#quail thrush

[herpsandbirds]

Chestnut Quail-Thrush (Cinclosoma castanotum), family Cinclosomatidae, order Passeriformes, Southern Australia

photograph by Tropical Birding Tours

[daily-bird-facts]

today's critter is the western quail-thrush, a ground-dwelling bird of Western Australia. while passeriforme birds are often colloquially referred to as "perching" birds, quail-thrushes' terrestrial habits much more resemble those of the galliformes, an order which does indeed include quails. in fact, though the quail-thrushes are not meaningfully related to either of their English namesakes, i imagine that, to a differently trained eye, they would initially resemble some sort of hybrid between quails and thrushes.

omnivores of shrubland and savannah, foraging on foot and rarely flying outside of life-threatening situations. their gait changes only in speed when they feel threatened, giving them an endearing and i'll concede very quaillike scurry. the highest they go of their own free will is to perch on broad branches, dirt mounds, or stones in order to project their singing. their sturdy legs are accompanied by a similarly sturdy bill, used to flip over stones in hopes of revealing tasty bugs.

in contrast to the much more well-camouflaged females, males bear high-contrast black stripes on their face, neck, chest, and flight feathers. this black plumage accentuates their eyelashes; long eyelashes are a common trait among desert-dwelling critters, as they keep sand out of the eyes. in cases such as the human and the male western quail-thrush, however, they also make them look fabulous.

24 June 2026

[herpsandbirds]

Chestnut-breasted Quail-Thrush (Cinclosoma castaneothorax), male, family Cinclosomatidae, Australia

photograph by Jan Wegener

[herpsandbirds]

Cinnamon Quail-thrush (Cinclosoma cinnamomeum), family Cinclosomatidae, Australian Outback

photograph by JJ Harrison

[herpsandbirds]

Cinnamon Quail-thrush (Cinclosoma cinnamomeum), family Cinclosomatidae, Australian Outback

photograph by Jan Wegener

[typhlonectes]

EXTINCT:  Mt. Lofty Spotted Quail-thrush    

by Rebecca Nadge

With limited records since 1977, the spotted quail-thrush (Mt Lofty Ranges sub-species) is now presumed extinct

Surveys of the Mt Lofty thrush have been very limited; any surviving sub-species are likely to exist in a single population which is estimated to inhabit only 1sq.km. Based on observations of other spotted quail-thrush sub-species, the bird is likely to be resident or sedentary.

Habit degradation is the main culprit in the decline of the Mount Lofty spotted quail-thrush. As well as the extensive clearing of native vegetation in the Mount Lofty Ranges, bushfires, such as the 1983 Ash Wednesday fires, have also contributed to the loss of habitat.

Invasion of the area by harmful weeds is also likely to have contributed to the sub-species' downfall, along with introduced predators such as feral cats and foxes- a direct result of human activity near the area...

(read more: Australian Geographic)

illustration via Australian Geographic