Bird Guide

Chirruping Wedgebill vs Eastern Whipbird

Chirruping Wedgebill (Psophodes cristatus)

Chirruping Wedgebill

Psophodes cristatus

Small41 gShrubland

The chirruping wedgebill is a medium-sized bird, measuring approximately 18–21 cm and weighing 31-64 g. Its bill is dark and wedge-shaped when mature, and horn-coloured when immature. It possesses a slim upright crest, and long rounded tail. Adult plumage consists of pale brown upperparts, with white/pale grey underparts. Flight feathers are edged with white, and the tail is coloured dark black-brown with a white tip. Immature individuals possess similar plumage, the only key differences being buff-tipped flight feathers, unlike the white tips of the mature individual. Voice: The distinctive call of this species is described as an antiphonal duet. Accounts of the call differ slightly. Pizzey and Knight describe the male as calling sitzi-cheeri (similar to the budgerigar's rolling chirrup), while the female replies with an upward rolling r-e-e-e-t CHEER. The call is described by Simpson and Day, however, as "sparrow-like and repetitive".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: (c) Kerri-Lee Harris, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Kerri-Lee Harris · cc-by
Eastern Whipbird (Psophodes olivaceus)

Eastern Whipbird

Psophodes olivaceus

Medium62 gForest

A slim bird some 26–30 cm (10–12 in) in length and 47–72 grams (1.7–2.5 oz) in weight, it is olive green with a black head and breast. It has a small black crest with a white cheek-patch on its face. It has a paler abdomen with a long dark olive-green tail tipped with white. The iris is brown and bill is black with blackish feet. The male is slightly larger than the female. Juveniles are a duller olive-brown and lack the white cheek stripes and dark throat. The eastern whipbird is generally shy, and is heard much more often than seen.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Eastern Whipbird
Recorded by James Ray · Call · Faulconbridge, Blue Mountains City Council, New South Wales, Australia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Liam Sultana · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

Learn this pair in the BeakBrain App

Photo and call practice. Coming soon to iPhone and Android.

Play today's Daily Bird

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Chirruping Wedgebill and Eastern Whipbird.