Sexual Differences in the Behaviour of Wintering Golden WhistlersPachycephala Pectoralisat Wollomombi, N.S.W.

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Abstract
BELL, H.L. 1986. Sexual differences in the behaviour of wintering Golden Whistlers Pachycephala pectoralis at Wollomombi, N.S.W. Emu 86: 2–11. Golden Whistlers are wintering migrants to Wollomombi, 42 km east of Armidale, N.S.W., where they re-occupy territories annually. Males forage in the tree canopy, snatching and gleaning, mainly off leaves. Females forage in the understorey, feeding more off bark and gleaning more than do the males. Females regularly join mixed-species feeding flocks of a variety of species, whereas males rarely do. The brightly-coloured males are attracted to other species with yellow plumage, both in and out of mixed flocks. Sexual differences in foraging probably reduce intraspecific competition at a time when food is relatively scarce.