About Lalage leucomela (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827)
The varied triller, with the scientific name Lalage leucomela, is a smaller member of the cuckoo-shrike family Campephagidae, closely related to the better-known white-winged triller. This species prefers warm, reasonably moist habitats. Its range includes New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, much of the tropical and subtropical coastal hinterland of eastern Australia from around the Sydney area to the tip of Cape York Peninsula, the moister regions of the Kimberley, and the entire Top End. It is common to very common in the northern parts of its range, and uncommon to rare in the colder southern parts. Its typical habitats are rainforest, vine forest, riverine thickets, eucalypt forest and woodland, and it shows a particular preference for border areas between closed and open forests. Varied trillers move slowly and methodically through foliage at any height, and sometimes forage on the ground. They search for insects and fruit in pairs or small groups, and almost continuously make repeated rolling contact calls. One alternative name for this species is Pied Caterpillar-eater, also referenced as Karua Leucomela. The Mussau triller, previously classified as L. conjuncta, was formerly treated as a subspecies of the varied triller.
