Shriketit

The Shriketits, an Australian endemic bird group, consist of three distinct species residing in open eucalypt forests and woodlands—the Northern shriketit in the north-western Kimberley region and the Northern Territory's Top End, the Western shriketit in south-western Western Australia, and the Eastern shriketit in south-eastern Australia including parts of South Australia, the Murray-Darling Basin, and Queensland. Males are generally larger than females, with a standout difference in throat color: black in males and olive green in females, yet both sexes share striking black and white facial markings. These birds predominantly feed on insects, spiders, and sometimes young birds during breeding season, occasionally consuming thistle seeds as well. Using their parrot-like bills to strip bark and uncover invertebrates is a signature foraging method that can reveal their otherwise inconspicuous presence. Shriketits share parental duties, with both sexes incubating the eggs and raising the young, typically in nests built high in eucalyptus trees, and they may raise two broods within a season.