Dominant amongst the sounds of our local bushlands are the melodious calls of whistlers. The songs are quite varied, with high, sweet notes and, in the case of the golden whistler, tunes that often conclude with a gentle whipcrack. These charming little birds engage in constant singing contests throughout their long breeding season.
Imagine if raising a human baby had a one-in-ten chance of success. That’s what a four-year study of rufous whistlers found: reproductive success was a low 13.4% with predation the cause of nesting failure in the vast majority of cases. The principle nest robbers were kookaburras, butcherbirds and currawongs. Fortunately, whistlers can nest multiple times over their breeding period. A different study of golden whistlers found that each pair nested on average 1.7 times per season.
Male rufous whistlers look dapper in their rufous, grey, black and white formalwear, while male golden whistlers are showier with masses of bright yellow and, like their rufous cousins, black and white heads. In both species, the females are decidedly drabber.
The family name for these birds is Pachycephala, which means “thick head”. That doesn’t mean they are dim-witted birds, simply that they have large heads. Well, someone once thought so.
They are also inquisitive and full of personality, often flying down to human head height to investigate passing hominids. When concentrating, they frequently cock their heads to one side.
Whistlers are extremely territorial – thus the constant singing. Whilst singing, whistlers often throw their heads back, the better to display their white throats. The white throat patch appears to be important in the defence of territory. Scientists investigated the display tactics amongst male golden whistlers using decoy males with different sized throat patches and variable singing rates. Neighbouring males spent more time trying to outcompete intruders with normal sized throat patches and high singing rates as compared with those of smaller throat patches and lower singing rates.
But these are equal opportunity birds, and females also participate in territorial disputes, while males help with nest duties. Whistlers also exhibit incredible fidelity, with zero divorce rates amongst breeding pairs. It is thought that couples bond for life.
Whistlers can be found across the Noosa region, from coastal wallum to hinterland forests.
You can listen to their calls on eBird by clicking these links.
