Fun Australasian Figbird Facts For Kids
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The Australasian figbird (Sphecotheres vieilloti) is from the Oriolidae family. The Australasian figbird range consists of northern and eastern Australia range and it is also found in New Guinea and Indonesia in Kai Islands.
The types of habitat that these figbirds inhabit consist of eucalyptus forests, rainforests, wet sclerophyll forests, and woodlands. These figbirds breed in loose colonies that are small.
The nest is also placed nearby and the nest is built with twigs and vines during the breeding season.
The breeding season takes place from September to February. Two to three eggs are laid and these eggs are pale green in color with some brown spots.
Incubation takes place for about 18 days and both the male and the female are known to incubate the eggs, as well as, take care of the young ones and juveniles. Male and female figbirds can be identified visually as sexual dimorphism in appearance.
Males tend to have black-colored heads with prominent bright and bare facial skin around the eyes that is red in color. The nominate subspecies have an olive-green plumage with a gray-colored throat, neck, and chest.
The male of this species has a gray collar, chest, and throat and white-colored belly that is from eastern Australia, and in males from the northeast and northern Australia, the gray collar is absent and has a yellow-colored throat, chest, and belly. However, the female has a slightly different plumage.
The upper parts of the female are green-brown in color and the underparts are whitish with some brown markings or stripes.
Australasian figbird baby is similar to the female. The bill is black-grayish and the legs are pink.
These birds tend to feed on figs, as their name suggests, and also feed on or eat insects, nectar, and seeds. The calls of this bird are like a loud 'chiew' and they have five subspecies that include the yellow figbird.
It is quite interesting to learn about this species of bird and if you are interested, read about sunbittern and pine warbler facts, too.
Australasian Figbird Interesting Facts
What type of animal is an Australasian figbird?
An Australasian figbird is a bird.
What class of animal does an Australasian figbird belong to?
An Australasian figbird belongs to the class of Aves of birds.
How many Australasian figbirds are there in the world?
There is no specific estimate available for the global population of these Australasian figbirds.
Where does an Australasian figbird live?
The population of the Australasian figbirds is distributed across the northern and eastern Australia range and is also found in the southern and eastern parts of New Guinea, and Indonesia in the Kai Islands.
What is an Australasian figbird's habitat?
The habitat of the Australasian figbird (Sphecotheres Vieilloti) consists of eucalyptus forests, rainforests, wet sclerophyll forests, and woodlands. This bird can be sometimes spotted in urban orchards, parks, and gardens. This bird can be seen in mangrove and tropical evergreen trees.
Who do Australasian figbirds live with?
It has been observed that these birds tend to live in small groups.
How long does an Australasian figbird live?
The exact life expectancy of these figbirds is unknown.
How do they reproduce?
The breeding of this species occurs in loose and small colonies and nests are also placed in proximity during the breeding season. The nest is made of vines and twigs.
The breeding season starts in September and goes on till February and around two to three eggs that are dull green in color and have spots that are brown in color are laid.
Incubation of these eggs takes place for about 18 days and both males and females are known to incubate the eggs and also rear and care for the young ones. The young ones or the juveniles are known to leave the nest when they are 16-17 days old.
What is their conservation status?
These figbirds are placed under the Least Concern category of conservation status.
Australasian Figbird Fun Facts
What do Australasian figbirds look like?
In this species of bird, sexual dimorphism is there, that is, males and females differ in appearance and can be identified visually. Males tend to have black-colored heads with prominent bright and bare facial skin around the eyes that is red in color.
The nominate subspecies have an olive-green plumage with a gray-colored throat, neck, and chest.
The male of this species has a gray collar, chest, and throat and white-colored belly that is from eastern Australia, and in the males from the northeast and northern Australia, the gray collar is absent and has a yellow-colored throat, chest, and belly.
Females of this species have white and brown plumage with some dark and bold or prominent streaking. The skin of the face is grayish in color.
The upper part of the female is green-brown in color, whereas the underparts are whitish or off-white in color with brown marking. The young ones look similar to adult females, but the streaking or marking is not that bold or prominent.
Males and females have a black-grayish bill with a base that is red in color and pink legs.
How cute are they?
These birds are considered cute because of the color of their plumage.
How do they communicate?
These birds, just like other species of birds, are known to produce different kinds of sounds and calls to communicate with each other.
How big is an Australasian figbird?
The length of this bird ranges from about 10.6-11.6 in (27-29.5 cm) and is larger than a hooded oriole and a fox sparrow.
How fast can an Australasian figbird fly?
The exact speed of the figbirds is unknown.
How much does an Australasian figbird weigh?
The weight of this bird is around 4.23 oz (120 g).
What are the male and female names of the species?
Males and females of this species do not have any specific names.
What would you call a baby Australasian figbird?
In general, babies of this species are referred to as chicks or young ones, but there is no particular name for the baby figbird.
What do they eat?
As their name suggests, these Australian birds feed on figs and are known to feed on berries and soft fruits found in canopy trees. They are known to also eat insects. Other foods that these birds consume include seeds and nectar.
Are they friendly?
Not much is known about this figbird being friendly or not.
Would they make a good pet?
Not a lot is known about these Australasian figbirds species as pets.
Did you know...
The Australasian figbird is also referred to as a green figbird and is also sometimes referred to as mulberry bird and southern figbird.
The size of the Australasian figbird is considered very similar to that of a rainbow lorikeet.
The brown oriole, olive-backed oriole, and the Wetar figbird are known to be some species similar in appearances with only certain differences.
It has been observed and recorded that these birds build their nests near the nests of some other birds like spangled drongos and helmeted friarbirds as these species are aggressive and ensures protection from predators.
The call of these figbirds is described as a loud 'chiew'.
Five subspecies of this bird species or figbirds are recognized, namely, Sphecotheres vieilloti salvadorii, S.v. cucullatus, S.v. ashbyi, S.v. flaviventris, and S.v. vieilloti.
The subspecies, yellow figbird (S.v. flaviventris) is also known as the northern figbird. It was initially considered a different or separate species just like the S.v. cucullatus.
Figbirds are not considered rare.
What's unique about the Australasian figbird?
This species is known to be unique as it is known to have the ability to imitate the calls of other birds like orioles and parrots. The song of these species consists of simple whistle series.
Are figbirds native to Australia?
Yes, figbirds are known to be native to Australia.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these toucan barbet facts and Hawaiian hawk facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Australasian figbird coloring pages.
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