The Western Gerygone tends to be restless in its movements, shaking itself frequently as if its feathers are wet.
The tiny Western Gerygone has grey upperparts with a brown wash to back and wings, pale grey throat and breast with a dull white belly. A faint white eyebrow merges into a thin white eye-ring and a dark red eye. The tail is dark grey-brown with two broad white bars across all but the central feathers, near the base of the tail and towards the tip. It has a black bill and blackish legs and feet.
The Western Gerygone is similar to a number of other gerygones, such as Brown, Large-billed, Dusky and Mangrove Gerygones but it is readily distinguished by the bold, black-and-white pattern on its tail.
The Western Gerygone occurs in much of eastern Australia, especially on the Great Divide and the inland plains. It is also widespread in the southern half of the Northern Territory and adjacent parts of north-western SA, as well as on the Eyre Peninsula; and it is widespread in the western half of WA.
The Western Gerygone is widespread in drier open forests and woodlands where it can be seen among coastal and inland eucalypts, mulga and other acacia scrubs. In the south west of WA it is also found in jarrah and wet karri forests.
Sedentary, nomadic.
The Western Gerygone forages in singles or in pairs high in the canopy pecking at insects and other invertebrates among the outer foliage or fluttering in the air to snap at insects.
The Western Gerygone builds a compact dome-shaped nest of fine grass, bark-fibre and spiders' webs with a hooded side entrance and wispy tail, suspended from a stem among leafy branchlets of a tree 2 - 10 m above ground. The nestlings are fed by both parents.
The Western Gerygone has been badly affected by clearing of native vegetation especially in the wheatbelt of WA and around Rockhampton in Queensland.
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