About Lalage tricolor (Swainson, 1825)
The white-winged triller, scientifically named Lalage tricolor, is one of the smaller species in the cuckooshrike family, Campephagidae. It occurs across all of mainland Australia, and may also be found on islands to the north, including New Guinea and eastern Indonesia. Across the warmer sections of its range — inland Australia and areas further north — this species is either resident or nomadic, while it acts as a summer breeding migrant to the cooler southern regions of Australia. White-winged trillers are fairly common in woodland and open scrub across most of their range, and are found close to riverbeds in the central arid zone. During the breeding season, which runs from mid-spring to early summer, the conspicuous breeding-plumaged male is black on its upper body and white on its lower body. It trills cheerfully for much of the day, and often rises on fluttering wings while performing its song flight. Females have a similar overall pattern, but their plumage is made up of dull fawn and white. Outside of the breeding season, males look very similar to females, and only keep blackish feathers on their wings and tails. White-winged trillers typically measure 16 to 18 cm in total length, and feed on a wide variety of insects, which they capture on the ground, from foliage, or in the air. The correct classification of the white-winged triller and its close northern relative, the white-shouldered triller Lalage sueurii of eastern Indonesia, remains uncertain. Some experts consider the two to be separate subspecies of a single combined species, in which case the white-winged triller is classified as Lalage sueurii tricolor.
