Well, when you see one individual, statistics don’t really reveal a lot more as both are possible. I think what you really want is some identification help.
However seeing you asked. The short answer is clearly at rank 85 cf 112 and much higher value of all statistics, the Triller is clearly the more often recorded. However note that both species happen to be very variable from one year to the next.
The GBS Report answers that sort of question: Noting that this applies to 1981 to 2002 and further highlights that we really need an update to The GBS Report.
White-winged Triller Lalage sueurii
A summer migrant that inhabits woodland. It is not a suburban bird but passes through the city or stays on the edges in suitable habitat. Almost absent in autumn and winter, most arrive in September then it rises to
a November peak and declines again quickly. The birds are quite vocal when they arrive. There is no sign of a second peak as the birds go north again. Maybe they leave quietly or through another route. In Year 1 the numbers were extraordinarily high and with
16 records, it was recorded at a high 28% of sites (compared with the mean F% over all years of 8.33%). Birds stayed from start of September to end of December at some sites. This included many pairs and larger groups. By contrast, there have only been nine
records in the last six years. Unfortunately we do not know whether Year 1 was a peak year or part of a downward trend that has continued for this species since then. Breeding records are in decline, all 10 records are from the first nine years. Apparently
a compact breeding period, activities at nest from early November to late December and dependent young from late November to mid February.
Graphs on page: 102, Rank: 85, Breeding Rank: 44, A = 0.01394, F = 8.33%, W = 11.2, R = 0.829%, G = 1.68.
Rufous Songlark Cincloramphus mathewsi
A summer migrant that inhabits grassy woodland, especially if there are water areas nearby. It is very conspicuous when it arrives, due to its extreme vocal activity and flight display. These birds can sing almost incessantly
in a loud and distinctive squeaky, complex song, often accompanied by a display flight. It is unusual in that there are few one-off records of birds just passing through. Most records involve one or two birds remaining at the same site for the whole duration
of their stay locally. Consequently, unlike most summer migrants, there is no dip in their abundance whilst here. No dip is noted in total nor in any of the individual years. They arrive from September, peak in October and November then decline through December
and January. They are not present from February till August. It was recorded in good numbers at several sites in six out of the first eight years. Since then only five records of single (or one observation of two) birds, in Years 11, 14, 15 & 19 out of the
next 13 years. This could be in part related to the location of observers. However it was quite widespread in the early years with an F average of 4.6% for Years 1 to 8, reducing to 0.7% for the next 13 years. These results strongly suggest a significant decrease.
Graphs on page: 105, Rank: 112, A = 0.00456, F = 2.19%, W = 5.2, R = 0.305%, G = 1.50.
Philip
From: Filipio Gwynne [
Sent: Wednesday, 10 February 2016 9:46 AM
To: canberrabirds chatline
Subject: [canberrabirds] query: Triller or Songlark
I am wondering if people have a view as to which of the following two birds is more likely to appear as a solitary individual in a Canberra backyard (foraging in a dense clump of raspberry canes) around this time of year (i.e. early February):
a (female) White-winged Triller or a Rufous Songlark.
Realizing that both these summer migrants are somewhat uncommon, and most frequently seen in woodland.
