Up close with foraging Grey Shrike-thrush – Includes song recordings from the Capertee Valley
42This Grey Shrike-thrush (Colluricincla harmonica ssp harmonica) was filmed on winter solstice day 2021 at a conservation property within the magnificent Capertee Valley (NSW). This site has a mix of open forest, natural woodland, revegetated woodland and grassy open areas. The introductory landscape encompasses all of these habitats. The Grey Shrike-thrush can be found across Australia, on some offshore islands and in southern New Guinea, with five sub-species recognised. This flexible and adaptable bird frequents a wide variety of treed environments, from tall wet eucalypt forests to dry scrub. But you are less likely to see them in dense rainforests, very arid zones and areas of modified vegetation that are too fragmented or disconnected from natural habitats. Although considered abundant and secure, their numbers have declined in parts of Australia due to habitat loss and degradation.
Our video star is almost certainly an adult female and probably the one we observed nesting in 2019 (i.e. incubation stage – a glimpse is offered in this “spring special” https://youtu.be/e4LPHpwIySs?t=195). Note her light grey lores (area between bill and eye) and eye-ring, grey-pink bill (can vary) and fine streaking on the upper breast and chin. Adult males have black bill, white lores, barely discernible eye-ring and lack obvious streaking. The partner of the nesting female at least is briefly shown in the same spring compilation - https://youtu.be/e4LPHpwIySs?t=161 Another view of an adult male, this one foraging on the eastern side of the Blue Mountains (i.e. Upper Colo), can be found here (with song recording from Scheyville National Park) - https://youtu.be/fowI-8HSJM8
Both sexes have rather beautiful red-brown eyes with eyelash-like bristles. But if you were smaller than these robust fairly-large songbirds, you may hope not to catch their eye. Described as omnivorous or primarily carnivorous, their diet mainly consists of arthropods (e.g. insects, arachnids and millipedes) and small vertebrates such as skinks and frogs, with some fruit or seeds in the mix. Grey Shrike-thrushes are also renowned nest-raiders and occasionally take an adult bird (e.g. fairy-wren) or small mammal. Curiously, they are sometimes seen foraging with small insectivorous birds, mostly in autumn and winter. Perhaps little birds don’t view them as a threat generally, or depending on the season.
Foraging mostly involves gleaning at all levels, from canopy to the ground. However, observations of feeding at each level can vary with the location. Foraging on the ground is common, but in some places it’s over 50%. Indeed, that would be our guess for the filming site. (See HANZAB for detailed studies.) As you may notice in this video, the muted colours of the Grey Shrike-thrush offer good camouflage. After all, the hunter can become the hunted. (On the days before and after these scenes, we spotted an Australian Hobby. It’s possibly the cause of agitated-sounding birds, such as Little Corellas and Pied Currawongs, particularly in the final scene.)
While we see lovely muted tones or subtle beauty, other people have used words like drab, dull and plain. But one thing is beyond argument – the Grey Shrike-thrush is one of Australia’s best songsters! The song/calls recorded at the Capertee Valley filming location are a tiny sample of this bird’s (as both species and individual) repertoire. A study of their song at Warrah (NSW) revealed an average of 16 song-types or phrases for males and 11 for females (see HANZAB). Across the species, there are hundreds and possibly thousands of different songs, with regional or local dialects. Both sexes may sing any time of the year, but more so in spring or breeding season. The recording during the first two photos was done in August 2019 (sex unknown), while the calls during the third photo are definitely a male (first) and then the female of the pair (from the nest at a different time on the same day in October 2018). For more information on the Grey Shrike-thrush visit https://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Colluricincla-harmonica. To hear more of their wonderful song and calls, check out https://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Colluricincla-harmonica