| Cinnamon quail-thrush | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Cinclosomatidae |
| Genus: | Cinclosoma |
| Species: | C. cinnamomeum |
| Binomial name | |
| Cinclosoma cinnamomeum Gould, 1846 | |
The cinnamon quail-thrush (Cinclosoma cinnamomeum) is cryptic arid-zone species that is endemic to Australia. [2] This small to medium-sized species of bird is found in the arid and semi-arid regions of central Australia. [3]
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.
Cinnamon quail-thrush have a body-length of 20 cm, and weigh up to 50 grams when fully grown. [4] 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. [5] They have high-pitched, slightly hissing calls (voices). [6]
The cinnamon quail-thrush is an Australian endemic that is typically found in arid and semi-arid regions of central Australia. [3] 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. [7] Its distribution size is estimated to be 831,000 square kilometers, [8] spanning over southwest Queensland, northwest New South Wales, northeastern South Australia and the southeast of the Northern Territory. [3] Within these areas the cinnamon quail-thrush has been found in grass and shrublands; [8] however, it is more commonly found among dry stony areas, especially around dry creek lines. [4]
These terrestrial birds are fairly weak fliers and prefer to squat or run when disturbed. [9]
Cinnamon quail-thrushes are exclusively ground foragers, eating a wide range of invertebrates (including grasshoppers, bugs, beetles, flies and ants), and seeds of both native and introduced flora species. [2]
These birds are found alone, in pairs or small family groups. Males sing continuously at daybreak in the breeding season, which is normally in the months of July to September. [10] [6] Breeding occurs on the ground, with cup-shaped nests being built in depressions and lined with strips of bark, fine grass or sticks. The nest is usually located amongst rocky areas, against fallen branches or under low bushes or sparse tufts of grass. The clutch can contain two or three eggs. [9]
There is no evidence of the cinnamon quail-thrush having large-scale seasonal movements. [8]
While the cinnamon quail-thrush's population has not been measured, it is thought that the species is slowly declining due to ongoing habitat degradation caused by livestock and introduced herbivores. The species is evaluated as least concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. [8]
The desert wheatear is a wheatear, a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher (Muscicapidae). It is a migratory insectivorous species, 14.5 to 15 cm in length. Both western and eastern forms of the desert wheatear are rare vagrants to western Europe. The western desert wheatear breeds in the Sahara and the northern Arabian peninsula. The eastern race is found in the semi-deserts of Central Asia and in winter in Pakistan and northeast Africa.
Horsfield's bush lark is a species of lark which inhabits grassland throughout most of Australia and much of Southeast Asia. It is named for American naturalist Thomas Horsfield.
The buff-breasted buttonquail is the largest and possibly the rarest of the buttonquail. This species is endemic to Cape York Peninsula, in Queensland, Australia.
The chestnut-breasted mannikin, also known as the chestnut-breasted munia or bully bird, is a small brown-backed munia with a black face and greyish crown and nape. It has a broad ferruginous breast bar above a white belly. The species is found in Australia, New Caledonia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. This species has also been introduced to French Polynesia.
The white-browed sparrow-weaver is a predominantly brown, sparrow-sized bird found throughout central and north-central southern Africa. It is found in groups of two to eleven individuals consisting of one breeding pair and other non-reproductive individuals.
The rufous whistler is a species of whistler found in New Caledonia and Australia. Predominantly a reddish-brown and grey bird, it makes up for its subdued plumage with its song-making ability. Like many other members of the Pachycephalidae, it has a variety of musical calls.
The ocellated quail is a species of bird in the family Odontophoridae, the New World quail. It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
The black-crowned sparrow-lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found across northern Africa from Mauritania through the Middle East to north-western India. Its natural habitat is dry savanna.
The Somali bee-eater is a species of bird in the family Meropidae. It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Tanzania. This is a small bee-eater that prefers arid country and desert areas where it may be locally common. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern", postulating that clearing of woodland and forest is creating new suitable habitat for the bird and that its population trend may therefore be rising.
The chestnut-breasted quail-thrush is a small endemic Australian bird which is predominantly found within the semi-arid deserts of New South Wales and Queensland.
The chestnut quail-thrush is a native Australian bird of the family Cinclosomatidae. These scrub birds are endemic to Australia and found in all states - barring Tasmania. They are relatively uncommon and are isolated to the semi-arid and arid fringes of the Australian interior.
The Tibetan blackbird is a species of bird in the thrush family Turdidae. It is found in the Himalayas from northern Pakistan to southeastern Tibet. Originally described as a separate species by Henry Seebohm in 1881, it was then considered a subspecies of the common blackbird until 2008, when phylogenetic evidence revealed that it was only distantly related to the latter species. It is a relatively large thrush, having an overall length of 23–28 centimetres. Males are blackish-brown all over with darker plumage on the head, breast, wings and tail and dull orange-yellow bills, while females have browner underparts, faint streaking on the throat, and a dull darkish yellow bill. Both sexes may seem slightly hooded. It can be differentiated from the common blackbird by its complete lack of an eye-ring and reduced song.
Western quail-thrush is a species of bird in the family Cinclosomatidae. It is found in arid inland habitat in south-central Western Australia. It typically resides in dry woodland shrub with low understory on a stony ground. The climatic zones it is most commonly found in are semi-arid or arid.
The Nullarbor quail-thrush is a species of bird in the family Cinclosomatidae. It is the only Australian bird endemic to the Nullarbor Plain in southern Australia.
Cinclosomatidae is a family of passerine birds native to Australia and New Guinea. It has a complicated taxonomic history and different authors vary in which birds they include in the family. It includes the quail-thrushes and jewel-babblers.
