Eopsaltria australis

(Birds of Drouin booklet p 12)

Description

Size: 150-160mm

Sexes are the same. Grey head, face, back and tail. All yellow underparts with a small white patch under the chin.

Call

Two distinctive calls: A loud, clear, sometimes persistent piping

A sharp, explosive 2 or 3 note ‘tchew-tchew’

Distribution

Two races. Down the eastern seaboard. Absent in Tasmania

Nesting

Builds a substantial cup-shaped nest of grasses, spiders web and bark strips in shrubs and small trees. Usually well camouflaged with mosses and lichens and often, seldom more than 2-3m above ground. Breeds from June to December. 

Habits

Can occupy a diverse range of habitats such as wet forests, scrubby gullies, woodlands, even urban parks and gardens. Eastern Yellow Robins can sometimes be very confiding and inquisitive of human intrusion. Frequently seen perching sideways on a trunk. Perches motionless while scanning the ground for small invertebrates. Mostly in small family groups. Common and usually sedentary with some altitudinal migration.