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The distinctive calls of the whip-bird are often heard coming from dense and usually moist habitat, but they are rarely seen out in the open. 

They are generally shy, so it was quite a surprise to see this bird happily foraging amongst leaf litter and fallen tibouchina flowers only metres from the road in downtown Paluma recently. 

Whipbirds are found in dense habitats all the way as far south as eastern Victoria but two sub-species of Psophodes olivaceous are distinguished geographically. 

The sub-species expected here at Paluma is the northern race, sometimes known as the northern whipbird (Psophodes olivaceus lateralis) found in the wet tropics from Townsville to Cooktown. 

The call is usually a duet between the male and female, the male producing the long note and whip crack and female the following notes. 

Whipbirds are monogamous. Breeding occurs from late winter through spring; a loosely built bowl of twigs and sticks lined with softer material such as grasses, located in shrubs or trees less than 3–4 m  above the ground. Several broods may occur in an extended breeding season

The female incubates the eggs and broods the nestlings, though the male helps feed and take a more active role in looking after fledglings for six weeks after leaving the nest. 

The male and female are similar in plumage, so it’s hard to tell which pronouns the bird pictured bird might prefer. 

Photos by Peter Cook. Text gleaned mostly from Wikipedia by Peter Cooke. 

The Spectacled Monarch (Symposiachrus trivirgatus) is a small and colourful songbird with an international range — from Eastern Australia, through New Guinea into the Islands of Indonesia and Timor. 

There are multiple subspecies. In eastern Australia the northern subspecies is albiventris, with melanorrhous further south and gouldii at the southern limit of its range, Port Stephens in New South Wales. 

According to the Australian Bird Guide maps, at Paluma we would expect to find sub-species melanorrhous. The differences between subspecies are somewhat subtle so in Paluma we may be seeing an overlap with the far northern sub-species albiventris. Albiventris is described as having a rufous upper breast sharply defined from more extensive white underparts than melanorrhous and gouldii. 

Males and females are similarly feathered — blue-grey above, with a black face mask that extends across both eyes, rufous (red-orange) breast, white underparts and a black tail with white outer tips. Immature birds lack the black face and have a grey throat. 

As well as subtle changes in plumage the sub-species are distinguished by a variety of songs and calls from rising mellow whistles in the Lesser Sundas to raspier whistled notes in Australia. eBird says that calls vary, but are generally “harsh and unpleasant-sounding buzzes and rattles”.

The eastern Australian sub-species are found in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, and subtropical or (as we have here at Paluma) the moist montane forests of the Wet Tropics. 

The Spectacled Monarch is not an easy bird to photograph, stopping only for a few seconds to perch as it makes its way, mostly obscured, amongst dense foliage while foraging for insects below the canopy and on tree trunks or vines.

Google search comes up with several spellings for the scientific name: Birds in Backyards says Symposiarchus trivirgatus, most other sites use Symposiachrus trivirgatus

Photos by Peter Cooke and text gleaned and adapted from Wikipedia, eBird and Birds in Backyards. Location: jungle margin behind #56. 

The Grey-headed Robin (Heteramyias cinereifrons) is a large, plump robin of the Wet Tropics with a range extending north from Paluma to near Cooktown. 

At Paluma it’s often seen along rainforest tracks and margins, usually feeding on or near the ground, scanning leaf litter from an upright perch on tree trunks or low branches before dropping to take its prey. 

Both sexes are olive brown above, with gray crown and breast, stark white throat, and white wing patch, prominent in flight. Its upright stance, large size, intricate plumage, and pale pink legs are distinctive. 

Breeding occurs from August or September to January, with one or two broods per season. The nest is a shallow cup made of bark, grass, and dry leaves. Spider webs are used for binding or filling, and strips of fern and palm for lining; the outside is decorated by dried vegetation. The nest is generally placed in a lawyer vine up to 10 m above the ground. A clutch of one or two eggs is laid. The eggs are buff, cream- or dark greenish-white, and marked with light brown splotches and spots, usually concentrated around the large end, and they measure 26 by 19 mm.

Photos by Peter Cooke and text adapted from Wikipedia and e-bird.