The Eastern Shriketit is one of three species recently split from the formerly-recognised Crested Shriketit, along with the Western Shriketit (F. leucogaster) of south-western WA and the Northern Shriketit (F. whitei) of the Top End and Kimberley. The Eastern Shriketit is found in eastern and south-eastern Australia, with most sightings between the Fraser Coast and the southern coast of the mainland. Sightings through the central Queensland coast are less frequent, and the north Queensland population appears to be relatively isolated.
With its stout hooked bill, boldly striped black and white head with a short crest, and yellow and olive-green body, the Eastern Shriketit is unlikely to be mistaken for another bird in its range. They are sexually dimorphic, and females have a smaller crest and bill than males, with a less boldly striped head and an olive-green throat instead of the male’s black bib. Juveniles have a pale throat and a brown back. Shriketits generally breed as pairs, but they have also been observed breeding cooperatively. Nests are invariably built within 1 metre of the top of a eucalypt, and the surrounding leaves are snipped off. Both sexes build nests, incubate, feed and brood young. They are thought to care for their young for between three and six months, an exceptionally long period.
They are usually seen singly or in pairs, and can be in groups of up to 5 in the non-breeding season which may include young from previous seasons. In the more southern parts of their range they are found only in eucalypt forests, but in Queensland they are often found in rainforests. Though largely insectivorous, shriketits have also been recorded eating fruits, seeds, arils and lerps. They can typically be seen foraging in the canopy and subcanopy for invertebrates, rarely coming to the ground. There are sexual differences in foraging behaviour: males most often use their strong bill to pry up loose or flaky bark in search of prey, whilst females, which have a less robust bill, more frequently forage in foliage. Their use of their feet to secure and manipulate items is well documented, but remarkably, there is also one recorded instance of an individual breaking off a twig and using it as a tool to successfully probe a crevice for prey.
Shriketits have been reported to be ventriloquial, and are also talented mimics of numerous other birds in addition to their own range of piping, scolding, whistling and whispering calls, perhaps complicating detection of this species at times. When not calling they can sometimes be found by listening for the sound of tearing bark, breaking of dead wood, or the clicking of a bill. Vocalisations have been noted to vary between populations in different regions; north Queensland Eastern Shriketits sound different from south-eastern Queensland shriketits, which sound different from shriketits in northern New South Wales.
At one site in SEQ, a male was repeatedly seen in the same tree over a period of three months in 2021, moving through branches above a banding station. The call he made could only be heard during lulls in the background noise: a quiet charr-charr as he hopped from branch to branch with his head down, wings partially spread and crest raised. On one occasion this bird was observed harassing a male Golden Whistler whilst ignoring every other bird in the area, an interesting interaction due to the similar colouring of the two birds and reports that they often forage in mixed flocks which include male Golden Whistlers.
Distinctive, charismatic and entertaining, the Eastern Shriketit is always worth taking the time to simply watch and enjoy.
