Daphoenositta chrysoptera
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The varied sittella (Daphoenositta chrysoptera) is a small songbird native to Australia. About 10–11 cm long, it is also known as the Australian nuthatch, orange-winged sittella and the barkpecker. The varied sittella was first described by the English ornithologist John Latham in 1801 under the binomial name Sitta chrysoptera. The generic name Daphoenositta is derived from Greek daphoinos/δαφοινός, 'blood-red, tawny' and sittē, a bird like a woodpecker mentioned by Aristotle. The specific name chrysoptera is from Greek khrusopteros/χρυσό-πτερος, 'golden-winged'.
The species inhabits a broad range, and its appearance changes depending on its location, hence the name varied sittella. There are five subspecies: Its crown and head can... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Varied Sittella sighting in Melbourne on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 232nd most-seen of the 236 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Varied Sittella in Melbourne on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Varied Sittella sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Varied Sittella sightings, Melbourne ranks 4th at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Perth (Australia, under 5%), Brisbane (Australia, under 5%) and Sydney (Australia, under 5%).
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Varied Sittella that you can see in Melbourne (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Australian Magpie (about 90%), Noisy Miner (about 80%) and Little Raven (about 80%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Varied Sittella is recorded against all the birds logged in Melbourne (5 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.
