Chowchilla

Orthonyx spaldingii

Distinctive, sturdy terrestrial bird found in rainforest of northern Queensland. Mostly deep chocolate-brown, with a prominent pale eyering and robust tail with spiky ends. Male has white throat and belly, female an orange throat and white belly. Forages in rainforest leaf litter, usually in pairs or small family groups. Loud whistler-like calls can sound like "chow-chilla" and give the bird its name.

Identification

Unmistakable thrush-like, ground-dwelling, birds. Males and females largely dark brown with white eye-ring, tail-feather shafts extend as spines beyond feather-vanes; males with white throat, breast and belly; females with bright rufous throat and upper breast, white lower breast and belly.

Taxonomy

In their 1999 study, Schodde and Mason recognise two adjoining subspecies, O. s. spaldingii and O. s. melasmenus with a zone of intergradation.

Scientific name
Orthonyx spaldingii
Authority
Ramsay, EP, 1868
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Orthonychidae
Genus
Orthonyx

Range and habitat

The chowchilla is restricted to upland and lowland tropical rainforests of north-eastern Queensland.

Migration
Resident species

Behavior

Mainly invertebrates, but also small vertebrates.<p>Continuous chattering, singing and other complex vocalisations.<p>Nests on or near ground, often on ferns, stumps or logs. Builds a bulky, dome-shaped stick-nest with a clutch of one, possibly sometimes two, white eggs.

Conservation

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

New Zealand Storm-Petrel

New Zealand Storm-Petrel

Fregetta maoriana

Small seabird endemic to New Zealand. Dark blackish-brown head, breast, upperparts, and tail. Rump and belly white with variable dark streaking running down from breast. Underwings have pale panel with broad dark edge. Note especially long legs, with feet trailing well behind the square tail. Thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 2003 on Little Barrier Island, which remains the only known breeding location. At sea, recorded mostly around New Zealand’s northern waters. Four similar species: Wilson’s Storm-Petrel has dark underparts and underwing; Black-bellied Storm-Petrel is larger, with shorter legs that still extend past tail and with a white belly that has a black line down the middle; White-bellied Storm-Petrel is larger, with feet that do not extend past tail; Gray-backed Storm-Petrel does not have a white rump.

River Tyrannulet

River Tyrannulet

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Southern Masked-Weaver

Southern Masked-Weaver

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This red-eyed masked-weaver has a lightly streaked green back and pink-brown legs. The breeding male has a black face mask with a narrow black band on the forehead above the bill. The female and juvenile are dull. The species is an abundant resident throughout open savanna and semi-arid areas, nesting colonially above water or in large trees. Many similar-looking weavers do not overlap in range. The larger and more robust male Village Weaver differs from Southern Masked-Weaver by having a more mottled back; the female Village Weaver has a stouter, more robust bill and a duller red eye.

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Chowchilla | BirdLens