| Western Whipbird | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Cinclosomatidae |
| Genus: | Psophodes |
| Species: | P. nigrogularis |
| Binomial name | |
| Psophodes nigrogularis Gould, 1844 |
|
The Western Whipbird (Psophodes nigrogularis) is a passerine bird found in several scattered populations across southern Australia. It is predominantly olive green in colour.
A slim bird some 21 - 25 cm in length, it is olive green with a black throat and a narrow white cheek-patch edged with black on its face. It has a small crest and a long dark olive-green tail tipped with white, its underparts are a paler olive colour. The bill is black with blackish feet. Juveniles are a duller olive-brown in colour and lack the white cheek stripes and dark throat.[1]
Breeding occurs in spring; a bowl of twigs and sticks lined with softer material such as grasses, located in shrubs or trees less than 1-2 m above the ground. A clutch of two eggs, pale blue with blackish splotches and spots, measuring 26 x 19 mm.[2]
Four subspecies are recognised, though one has been considered by some to have specific status as the Mallee Whipbird (P. leucogaster). All are under threat to some degree.