Varied Sittella
Female, sitting in nest
Ellura
Southern Crested Bellbird
Fledgling
 
                      
Varied Sittella (Daphoenositta chrysoptera ssp pileata)Class: Animals (Animalia) - Chordates (Chordata) - Birds (Aves)
Order: Perching Birds (Passeriformes)
Family: Sittella (Neosittidae)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: Varied Sittella (Daphoenositta chrysoptera ssp pileata)
This Photo:     Female feeding juvenile

Thank you Alan Melville for confirming the id of this species for us

EXTRA - Photo Specific Information:
Here we see Mum calling "Come and get dinner", a juvenile responding
and then getting fed. All in less than a second.
There was a family of about 5 Sittellas plus those in the nest.
The parents were having a hard time feeding the 3 juveniles plus chicks in the nest..
Notice the fan tail and orange stripe under the wing on the adult.
General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA) and elsewhere
Ours are the "Black-capped Race"
Often upside down. Very pretty black & white chequered rump. Yellow legs, beak and eye-ring.
Orange stripe on its wings when flying.
Upturned beak.
Female is actually prettier than the male.

Copyright © 2009-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 28-Oct-2009
This species is classed as NT (Near Threatened) in the Murray Mallee, SA, by DENR (Regional Species Status Assessments, July 2010)