White-winged Triller (Lalage tricolor)
Photo: Trevor Rix
Description
- The White-winged Triller is a medium-sized bird which is between 16–18.5 cm long.
- Breeding males are black and white, whereas non-breeding males are more like females. Females are brownish in colour.
- It eats insects including termites, ants, grasshoppers, and caterpillars, and sometimes nectar. It often finds food on the ground or in shrubs.
- It’s usually seen in pairs.
- During breeding season, males sing loudly and chase away other males to defend their nesting areas.
- It builds nests in tree branches that look like small cups, made from grass and spider webs.
Find out more about the White-winged Triller on Canberra NatureMapr.
Where are they
The White-winged Triller is found across mainland Australia, northern Tasmania, Indonesia and New Guinea.
It is an uncommon summer migrant to the ACT, typically arriving between August and October. It then departs the ACT region from mid-summer to late autumn. Numbers of birds during these times vary year to year. It lives in areas that have:
- eucalypt woodlands
- acacia scrub and spinifex.
- In the ACT they are mainly found in grassy woodlands.
Conservation threats
The main threat to the White-winged Triller is the loss of its woodland habitat. Other threats include:
- reduction in quality of habitat
- removal of fallen trees or dead timber
- overgrazing
Conservation status
- Australian Capital Territory – Vulnerable (Nature Conservation Act 2014).
Conservation actions
Conservation aims to protect the habitat of the White-winged Triller, including to:
- manage land to prevent overgrazing
- avoid removing dead and live timber
- regenerate woodland areas
- reduce the impact of fire on woodland areas.