They prefer cool temperate rainforests, Antarctic beech forests, wet eucalyptus forests, and dense gully vegetation, often above 5 metres elevation. The best chances to see or hear them are early in the morning when they are most vocal and active, usually foraging close to the ground or in low shrubs.