17

White-throated Gerygone (Gerygone olivacea) Alternate name(s): "White-throated Warbler", "White-throated Flyeater"; misnomers: "Bush Canary", "Native Canary*" Size: 10-11 cm Body mass: 5-8 g

Australia: Family Group 17 Family Group 17 Table Spotted Pardalote Forty-spotted Pardalote Red-browed Pardalote Striated Pardalote Large-billed Scrubwren Atherton Scrubwren White-browed Scrubwren Spotted Scrubwren Tasmanian Scrubwren Yellow-throated Scrubwren Pilotbird Rock Warbler Chestnut-rumped Heathwren Shy Heathwren Striated Fieldwren Rufous Fieldwren Fernwren Scrubtit Speckled Warbler Redthroat Western Gerygone Brown Gerygone Mangrove Gerygone Dusky Gerygone Large-billed Gerygone Green-backed Gerygone Fairy Gerygone White-throated Gerygone Weebill Yellow Thornbill Striated Thornbill Buff-rumped Thornbill Yellow-rumped Thornbill Western Thornbill Slender-billed Thornbill Chestnut-rumped Thornbill Brown Thornbill Inland Thornbill Slaty-backed Thornbill Tasmanian Thornbill Mountain Thornbill Southern Whiteface Chestnut-breasted Whiteface Banded Whiteface Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description White-throated Gerygones are very small bushland birds. They have a prominent white throat and a white spot on the forehead. The chest and belly are bright yellow. The rest of the head, the back and the wings are all slate-grey with a brown tinge. They have neither eye-rings or eyebrow. The eyes have red irises. The bill and lores are dark-grey, while the legs and feet are grey. Juvenile White-throated Gerygones do not have a white throat or white frontal spots yet. Twitcher's tip Compared to Fairy Gerygones, White-throated Gerygones have a brighter yellow front.

Taxonomy, classification See White-throated Gerygone at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the White-throated Gerygone is available HERE . White-throated Gerygones are found only in Australia and New Guinea. There are three races of White-throated Gerygones. Nominate race "olivacea" occurs along the East coast of Australia, South of Cape York peninsula, and throughout the Great Dividing Range, down to about the NSW/VIC border. In years of good rainfall they can disperse into the semi-arid interior by about 100-200 km from the ranges, adding also the Murray River catchment and the rest of VIC, up to about Adelaide in SA, to their range. Race "cinerascens" is found only on Cape York peninsula, to the North of a line connecting Normanton, QLD, with Port Douglas, QLD. From the southern tip of the Gulf of Carpentaria near Normanton, QLD, westward, through the Top End of the NT and the Kimberley in WA, race "rogersi" is found. White-throated Gerygones have a preference for open forest and woodland. Where to look? How to find this species? When found, White-throated Gerygones are easily identified by their calls. However, when not bound by the confines of a breeding territory, visual identification can be a lot harder. They have the tendency to forage in a tree, call once, then move on, and so forth. It is much easier to get close to them during the breeding season because then their "tree-hopping" is restricted to a limited area and sooner or later either one of a pair will return to a particular foraging tree. It is even better to find the pair's nest, which is usually placed at about eye height.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "olivacea" In 2005 White-throated Gerygones, race "olivacea", visited us occasionally 20 km South of Narrabri, NSW. Another White-throated Gerygone, race "olivacea", was found in November 2006 in Warrumbungle NP, 30 km West of Coonabarabran, NSW. We have also seen White-throated Gerygones, race "olivacea", in the Pilliga NR, about 50 km South of Narrabri, in March 2009 and again in December 2011. White-throated Gerygones, race "olivacea", have also been found by us to the East of Narrabri, e.g. at Eulah Creek, where they usually arrive in September and depart around March/April. In 2017 the first returning bird was found by us in late August, in the Upper Bullawa Creek section of Mt. Kaputar NP. Farther North, we have also spotted White-throated Gerygones, race "olivacea", in Byfield NP, QLD, in July 2009. C. Hayne reports that White-throated Gerygones, race "olivacea", are occassionally seen and heard at various locations around Moree, NSW, especially towards the West, but also on a farm 35 km East of Moree. B. Hensen reports finding a pair of White-throated Gerygones, race "olivacea", nesting at St. Albans, NSW, in December 2013. N. Smith reports finding a pair of White-throated Gerygones, race "olivacea", nesting about 15 km North of Tamworth, NSW, in November 2016. M. Eaton found a pair of White-throated Gerygones, race "olivacea", nesting at Anstead, QLD, in August 2017. Another pair was found there in October 2021. More birds were observed at Samsonvale, QLD, in May 2020. Another was found at the Roma Bush Gardens, Roma, QLD, in August. The latter location is near the western boundary of their range. In June 2024, M. Eaton also found White-throated Gerygones, race "olivacea", at Artemis Station, Cape York peninsula, QLD. R. Plumtree found a White-throated Gerygone, race "olivacea", near Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, in November 2018. This location is close to the southern edge of the species' range. M. Adam-Cross reports finding a White-throated Gerygone, race "olivacea", at Yarramundi, on the Hawkesbury River, NSW, in January 2020. A pair of White-throated Gerygones, race "olivacea", was found by M. Windeyer in Warrumbungle NP, 30 km West of Coonabarabran, NSW, in May 2020. Race "rogersi" B. Hensen reports spotting a White-throated Gerygone, race "rogersi", in Pine Creek, NT, in July 2014. We found a White-throated Gerygone, race "rogersi", at Homes Jungle Nature Park, Darwin, in August 2014. P. Brown reports finding a White-throated Gerygone, race "rogersi", at Leanyer Swamp, Darwin, NT, in May 2019, and another at the Lorrngorl Camp, Giwining/Flora River Nature Reserve, NT, in September 2020.

Photos

Race "olivacea"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a White-throated Gerygone (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, October 2021]

Frontal/ventral view of a White-throated Gerygone (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, October 2021]

Frontal/ventral view of a White-throated Gerygone scanning a eucalypt tree for insects
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2013]

Near-frontal view of a White-throated Gerygone
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2013]

Near-frontal view of a White-throated Gerygone (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, October 2021]

Near-lateral view of a White-throated Gerygone looking towards the observer (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Roma Bush Gardens, Roma, QLD, August 2022]

Near-lateral view of a White-throated Gerygone (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gold Scrub Lane, Samsonvale, QLD, May 2020]

Close-up near-lateral view of a White-throated Gerygone looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2025]

Near-lateral view of a White-throated Gerygone searching for insects (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Near Nally's Creek, Ensay Doctors Flat Road, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2018]

Partly obscured near-lateral view of a White-throated Gerygone
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2018]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a White-throated Gerygone (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, October 2021]

Lateral view of a White-throated Gerygone (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gold Scrub Lane, Samsonvale, QLD, May 2020]

Lateral view of a White-throated Gerygone (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gold Scrub Lane, Samsonvale, QLD, May 2020]

Lateral view of a White-throated Gerygone
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2025]

Lateral view of a White-throated Gerygone looking for prey (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, October 2021]

Close-up lateral/ventral view of a White-throated Gerygone
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2013]

Lateral/ventral view of a White-throated Gerygone (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, October 2021]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a White-throated Gerygone (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Roma Bush Gardens, Roma, QLD, August 2022]

Dorsal view of a White-throated Gerygone
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2025]

Dorsal/ventral view of a White-throated Gerygone (classical "bum shot")
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2013]

Ventral view of a White-throated Gerygone
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2013]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Lateral view of a juvenile White-throated Gerygone - note the absence of a white throat
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2015]

Race "rogersi"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a White-throated Gerygone (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Lorrngorl Camp, Giwining/Flora River Nature Reserve, NT, September 2020]

Lateral view of a White-throated Gerygone (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Pine Creek, NT, July 2014]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Aug - Jan

Eggs: 2 - 3

Incubation period: ca. 12 days

Fledging age: ca. 14 - 16 days

Nest building: Female

Incubation: Female (& male)

Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Domed hanging bottle

Material: Bark strips or reeds, webs

Height above ground: 3 - 15 m

The nest shown below was found close to a creek lined by reeds, old strands of which were then used for construction. The nest, although suspended from only one point, looked very solid and stable.

Nest of a pair of White-throated Gerygones; note the difference in materials used for this nest compared to others on the eastern coastal fringe (shown below)
[Pilliga NR, NSW, December 2011]

Female White-throated Gerygone "at home", peeking out of its nest
[Pilliga NR, NSW, December 2011]

Female White-throated Gerygone peeking out of its nest
[Pilliga NR, NSW, December 2011]

Two White-throated Gerygone chicks peeking out of their nest, waiting to be fed (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[St. Albans, NSW, December 2013]

White-throated Gerygone feeding its chicks in their nest (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[St. Albans, NSW, December 2013]

White-throated Gerygone nest in an ornamental plant right next to the entrance door to a house (photo courtesy of N. Smith)
[Near Tamworth, NSW, November 2016]

White-throated Gerygone peeking out of its nest (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead, QLD, August 2017]

One of the owners of the White-throated Gerygone nest shown above (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead, QLD, August 2017]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size:18 x 13 mm

Colour: Creamy, with mid-brown specks

Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Migratory

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair

White-throated Gerygones are restless birds. When foraging in trees, they move around a lot within the tree crowns. In our experience, what often happens is that they fly into a tree, forage, issue one call, and then depart to the next tree. (And they can do this longer than a photographer trying to chase them to get a decent shot.)

Food, Diet

White-throated Gerygones forage through the foliage of trees for small insects.

White-throated Gerygone with its prey, a spider (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, October 2021]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

Some species of gerygones have very elaborate, long calls that they tend to sometimes abbreviate. When, below, we mark a call as "abbreviated", this does not mean to say that the recording is incomplete, but that the bird rendered only a partial (or abbreviated) call.

wthgery_20200919.m4a	olivacea (NW NSW)	Contact call	© MD
wthgery_me_20211016.m4a	olivacea (SE QLD)	Contact call	© ME
wthgery_20141107.m4a	olivacea (NW NSW)	Contact call	© MD
wthgery_me_20240611.m4a	olivacea (Far-N QLD)	Contact call	© ME
wthgery_20250919.m4a	olivacea (NW NSW)	Contact call	© MD
wthgery_20250919_2.m4a	olivacea (NW NSW)	Contact call	© MD
wthgery_20151201.m4a	olivacea (NW NSW)	Contact call + abbreviated call	© MD
wthgery_me_20231019.m4a	olivacea (SE QLD)	Contact call + abbreviated call	© ME
wthgery_20240928.m4a	olivacea (NW NSW)	Contact call + abbreviated call	© MD
wthgery_20230926.mp3	olivacea (W NSW)	Contact calls (long sequence)	© MD
wthgery_20140820.m4a	rogersi (Darwin, NT)	Contact call	© MD
wthgery_20140820_2.m4a	rogersi (Darwin, NT)	Contact call	© MD
wthgery_20140820_3.m4a	rogersi (Darwin, NT)	(Extended) contact call	© MD

More White-throated Gerygone sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.