Golden Whistler

Golden Whistler

Pachycephala pectoralis

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR Endemic
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Hobart

In 3 days ~10%

18 Verified sightings at Hobart
8,078 In all 17 parks From 2019 to 2026
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Golden Whistler

The Australian golden whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis) or golden whistler, is a species of passerine bird in the family Pachycephalidae. It is found in forest, woodland, mallee, mangrove and scrub in Australia (except the interior and most of the north). Most populations are resident, but some in south-eastern Australia migrate north during the winter. Its taxonomy is highly complex and remains a matter of dispute, with some authorities including as many as 59 subspecies of the golden whistler (one of the highest numbers of subspecies in any bird), while others treat several of these as separate species.

The Australian golden whistler was formally described in 1802 as Muscicapa pectoralis by the English ornithologist John Latham. The specific epithet is Latin meaning "of the breast" or "pectoral". A year earlier he had described the species under the English name, the "black-breasted flycatcher", but had not coined a binomial name. Latham gave the type locality as Nova Hollandia in Australia but this was restricted to Port Jackson, Sydney, New South Wales by Gregory Mathews in 1920. The Australian golden whistler is now placed in the genus Pachycephala that was introduced... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Recording0:46

Australia · 2026

© JJ Harrison · XC1175152 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Call0:34

Australia · 2024

© Romuald Mikusek · XC1172737 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:10

Australia · 2026

© Khristos Nizamis · XC1154764 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Lamington National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~60%
2 Springbrook National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~40%
3 Blue Mountains National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~40%
4 Royal National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~40%
5 Great Otway National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~30%
6 Flinders Chase 🇦🇺 Australia
~30%
7 Grampians National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~30%
8 Booderee National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
9 Maria Island National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
10 Kosciuszko National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
11 Wilsons Promontory National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
12 Rottnest Island 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
13 Freycinet National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
14 Noosa National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
15 Hattah-Kulkyne National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
16 Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
17 Daintree National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Melbourne 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
2 Brisbane 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
3 Sydney 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
4 Hobart 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
5 Perth 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Golden Whistler in Hobart?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Golden Whistler sighting in Hobart on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 64th most-seen of the 79 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Golden Whistler in Hobart?

April and May

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Golden Whistler in Hobart on a given day, against under 5% in June to March, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Golden Whistler?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Golden Whistler sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Hobart the best place to see a Golden Whistler?

4th of 5

Of the 5 cities where we can rate Golden Whistler sightings, Hobart ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Melbourne (Australia, about 10%), Brisbane (Australia, about 10%) and Sydney (Australia, about 10%).

Where does the Golden Whistler sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Golden Whistler is recorded against all the birds logged in Hobart (18 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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