Oreoica
| Crested bellbird | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Oreoicidae |
| Genus: |
Oreoica Gould, 1838 |
| Species: | O. gutturalis |
| Binomial name | |
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Oreoica gutturalis (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827) |
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The crested bellbird (Oreoica gutturalis) is a medium-sized passerine bird in the family Oreoicidae. It is native to drier parts of Australia where its typical habitats are acacia scrublands, eucalypt woodlands, spinifex and saltbush plains and, dunes. The male is about 20 cm (8 in) long and has a grey head, a black crest and breast, and a grey or olive brown body. The female and juvenile are similar but the colours are more muted and the black breast is lacking. The distinctive call is a high pitched bell-like sound, audible at some distance. Sometimes a pair of birds duet.
The crested bellbird feeds on seeds and small invertebrates, foraging on the ground or in low bushes. The deep, cup-shaped nest is usually within a couple of metres of the ground, built in the fork of a branch or in a crevice in a stump. It is made from small twigs and bark and lined with finer material. Up to four eggs are laid and these are incubated by both parents. Overall this bird is quite common, but in some regions, such as Victoria, it is threatened by fragmentation of its habitat
This bird has been placed in the Old World warbler family Oreoicidae, a "wastebasket taxon" used for organisms, the exact affinities of which are unknown. The aboriginal name, panpanpanella, is reflective of its cowbell-like voice, as is its early European name, dick-dick-the-devil.
Adults range in size from 19 cm to 23 cm in length. Adult males have grey heads with a raised black crest, a white forehead and throat, and a prominent black breast, while the rest of the body is grey or brown. Females and immature birds are less prominently coloured than the males, lacking the black breast and having a smaller, unraised black crest. Both males and females have orange-red eyes. Similar species include wedgebills and the Western whipbird, which female and juvenile bellbirds resemble.
The crested bellbird forms pairs during breeding season and prepares deep cup-shaped nests made of fine sticks and twigs or bark, and lined with fine bark, fibres, or leaves. Nests are prepared in various places such as forks in dead trees, hollow stumps, etc., usually below two metres in height. The eggs are incubated by both sexes. The breeding season is variable but usually ranges from August till December with clutch sizes ranging from one to four eggs. The eggs are white or tinged with blue, and lightly blotched with dark brown and grey.
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Wikipedia