The Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike (Coracina novaehollandiae) is an attractive and sleek passerine in the family Campephagidae, which comprises trillers, cuckoo-shrikes, and minivets (Schodde and Mason 1999, Taylor and Boonan 2020). Despite its name, this species is not classified as either a cuckoo or a shrike. Rather, the nomenclature reflects certain characteristics analogous to those groups: its flight pattern exhibits undulating, dipping movements like those of cuckoos, while its broad beak shape is reminiscent of shrikes (Higgins et al. 2006). A medium-sized bird, it is morphologically well proportioned with long wings, a slender corvid-like body, and crisply defined black, white, and blue-grey plumage (Schodde and Mason 1999). Adults are 32–35 cm in length and weigh 86–148 grams (Hardy 2020). Juveniles are mottled brown-grey and white, gaining their adult plumage (including full back face mask) at about one year. Males and females show no sexual dimorphism (Hardy 2020).
The Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike is classified as Least Concern according to the International IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (BirdLife International 2016). Despite this classification, there remain notable gaps in scientific understanding of this species. Additionally, the species exhibits a declining population trend (2016), a pattern that is becoming more prevalent among many of our common birds. To better understand this distinctive yet underrated bird, it is important to address these gaps through data collection, education, and conservation. Over the past five years, I have been fortunate to work with this species as a wildlife rehabilitator and have observed its behavioural, ecological, and health characteristics directly.
One notable behaviour is the careful, compulsive folding of both wings upon landing—a consistent wing shuffle noted each time the bird alights (Campbell et al. 2014). The reason for this behaviour remains unknown, but it has earned the Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike the common name shuffle wing (Higgins et al. 2006). This species also has an unusual vocal repertoire consisting of rolling trills, chatters, shrieks, croaks, insect-like utterances and flute-like meows (Higgins et al. 2006, Schodde and Mason 1999). The trill plays several significant social and ecological roles, including serving as alarm calls, contact calls, signaling aggression, acting as communication between individuals, and contributing to pair-bonding rituals (Higgins et al. 2006). Juveniles in the rehabilitation setting have demonstrated prolonged vocal learning and trill practice, as well as occasional mimicry of other local bird species.
The Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike also demonstrates notable athleticism and agility in the pursuit of food items. Primarily insectivorous, their diet also consists of fruit (native fig, mistletoe berry) and plant matter (Barker and Vestjens 1990, Higgins et al. 2006). Foraging activities include hovering and gleaning in tall tree canopies to snatch fruit and insects, hawking and catching insects on the wing midair (often launching from powerlines), or occasionally, swooping, hawking, and sallying for food near or on the ground. For larger prey items (e.g., case-moths, spiders, or lizards), birds beat food against a perch before consuming (Higgins et al. 2006). Rehabilitating birds have also been observed shredding, thrashing, and eating plant matter like eucalypt, grevillea, and lilly pilly and even bathing in wet foliage by fluttering their bodies against damp leaves.
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes breed seasonally from September to March, with some regional variation. They are socially monogamous and share parenting duties, but their nests—made from various natural materials held together by spiderwebs and saliva—leave much to be desired (Higgins et al. 2006, Wood 1994). They are precariously shallow and usually hold 2–3 eggs in exposed branches of eucalypt or acacia trees (Higgins et al. 2006, Wood 1994). It is no wonder that nestlings end up falling out of trees and into wildlife hospitals! Parents defend chicks at the nest using behaviors such as swooping, mobbing, feather-raising, tail-spreading, bill-snapping, alarm calls, and scolding sounds (Higgins et al. 2006, Taylor and Bonan 2020). Young birds also freeze and mimic surrounding tree branches as an anti-predator camouflage response.
 Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike (Coracina novaehollandiae) © Elise Hilder |
 Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike (Coracina novaehollandiae) © Elise Hilder |
The Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike is found throughout Australia as well as in parts of the Australo-Papuan and Wallacean regions. There are three subspecies: the Eastern and Southern Australian (Coracina novaehollandiae melanops), the Tasmanian (Coracina novaehollandiae novaehollandiae), and the Western Australian of Gascoyne and Pilbara (Coracina subpallida) (Taylor and Boonan 2020). They inhabit dry sclerophyll forests, woodlands, savannas, and modified environments like farmlands and urban green spaces (Schodde and Mason 1999). Although in cities, this species remains more elusive than the average backyard bird and is typically observed or heard from a distance. They are also generally not a social flock species, but observed alone, in pairs, or occasionally, in small or larger flocks of up to 50–170 during migration (Higgins et al. 2006).
During the non-breeding austral winter, some individuals or flocks will migrate north, reaching northern parts of Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. Individuals have also been recorded in New Zealand, but as they were mainly immatures, this may or may not have something to do with migratory inexperience and young birds potentially flying off course (Higgins et al. 2006). Importantly, not all birds migrate and to gain a better understanding of the dispersal patterns and population dynamics of Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes, more comprehensive research is certainly required.
References:
- Barker, R. D. and Vestjens, W.J.M. 1990. Family 64 Campephagidae. – In: The Food of Australian Birds 2. Passerines. CSIRO Publishing.
- BirdLife International. 2016. Coracina novaehollandiae. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. e.T22706495A94073161.
- Campbell, I., Woods, S. and Leseberg, N. 2014. Cuckooshrikes (Campephagidae). – In: Birds of Australia. Princeton University Press, pp. 306–309.
- Hardy. J.W. 2020. Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike. – In: Bird in The Hand. 2nd edn. Australian Bird Study Association Inc. (ABSA).
- Higgins, P.J., Peter, J.M. and Cowling, S.J. 2006. Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. 7: Boatbill to Starlings – Oxford University Press.
- Schodde, R. and Mason, I.J. 1999. The Directory of Australian Birds: Passerines. – CSIRO.
- Taylor, B. and Bonan, A. 2020. Black-faced Cuckooshrike (Coracina novaehollandiae). – In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. and de Juana. E. (eds), Birds of the World, Version 1.0. Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
- Wood, K.A. 1994. Reproductive Behaviour of the Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Coracina novaehollandiae. – Australian Bird Watcher. 15: 195–210.
