Songs & Calls
The Whipbirds’ long whip call, one of the most characteristic sounds of the Australian bush, is performed as a duet. The male makes the drawn-out whip crack and the female usually follows quickly with a sharp “choo-choo”.
Local Notes
When I first heard the distinctive call of the Eastern Whip Bird, ‘Whiiiiip ChooChoo’, I didn’t know it was actually the male and female calling the different notes. It always makes me smile when she doesn’t answer him straight away- moments of suspense and then the reassuring ‘ChooChoo’. These birds are a delight to see with their cute little topknots, and I love to hear their iconic call ringing out through the forest.
by Linda Wirf
Bird Overview
Having mostly-green plumage and living in the dense undergrowth, the Eastern Whipbird is seen far less often than it is heard. Its whip-crack call is a characteristic of many of the moist forests in eastern Australia. The unusual feature of this call is that it is often performed by two birds calling in unison, with one bird contributing the first part of the call and another giving the second part. This so-called ‘antiphonal’ calling involves great coordination between the two birds to give the call its familiar whip-crack sound.
Identification
Adult Eastern Whipbirds are mostly dark olive-green above, with a long tail, and a grey-white belly. The head and breast are black, with a broad white patch on the side of the face and a black crest. The eye is a reddish-brown and the bill is black. Young whip birds are generally duller, with a smaller crest. The white cheek patch is absent in very young birds and increases in size as the birds mature. The average size is 28cm and the average weight is 56 grams.
Credit Birdlife Australia
