Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike (juvenile)

Description:

This is a baby :) And I think the first Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike for WA. Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes have a black face and throat, blue-grey back, wings and tail, and white underparts. They are slender, attractive birds. They have a curious habit of shuffling their wings upon landing, a practice that gave rise to the name "Shufflewing", which is often used for this species. This shuffling is also carried out by most other species in this family. Young birds resemble the adults, except the black facial mask is reduced to an eye stripe.

Habitat:

Found in the fork of a tree approx 2-3m above ground in an area of sparse trees and scrub at wetlands.

Notes:

When I first saw this little one I thought it was a branch stretching. That confused me so I stopped to look harder and discovered it was actually a young bird...still in the nest! I was (read - still am) very excited! First reference for identification: The Michael Morcombe eGuide to Australian Birds, Mobile App. Second reference: http://birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/blac...