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20

Western Whistler (Pachycephala occidentalis) Aboriginal name(s): "bedilmidong", "bedjemer" Size: 16-18 cm Weight: 25-35 g

Australia: Family Group 20 Family Group 20 Table Eastern Whipbird Chirruping Wedgebill Chiming Wedgebill Spotted Quail-thrush Cinnamon Quail-thrush Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush Varied Sittella Crested Bellbird Eastern (Crested) Shrike-tit Northern (Crested) Shrike-tit Grey Whistler Olive Whistler Golden Whistler Western Whistler Mangrove Golden Whistler White-breasted Whistler Rufous Whistler Gilbert's Whistler Rufous Shrike-thrush Arafura Shrike-thrush (Little Shrike-thrush) Bower's Shrike-thrush Sandstone Shrike-thrush Grey Shrike-thrush 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 Western Whistlers are medium-sized whistlers. Their plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are different. Male Golden Whistlers have a large white throat patch surrounded by a broad black chest band that connects to the equally black head plumage. The rest of the front, plus the sides, flanks and nape of the neck, are all yellow. The mantle is olive, the rump is olive-yellow, while the wing feathers are dark-grey with olive edge lining. The tail is dark-grey. Female Western Whistlers have a light-grey front, with a throat patch that is a bit lighter than the rest of the front. The top of the head and the back are grey. The flight feathers are dark-grey, with some olive edge lining. The tail is olive-grey, becoming greyer towards the tip. The only yellow part of female Western Whistlers is the vent. Both sexes have eyes with dark-brown irises. The bill, legs and feet are dark-grey. Juvenile Western Whistlers resemble females, but they have much broader, more conspicuous brown edge lining on the wing feathers. Twitcher's tip Compared with Mangrove Golden Whistlers, Western Whistlers are paler yellow.

Taxonomy, classification See Western Whistler at Wikipedia . Click here for classification information DNA analysis has revealed that the Western Australian population of what was part of race "fuliginosa" of the Golden Whistler shows significant genetic differences to birds from further to the East (SA). Accordingly, they have now been given full species status as the Western Whistler, "Pachycephala occidentalis".

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 Western Whistler is available HERE . Western Whistlers are endemic to south-western Western Australia. Their range spans (the entirety of) a roughly triangular area from the WA/SA border in the East to just southward of Exmouth, WA, in the North-west. Western Whistlers can be found in open forest, woodland, scrub and even mallee, with a preference for dense, low, vegetation (such as undergrowth).

Sightings Click here for sighting information C. Pears finds Western Whistlers regularly at Quindalup, WA. J. Greaves reports spotting Western Whistlers at Manjimup, WA, in March 2015. M. Eaton reports finding Western Whistlers at Margaret River, WA, in April 2019.

Photos

ADULT

MALE

Frontal/ventral view of a male Western Whistler (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Manjimup, WA, March 2015]

Frontal view of a male Western Whistler looking backwards while preening (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Margaret River, WA, April 2015]

Near-lateral view of a male Western Whistler (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Margaret River, WA, April 2015]

Near-lateral view of a male Western Whistler (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Margaret River, WA, April 2015]

FEMALE

Frontal view of a female (or juvenile?) Western Whistler; this is a particularly dark specimen (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Manjimup, WA, March 2015]

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.

westwhs_jg_20161231.m4a

(SW WA)

Territorial calls Q&A

© JG

More Western Whistler 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.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Sun, 4 July 2021, 23:44 +00:00