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White-winged TrillerAlternate name(s): "White-shouldered Caterpillar-eater", "Peewee-lark" ![]() Size: 16-19 cm Weight: 20-32 g |
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Similar species |
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Photos |
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ADULT |
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MALE |
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BREEDING |
Frontal portrait of a male White-winged Triller in breeding
plumage
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2015]
Frontal portrait of a male White-winged Triller in breeding
plumage; a few
remaining grey-brown feathers are still visible on the crown
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2015]
Frontal view of a male White-winged Triller in breeding
plumage
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2008]
Near-frontal view of a male White-winged Triller in breeding
plumage
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2011]
Lateral view of the same White-winged Triller as shown above
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2011]
Close-up lateral view of a male White-winged Triller in breeding
plumage
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2015]
Lateral view of a male White-winged Triller in breeding
plumage
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2015]
Lateral view of a male White-winged Triller in breeding
plumage, hunting
for insects
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2015]
Lateral view of a male White-winged Triller in breeding
plumage
in grassland
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay South, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2013]
This is the male White-winged Triller whose calls were recorded on 18
November 2014
[Near Narrabri, NSW, November 2014]
Dorsal view of a male White-winged Triller in breeding
plumage
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2008]
Male White-winged Triller in breeding
plumage
marking its territory - this is the bird whose
calls
were recorded on 26 October 2016
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2016]
Male White-winged Triller in breeding
plumage
marking its territory; more lateral view - this is the bird whose
calls
were recorded on 26 October 2016
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2016]
Distant view of a male White-winged Triller in breeding
plumage
in flight
[Eulah Creek, NSW, February 2019]
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NON-BREEDING |
Frontal view of a male White-winged Triller in transitional
plumage; the
leading edges of the wings are already black, but the head
has not moulted yet
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2015]
Frontal view of a male White-winged Triller in transitional
plumage;
nothing distinguishes it from full breeding plumage
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2011]
Near-lateral view of a male White-winged Triller in transitional
plumage
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2018]
Lateral view of a male White-winged Triller moulting into
breeding plumage
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2015]
Frontal view of a male White-winged Triller in transitory (mostly non-breeding) plumage
Lateral view of a male White-winged Triller in non-breeding
plumage
[Near Narrabri, NSW, September 2007]
Lateral view of a male White-winged Triller in transitory
(mostly non-breeding)
plumage
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2017]
Near-dorsal view of a male White-winged Triller in transitory
(mostly non-breeding)
plumage
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2017]
Dorsal view of a male White-winged Triller in transitory
(mostly non-breeding)
plumage
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2017]
Near-dorsal view of a male White-winged Triller in non-breeding
plumage
(photo P. Brown)
[Bird Billabong Road, off Arnhem Highway, NT, July 2018]
Lateral view of a male White-winged Triller in non-breeding
plumage
taking off (photo P. Brown)
[Bird Billabong Road, off Arnhem Highway, NT, July 2018]
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FEMALE |
Frontal portrait of a female White-winged Triller
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2015]
Frontal view of a female White-winged Triller
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2018]
Frontal/ventral view of a female White-winged Triller
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2018]
Near-frontal view of a female White-winged Triller
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2018]
Near-lateral portrait of a female White-winged Triller
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2015]
Lateral portrait of a female White-winged Triller
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2015]
Lateral view of a female White-winged Triller
[Near Narrabri, NSW, September 2019]
Close-up lateral view of a female White-winged Triller
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2015]
Lateral view of a female White-winged Triller carrying food for
its chick; note the barring on flank and shoulder
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Doctors Flat Road, Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, January 2018]
Lateral view of a female White-winged Triller in an
Acacia salicina tree
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2018]
Note the strong barring on the flanks of this female White-winged Triller
[Near Bugilbone, NSW, November 2017]
Near-dorsal view of a female White-winged Triller
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Samsonvale, QLD, December 2019]
Dorsal view of a female White-winged Triller
[Near Narrabri, NSW, September 2019]
Pair of White-winged Trillers in a paddock, foraging
on the ground; the male is seen at the lower left
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, October 2006]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
Frontal view of an immature male White-winged Triller;
note the dark cap and the absence of a visible supercilium
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2018]
Lateral view of an immature male White-winged Triller
(photo taken through a fence)
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2018]
Lateral view of an immature male White-winged Triller;
note the dark cap and the absence of a visible supercilium
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2018]
Ventral view of an immature male White-winged Triller
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2018]
Near-frontal view of an immature female White-winged Triller
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, May 2020]
Near-frontal view of a preening immature female White-winged Triller
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Buffalo Creek, Darwin, NT, May 2020]
Near-frontal view of an immature female White-winged Triller
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, May 2020]
Lateral view of an immature female White-winged Triller
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Buffalo Creek, Darwin, NT, May 2020]
Lateral view of an immature female White-winged Triller
feeding on the ground
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Buffalo Creek, Darwin, NT, May 2020]
Frontal view of a juvenile White-winged Triller
[Near Narrabri, NSW, September 2007]
Close-up frontal/ventral view of a juvenile White-winged Triller
[Eulah Creek, NSW, February 2013]
Near-frontal view of a juvenile White-winged Triller
[Eulah Creek, NSW, February 2013]
Near-frontal view of a juvenile White-winged Triller
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Buffalo Creek, Darwin, NT, September 2018]
Near-lateral view of a juvenile White-winged Triller
[Eulah Creek, NSW, February 2007]
Near-dorsal view of a juvenile White-winged Triller
[Eulah Creek, NSW, February 2007]
Two juvenile White-winged Trillers waiting to be fed
(photo courtesy of
V. Collins)
[Merriwindi SCA, near Kenebri, NSW, January 2021]
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Breeding information |
Breeding season: Sep - Feb | Eggs: 2 - 3 | Incubation period: 14 days | Fledging age: 13 - 15 days |
The breeding season of White-winged Trillers depends significantly on geographical latitude. In the tropical North they may breed at the end of the wet season. Given the right conditions White-winged Trillers can breed any time of the year.
Nest building: Female & male | Incubation: Female & male | Dependent care: Female & male |
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Nest |
"bungobittah", "malunna" = nest [Aboriginal] |
Type: Basket | Material: Grass, rootlets, webs | Height above ground: 2 - 10 m |
White-winged Triller nests found by us are different compared to what is described in field guides in several respects: They are not always placed on a fork, they are not always as shallow as reported in field guides, and they can be well-hidden in dense foliage, rather than in the open on a fork of a dead branch.
White-winged Triller hatchling in its nest (photo courtesy of
R. Plumtree)
[Doctors Flat Road, Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, January 2018]
Male White-winged Triller on its nest (photo courtesy of
R. Plumtree)
[Doctors Flat Road, Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, January 2018]
Female White-winged Triller on its nest
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Doctors Flat Road, Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, January 2018]
Female White-winged Triller working on its nest
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Doctors Flat Road, Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2019]
View from below of a White-winged Triller nest in a rough-barked
Acacia salicina tree;
this nest was constructed under the
"umbrella"
of a Magpie-lark nest
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2016]
Female White-winged Triller working on its well-hidden nest,
with the male in attendance
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2016]
Male White-winged Triller helping with the construction of the nest
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2016]
Male White-winged Triller "harvesting" a spider's web for use
in binding its nest
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2011]
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Eggs |
"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay] |
Size: 21 x 15 mm | Colour: Light-brown, with many large dark-brown patches | Shape: Tapered oval |
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Behaviour |
Social behaviour: Communal/territorial | Mobility: N sedentary, S migratory | Elementary unit: Solitary/pair |
Male White-winged Trillers use vantage points to issue their calls so as to be heard from afar. Obviously, they cannot do this all day long, but need to feed in the meantime. While feeding they also intersperse periods of singing, see photos below.
White-winged Trillers are semi-colonial breeders. Several pairs can nest close to each other, but they have separate territories for foraging. However, we have also observed both males and females of different pairs forage together in a small area during the breeding season.
White-winged Triller singing from a high vantage point; this
is a point where the bird sits purely to be heard
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2011]
Here the same White-winged Triller as above is foraging for insects in a
black pine tree, but also puts in some more effort into attracting a female
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2011]
Male White-winged Triller spreading its wings while taking a shower
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2014]
Male White-winged Triller having a shower under a garden sprinkler,
raising its mantle and rump feathers
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2014]
Male White-winged Triller raising its mantle and rump feathers
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2014]
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Food, Diet |
White-winged Trillers usually hunt insects that they will take from foliage or the ground.
Female White-winged Triller with a grasshopper for breakfast
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Samsonvale, QLD, December 2019]
Female White-winged Triller with its prey, a larva
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2015]
Female White-winged Triller with its prey, a grasshopper
[Near Narrabri, NSW, September 2018]
Male White-winged Triller feeding on nectar
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Near Berriwillock, VIC, October 2019]
Female White-winged Triller feeding on nectar
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Near Berriwillock, VIC, October 2019]
White-winged Triller taking nectar from a flower...
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Leanyer, Darwin, NT, July 2018]
... and feeling quite possessive about it
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Leanyer, Darwin, NT, July 2018]
Female White-winged Triller looking for prey in a flowering
Grevillea robusta
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2018]
This male White-winged Triller appears to be taking nectar from a flowering
Grevillea robusta,
rather than insects visiting the flowers
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2018]
Male White-winged Triller drinking by taking droplets from grass
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2014]
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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.
wwtrill_20161026_2.m4a | (NW NSW) | Territorial call (male) | © MD | |
wwtrill_pb_20181117.m4a | (Inland NT) | Territorial call (male) | © PB | |
wwtrill_20161026_4.m4a | (NW NSW) | Territorial calls (male) | © MD | |
wwtrill_20161026_3.m4a | (NW NSW) | Territorial calls (male) | © MD | |
wwtrill_20141118_2.mp3 | (NW NSW) | Territorial call (male) | © MD | |
wwtrill_20161026.mp3 | (NW NSW) |
Territorial calls (male) (with background) |
© MD | |
wwtrill_20150913.mp3 | (NW NSW) | Territorial call (2 males) | © MD | |
wwtrill_20150911.mp3 | (NW NSW) | Territorial calls (2 males) | © MD |