Whistler comp.

Following the flight of a King Parrot to try and get a photo I came upon a group of Rufous Whistlers Pachycephala rufiventris in the midst of a whistling competition to attract mates. They have a beautiful melodious whistle with both males and females very active, moving around the trees and shrubs chasing off rivals as they gave voice to their songs. With the King Parrot now gone, I concentrated on getting photos of the whistlers and it was a particularly frustrating time, as they barely stayed still long enough to get focused. Although I managed to get two photos I couldn't get a mature male, with full colour, to sit still.

 

Immature Male Rufous Whistler in full song

Female Rufous Whistler

  The females as well as whistling also do a display, dipping their heads, spreading wings and flicking up the tail, where as the males seem to rely on the whistling performance and chasing off rivals.
They have the most extensive range of the nine whistlers found in Australia being found throughout the country, but they are only migratory in our area arriving in spring and departing north for winter.