Jacky Winter

Overview

The jacky winter (Microeca fascinans) is a small grey-brown robin found commonly throughout Australia and Papua New Guinea. Classified as a bird of Least Concern by the IUCN, it is currently experiencing population declines in all Australian subspecies.

Identification

• Size is approximately 12–14 cm in length, with a weight of 14–18 g.
• Plumage includes a greyish-brown head and back, a greyish breast with white on the bottom half, and darker brown wings with white edges.
• Features a narrow eye-line, a buff alula stripe, and a blackish-brown tail with white outer feathers.
• Bill and legs are black.
• Vocalisations are rapid and strong, sounding like 'jacky-jacky winter-winter' or 'peter-peter-peter'.

Habitat

Habitats include open woodlands and farmlands, particularly favouring eucalyptus box woodland with patches of box trees and isolated live trees. The species is distributed across Australia, including three mainland races, and also in Papua New Guinea.

Diet

The jacky winter is an insectivore that forages as a sit-and-search predator, moving amongst perches to locate food over long distances. It employs two hunting methods: hawking, where it flies and drops to grab prey in flight, and ground-pouncing, where it flies from a perch to grab prey upon landing.

Did you know?

The genus name Microeca derives from Greek words for 'small' and 'house', referencing the fact that this species builds the smallest nest of any Australian bird.