This red-lored whistler is shy, secretive and inconspicuous, with its cryptic behaviour making it difficult to see.
Vulnerable
Endemic to Australia
At a glance
FamilyWhistlers and Allies
SizeSmall
RarityUncommon
HabitatChunky gray songbird with a heavy black bill found in dry forest and bushland in parts of semi-arid southern Australia.
Best timeMost reliable in Victoria from September to October.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Mark Harper
Range map
Range map
178approx hotspots
2122approx records
2states
Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence
Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.
Species notes
Overview
Chunky gray songbird with a heavy black bill found in dry forest and bushland in parts of semi-arid southern Australia. Female similar, but plumage tones more muted and paler. Compare Gilbert’s Whistler, which is darker in front of the eye, and the orange chin does not extend above the bill.
Behavior
Many different calls, including a repeated
Gallery
Regional timing
Victoria
South Australia
New South Wales
Commonly confused with
Gilbert's WhistlerPachycephala inornataChunky gray songbird with heavy black bill, found in dry forest and bushland across semi-arid southern Australia.→Golden WhistlerPachycephala pectoralisFemales vary across range, with eastern birds having some amount of yellow on the underparts and western birds (formerly treated as full species, “Western Whistler”) being gray-brown above and pale below, lacking yellow. Olive Whistler much browner below, with well-defined whitish bib. Inhabits a great variety of habitats.→Rufous WhistlerPachycephala rufiventrisMale pale gray above, pale orange below, with a bold white throat bordered in back. Female and immature are grayish above, pale below with extensive streaking that fades at buffy lower belly. Inhabits drier woodland and shrubland. Loud whistling song, given by both sexes.→