Sexual Differences in the Behavior of Wintering Golden Whistlers Pachycephala pectoralis at Wollomombi, N.S.W.

Abstract

Golden Whistlers are wintering migrants to Wollomombi, 42 km east of Armidale, N.S.W., where they re-occupy ter- ritories annually. Males forage in the tree canopy, snatching and gleaning, mainly off leaves. Females forage in the understorey, feeding more off bark and gleaning more than do the males. Females regularly join mixed-species feeding flocks of a variety of species, whereas males rarely do. The brightly-coloured males are attracted to other species with yellow plumage, both in and out of mixed flocks.

Sexual differences in foraging probably reduce intraspecific competition at a time when food is relatively scarce.