One of Australia's most widespread birds on mainland.Mostly black with a white belly and eyebrow. A young bird has paler, slightly rusty edges to its wing feathers.
Size
18 - 22 cm long (from head to tail)
Erect shrub or tree, 3 - 10 m in height, but can grow up to 20 m.
Leaves
Phyllodes (flattened leaf stems) are narrow (5 - 12 mm wide) and 5 - 17 cm long. They have a prominent central vein and a curved pointed tip.
Flowers
Pale yellow or white, and clustered in groups of 15 - 30 inflorescences. Flowers form globular balls.
The male is grey with a red bill, orange-tan cheeks and flanks. The flanks also have white spots. Its rump is white, and its tail is black with white bars. The female has a red bill, a black/white face and tail markings, and is otherwise grey.
Size
10 cm
