Alternative names: Brown-breasted Shrike-thrush; Red-bellied Shrike-thrush; Woodward's Shrike-thrush, Sandstone Thrush; Cliff Thrush; Brown-breasted Thrush
- Colluricincla woodwardi
Identification
25 - 26.5cm.
- Dull grey head
- Buff streak from bill to eye and on throat
- Olive-brown back
- Olive-brown wings and tail
- Cinnamon breast, belly and undertail-coverts, grey wash on breast
- Breast and throat finely streaked
Sexes similar, juveniles are paler underneath and only slightly streaked.
Distribution
Endemic to Australia where found in northern Western Australia, northern Northern Territory and extreme northwest Queensland.
Locally common.
Taxonomy
Monotypic.
Some authorities place birds from the western part of the range in subspecies assimils.
Habitat
Sandstone cliffs, locally extending into limestone, granite and quartzite outcrops.
Behaviour
Feeds on insects and spiders, sometimes invertebrates. Forages mainly on ground.
Breeding season in October and November in Western Australia, late August to late January in Northern Territory. The nest is a cup made of spinifex, twigs and rootlets. It's placed on the ground under a rock or in cavity. Lays 2 -3 white eggs.
Resident species.
References
- Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2007. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553422
- Simpson, K and N Day. 1998. Field Guide to the Birds of Australia. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7136-4877-5
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Sandstone Shrikethrush. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 22 December 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Sandstone_Shrikethrush
