The White-shouldered Triller (Lalage sueurii) is a passerine bird
belonging to
the t riller genus Lalage in the cuckoo-shrike family Campephagidae. It
is found in Indonesia and East Timor. The White-winged Triller (L.
tricolor) of Australia and New Guinea was formerly included in this
species but is now treated as a separate species.
It is a fairly small bird, 17 centimetres in length. The bill is grey
with a black tip and the legs and feet are black. The male is mainly
black above and white below. It has a grey rump, white stripe over the
eye, white wing-patches and white on the outer tail-feathers. Females
have a similar pattern to the males but are brown instead of black above
and have fine black barring on the underparts.
The Pied Triller is similar but is slightly smaller with a broader
stripe above the eye and more white in the wing. The male White-winged Triller has no white stripe over the eye.
The song of the White-shouldered Triller is a metallic whistling
which is sometimes given in flight. It also utters a rapid series of
harsh notes.
It occurs in eastern Java, southern Sulawesi, Bali and on the Lesser
Sunda Islands. It inhabits open woodland, savannas and agricultural land
in dry, lowland areas. It feeds on insects, often swooping down from a
perch to catch them on the ground. |
