Rufous Scrubbird

Overview

The rufous scrubbird is a species of bird in the family Atrichornithidae, endemic to eastern Australia. It is currently classified as Endangered due to fragmented and small habitats.

Identification

• Both sexes are brown with a rufous breast and a lightly barred back.
• The male has a long white streak on both sides of his neck and noticeable white edging on his throat, while the female has a lighter breast and lacks the white edging.
• They are known for loud vocalisations and can produce an extensive repertoire of mimicry.

Habitat

The species occurs only in isolated locations in north-eastern New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland. It requires dense ground cover and deep leaf-litter in rainforest and wet eucalypt forest, at elevations above 600 m.

Diet

The bird forages on snails and insects on the ground.

Did you know?

The species was described in 1867 following a collector's note on the great difficulty in obtaining specimens, having shot two males in dense vegetation along the edge of Bowling Creek, near the Richmond River in New South Wales.