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Jacky Winter

(Microeca fascinans)
Alternative names: "Peter-Peter", "Post-boy", "Post-sitter", "Brown Flycatcher", "white-tail", "Stump-bird", "Spinks"
Aboriginal name: "dhunidjuni" [yuwaalaraay]
Size: 12-14 cm

Habitat
(for details refer to a field guide)

There are three races of Jacky Winters that, altogether, populate large parts of the Australian continent. Nominate race "fascinans" is found everywhere to the east of the geographic longitude of Cape Melville, QLD, except a narrow coastal fringe in northern QLD, plus western VIC and the south-eastern tip of SA, up to Adelaide. In western NSW, western QLD and the tropical north of the NT and the Kimberleys (north of the geographic latitude of Broome, WA) race "pallida" is found. North of Adelaide and on into north-western SA, plus the southern half of WA, except the south-western tip and the Nullarbor, one finds race "assimilis".

Jacky Winters are usually found in open woodland, where they are often seen hunting from low perches. They adapt to the presence of humans quite well and are also often seen on paddocks, hunting from fences or fencepost, often nesting on dead branches in residual growth.

Sightings

Jacky Winters (subspecies "fascinans") are permanent guests where we lived until 2006, 20 km south of Narrabri, NSW. Often perched on fence lines or poles, they hunt insects in the paddocks.

Not seen regularly were we live since 2007, 20 km east of Narrabri, but permanent residents at another property some 30 km east of Narrabri, at an altitude of about 600 m. In April 2011 a couple took up residence there for a few weeks, but left again.

Seen occasionally elsewhere in the Narrabri area, e.g. 25 km west of town in October 2011.

Photos

Race "fascinans"

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Frontal view of a Jacky Winter on a low perch

Lateral view of a bird with its feathers ruffled by wind

If nothing else, the posture of this bird angling its wings shows that Jacky Winters belong to the family of the robins

Dorsal view of a Jacky Winter with drooping wings

Dorsal view of a Jacky Winter (right) and a White-plumed Honeyeater (left) (photo taken by R. Druce)

This photo shows clearly the white outer tail feathers that are also prominent in flight; this is the feature that distinguishes Jacky Winters from other robins and makes identification in flight easy (photo taken by R. Druce)

In wintertime Jacky Winters can look a lot "fatter", because they are puffed up to protect themselves against cold weather

Jacky Winter on its perch late in the evening

Pair of Jacky Winters on an old barbed-wire fence line

Close-up shot of an immature bird, probably a Jacky Winter(?) spreading its wings to cool on an extremely hot day ; note the dark patches showing through the plumage, similar to the bird in the photo above when its feathers are ruffled by wind

Fledgling Jacky Winter

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial Mobility: Sedentary Elementary unit: Pair

Similar to Willie Wagtails, Jacky Winters can be opportunistic hunters. They will accompany us during garden work to pick off insects disturbed by us, but will not come very close. Jacky Winters are the only Australian songbird known to us that will sing most vigorously in wintertime (hence the name...).

A Jacky Winter was seen by us hustling a Sacred Kingfisher, indicating that they may compete for the same food source. Similarly, Jacky Winters are protective of their territory against other types of robins, such as e.g. the smaller Red-capped Robin.

Food

Like all other robins (all families), Jacky Winters are flycatchers. Most robins hunt for insects from low to mid-level perches. Jacky Winters can often be seen hunting from fence lines.