The Jacky Winter, thought to be a declining woodland bird, is no show-off … unless you count the gentle flicker of the tail it makes when alighting. This behaviour is usually exhibited momentarily, revealing the white outer tail feathers in its otherwise brown-grey form.
Sometimes known as the Brown Flycatcher it can appear grey or brown depending on the prevailing light.
Essentially a southern hemisphere robin, it belongs to the genus Microeca, and can be found throughout woodlands throughout the continent. Rarely encountered deep in the ‘bush’ it is a bird of the edges, found especially on the boundary between intact habitat and more open areas, including farmland.
I came across two pairs earlier this week at the Newstead Cemetery. They were feeding in the open, using a variety of perches from which they launched sallying forays to snare insects.
One of my favourite local birds, the Jacky Winter is a study in subtlety.
Jacky Winter, Newstead Cemetery @ Green Gully, 6th June 2024
The Jacky Winter can appear grey …
…
… or brown, depending on the light
The white-sided tail is distinctive
Natural Newstead 
Geoff
I want to thank you very much for your continual flow of interesting information and wonderful images of local birds – a lot of which I personally don’t otherwise often see, if at all.
Peter Nunan