Rufous Shrikethrush

Colluricincla rufogaster· 啸鹟科(2 photos)

Species Profile

IOC World Bird List

Rufous Shrikethrush

Colluricincla rufogaster· Whistlers, Shrikethrushes

Two species recently separated:

Colluricincla rufogaster.

Colluricincla megarhyncha.

17-19 cm. Small, large-billed shrike-thrush: bill silvery brown above, pinkish on sides. Upperparts olive-grey-brown, crown/nape greyer; throat whitish; underparts rufous-buff, with fine dark streaks; legs pink-brown. Birds in ne. Q more cinnamon-rufous: in Top End (NT) to w. Kimberley (WA) bill blackish; eyebrow pale; face/throat whitish; underparts pale rufous. Singles, pairs: forages on tree-trunks; tangles of vines/leaves; located by calls, rustling bark.

Other name
Little Shrike-thrush.
Voice
deep 'shee-ee, wot wot wot'; or 'wot, wot, shee?'; 'eeee, butch-butch-butcher'; in alarm, loud, sparrow-like 'charip', harsh wheezes.
Habitat
rainforest (mostly lowland in ne. NSW-se. Q); watercourse vegetation; paperbarks; coastal open forest; mangroves, lantana thickets.
Breeding
Sept.-March.
Nest
deep cup of plant fibre, leaves, rootlets, stems, spiders' web; in fork, vine tangle, low to 10 m.
Eggs
2-3; pearly white/pale pink; spotted, blotched brown, with underlying lilac.
Range & Status
coastal e. and n. Aust., from c. Nambucca Heads-Coutts Crossing (NSW) to w. coast, C. York Pen. (Q). Mangroves of sw. Gulf (NT); Top End to w. Kimberley (WA). Common. Sedentary.
Distribution key to races
1. Colluricincla parvula

Related Bird Works

  1. Rufous Shrikethrush
    001Rufous Shrikethrush◔Occasional8.33
  2. Rufous Shrikethrush
    002Rufous Shrikethrush◔Occasional8.33