# Banded whiteface

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The **banded whiteface** (***Aphelocephala nigricincta***) is a species of [bird](/source/Bird) in the family [Acanthizidae](/source/Acanthizidae). It is [endemic](/source/Endemism) to dryer regions of [Australia](/source/Australia).

The ornithologist [Alfred John North](/source/Alfred_John_North) described the banded whiteface as *Xerophila nigricincta* in 1895, from specimens collected at Missionary Plains, Northern Territory.[1] [Harry Church Oberholser](/source/Harry_Church_Oberholser) pointed out that this genus name was invalid as it had been given to a genus of mollusc, hence it gained its current name *Aphelocephala nigricincta* in 1899.[2]

## Description

The adult banded whiteface is around 10 cm (4 in) long. The upper parts of the body and head are greyish brown. The face has a white mask bordered by a darker band which runs vertically across the region of the eyes. The upper breast is pale blue-grey and the underparts white, separated by a prominent black band across the breast. There are red-brown patches on the flanks. The bill and legs are black and the eyes are white.[3] The plumage of male and female are alike and juveniles are duller.[4]

## Behaviour

Like the other birds in its genus, the banded whiteface hops over open ground in pairs or small groups foraging for seeds and insects.[4]

Nesting takes place in winter from July to September or after a period of rain. Located on the ground near shrubs, the round hollow nest is constructed of twigs and grass and has a long tubular entrance.[5] Both the nest and the tunnel are lined with flowers and feathers.[4] The [clutch](/source/Clutch_(eggs)) consists of three or four matte white eggs with brown blotches mostly at the larger end. Tapered oval in shape, they are around 17 mm long by 13 mm wide.[5]

The banded whiteface has been reported to enter [torpor](/source/Torpor) at night in winter months, reawakening as it warms in the morning.[6]

## Distribution and habitat

A nomadic or sedentary species moving according to seasonal conditions,[4] the banded whiteface is found in a very large range from southwestern Queensland across dryer parts of central and southern Australia into mid-Western Australia. It inhabits mulga woodland, gibber plains and sandhills, and frequents saltbush and spinifex.[3]

## References

1. Australian Biological Resources Study (12 February 2010). ["Species *Aphelocephala nigricincta* (North, 1895)"](http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/online-resources/fauna/afd/taxa/Aphelocephala_nigricincta). *Australian Faunal Directory*. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Australian Government. Retrieved 21 February 2014.

1. Oberholser, Harry C. (1899). "Some Untenable Names in Ornithology". *Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia*. **51** (1): 201–16 [214]. [JSTOR 4062499](https://www.jstor.org/stable/4062499)

1. Slater, Peter (1974). *A Field Guide to Australian Birds: Passerines*. Adelaide, South Australia: Rigby. pp. 154–55. ISBN 0-85179-813-6.

1. Trounson, Donald & Trounson, Molly (1989). *Australian Birds*. 2nd ed. PR Books. p. 122. ISBN 1-875113-19-3.

1. Beruldsen, Gordon (2003). *Australian Birds: Their Nests and Eggs*. Kenmore Hills, Queensland: self. p. 305. ISBN 0-646-42798-9.

1. Geiser, Fritz; Körtner, Gerhard; Maddocks, Tracy A.; Brigham, R. Mark (2006). ["S22-4 Torpor in Australian birds"](http://www.une.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/35748/TorporOzBirdsZoolSin06.pdf). *Acta Zoologica Sinica*. **52(Supplement)**: 405–08.

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