Eastern Whipbird

How fortunate are we Gippslanders? Most of us do not have to go far from home to witness one of the iconic bird calls of the Australian bush - LINK. The drawn-out rising whistle and whipcrack of the male whipbird, followed by the vigorous ‘tchew-tchew’ of the female can be heard as close as just a kilometre or two from the centre of Drouin/Warragul, for example.

At Cannibal Creek Reserve Garfield North

The Eastern Whipbird is about the size of a thrush. The sexes are similar. It likes to inhabit damp forest undergrowth where it prefers to remain concealed – although there are records of individual birds visiting picnic grounds while people are present. If you are patient enough and remain still within its territory, sometimes a single bird might emerge to check you out.

At Moonlit Sanctuary Pearcedale

Whipbirds feed on insects and larvae in the leaf litter on the ground. They are sedentary and rarely fly very far, preferring to run and hop through the low scrub. Their natural distribution is down the eastern seaboard from about Cairns to Melbourne.

At Thornell's Reserve Longwarry North

If you would like to see an Eastern Whipbird up close, a walk-through aviary at the Moonlit Sanctuary in Pearcedale - LINK - is an excellent location – great café too!