The mangrove golden whistler or black-tailed whistler, is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae. It is found in mangrove forests and adjacent wet forests of Papua New Guinea and Australia.
Region
Northern Australia and southern New Guinea
Typical Environment
Occurs along tropical coasts of northern Australia from the Kimberley and Top End to the Gulf of Carpentaria and Cape York, and in southern New Guinea including adjacent islands. It is strongly tied to mangrove forests, especially along tidal creeks, estuaries, and sheltered bays. Birds also use adjacent paperbark swamps and monsoon vine thickets, especially outside the breeding season. On islands and remote coastlines it can be locally common where mangroves are continuous.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also known as the black-tailed whistler, it is closely related to the broader golden whistler complex but is specialized for coastal mangrove habitats. It forages methodically through mangrove canopy and tangles, often hard to spot despite a loud, ringing song. Pairs defend small territories during breeding, building neat cup nests low in mangroves over brackish water. It persists well in intact mangrove belts but is sensitive to large-scale clearing of coastal forests.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with quick dashes between mangrove perches
Social Behavior
Typically found as singles or pairs that maintain small territories, especially during breeding. The nest is a neat cup of rootlets and grasses placed in a fork of mangrove or nearby shrub, often over water. Outside the breeding season it may join loose, mixed-species foraging flocks along mangrove edges.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a clear, ringing series of rich whistled notes that carry across mangrove creeks. Calls include sharp chips and scolding churrs when alarmed or when intruders approach the territory.
Plumage
Male shows bright yellow underparts with olive-green upperparts and a contrasting dark head and face; a pale or white nape crescent is typical, and the tail is distinctly dark. Female is duller with grey-brown upperparts and buffy to greyish underparts with faint streaking. Both sexes have a stout, slightly hooked whistler bill and smooth, close-lying plumage suited to dense foliage.
Diet
Primarily takes insects and other arthropods such as beetles, caterpillars, spiders, and bugs gleaned from foliage, twigs, and bark. It occasionally sallies to snatch flying insects and will take small fruits or berries opportunistically. Foraging is deliberate and methodical, probing tangles and leaf clusters within the mid to upper canopy.
Preferred Environment
Feeds within dense mangrove stands, especially along tidal channels and edges where insect activity is high. Also uses adjacent monsoon forests and paperbark swamps, moving along ecotones and sheltered understory.
