Cinnamon Quail-thrush
Cinclosoma cinnamomeum
Heavily patterned terrestrial bird of central Australia. Both sexes have pale eyebrow, pale brown back, speckled undertail, and black-and-white markings on wing. Female has buff chin and moustache, white belly, and pale gray chest, male a white moustache, black throat patch, pale brown sides, and white center of chest, with thin black breast band above white belly. Usually seen walking around in open shrubland in stony country. Note that male Copperback Quail-thrush has black chest, and Nullarbor Quail-thrush has solid black chest band connected to the throat patch. Calls include a long, high-pitched whistled "seeeep."
Identification
Cinnamon quail-thrush have a body-length of 20 cm, and weigh up to 50 grams when fully grown. Male birds are characterised by a white eyebrow, black face and a broad white streak down the sides of a black throat. The upperparts of their body are plain cinnamon-rufous with buff-white patches on the upper breast and a broad black band below. The outer tail feathers are black with white tips. The female has similar features but duller with a buff-white throat and eyebrow. Their upper breast is grey and they have no black on the underside. Juveniles have the same markings but males may have an indistinct breast band. They have high-pitched, slightly hissing calls (voices).
Taxonomy
This species is a member of the family Cinclosomatidae, which is a group of passerine birds native to Australia and nearby areas. The quail-thrushes (Cinclosoma), which the cinnamon quail-thrush is a member of, belong to this family.
- Scientific name
- Cinclosoma cinnamomeum
- Authority
- Gould, 1846
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Cinclosomatidae
- Genus
- Cinclosoma
Range and habitat
The cinnamon quail-thrush is an Australian endemic that is typically found in arid and semi-arid regions of central Australia. These regions are defined by the presence of desert vegetation and land forms as well as by low rainfall, with less than 500 mm per annum in most areas. Its distribution size is estimated to be 831,000 square kilometers, spanning over southwest Queensland, northwest New South Wales, northeastern South Australia and the southeast of the Northern Territory. Within these areas the cinnamon quail-thrush has been found in grass and shrublands; however, it is more commonly found among dry stony areas, especially around dry creek lines.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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