The White-shouldered Trillers (Lalage sueurii) is a passerine bird belonging to the triller genus Lalage in the cuckoo-shrike family Campephagidae. The White-winged Triller (L. tricolor) of Australia and New Guinea was formerly included in this species but is now treated as a separate species. For more information, see our guide on birds. For more information, see our guide on backyard birds.
Distribution
It is found in Indonesia and East Timor. It occurs in eastern Java, southern Sulawesi, Bali, and on the Lesser Sunda Islands. It inhabits open woodland, savannas, and agricultural land in dry, lowland areas.
Description
It is a fairly small bird, 17 centimeters in length. The bill is grey with a black tip and the legs and feet are black. The male is mainly black above and white below.
It has a grey rump, a white stripe over the eye, white wing patches, and white on the outer tail feathers. Females have a similar pattern to the males but are brown instead of black above and have fine black barring on the underparts. According to RSPB, this species is well documented.
The Pied Triller is similar but is slightly smaller with a broader stripe above the eye and more white in the wing. The male White-winged Triller has no white stripe over the eye. According to Cornell Lab of Ornithology, this species is well documented.
Calls / Vocalizations
The song of the White-shouldered Trillers is a metallic whistling that is sometimes given in flight. It also utters a rapid series of harsh notes.
Diet / Feeding
It feeds on insects, often swooping down from a perch to catch them on the ground.
References
- MacKinnon, John and Phillipps, Karen (1993) A Field Guide to the Birds of Borneo, Sumatra, Java and Bali, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
- Strange, Morten (2001) A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Indonesia, Christopher Helm, London.
