Varied sittella

Daphoenositta chrysoptera

The varied sittella is a small, around 10–11 cm long, songbird native to Australia. It is also known as the Australian nuthatch, orange-winged sittella and the barkpecker.
Varied Sittella - Daphoenositta chrysoptera At first glance a foraging Varied Sittella may appear to behave rather like a treecreeper as it probes crevices in the bark of trees for insects and other invertebrates while scurrying about the branches and trunks. However, closer observation shows that sittellas spiral head-first down the trunks of trees, while treecreepers spiral up the trunks. There is much variation in the appearance of sittellas throughout their range, in mainland Australia — they appear so different that in years gone by many of them were treated as separate species.

https://www.birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/varied-sittella

https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/201378111 Australia,Daphoenositta chrysoptera,Geotagged,Varied sittella,Winter

Appearance

Its crown and head can be white, grey or black, and its body is either whitish or grey often streaked with black and grey. Its wings are black, with a broad bar in either white or cinnamon. The iris is dark orange, and the eye-ring legs and feet are orange-yellow. The beak is orange with a black tip that can extend as far as the base. Colouration completely depends on the subspecies, and certain subspecies are known to hybridize. In the future some subspecies may become species in their own right.
Varied Sittella - Daphoenositta chrysoptera  Australia,Daphoenositta chrysoptera,Geotagged,Varied sittella,Winter

Behavior

Flocks of these birds forage in trees of all heights, often descending down the trunks in a rather nuthatch-like fashion. Calls are short and rather high-pitched.

References:

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Status: Least concern
EX EW CR EN VU NT LC
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionChordata
ClassAves
OrderPasseriformes
FamilyNeosittidae
GenusDaphoenositta
SpeciesD. chrysoptera
Photographed in
Australia