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Rufous Scrub-birds are well-camouflaged, robin-sized birds. They are dimorphic, i.e. males and females have slightly different plumages. Male Rufous Scrub-birds have a grey-brown head, back and tail, with a mottled black chin to upper chest and upper flanks, white malar stripes extending down the sides of the patchy front. The lower chest, belly and vent are rufous. Female Rufous Scrub-birds have a grey throat with white malar stripes by its sides and a pale-rufous chest. There is basically no black on their underparts. Otherwise they are very similar to males. Both sexes are finely barred all over, which tends to be hard to see in the field. The irises are dark. The bill has a dark upper mandible and a pale lower mandible. Legs and feet are light-grey. Juveniles resemble females, but with duller colours and without white malar stripes.

The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org .

The global distribution of the Rufous Scrub-bird is available HERE .

Rufous Scrub-birds have a very restricted range - they are endemic to parts of the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range, from just to the North of the Hunter River in NSW, namely Barrington Tops NP, to near the border of NSW and QLD, prominently Lamington NP, QLD. Their range is now restricted to two small areas, which makes them vulnerable to total destruction by wildfires. Nominate race "rufescens" is still present on the eastern slopes from Lamington NP, QLD, to Gibraltar Range NP, westward of Grafton, NSW. Race "ferrieri" resides along the eastern slopes from New England NP, westward of Coffs Harbour, NSW, to Barrington Tops NP, to the North of the Hunter estuary near Newcastle, NSW.

Rufous Scrub-birds have a preference for dense vegetation with copious leaf litter, as found primarily in gullies in rainforest. The destruction of their habitats in low-lying parts of their range has forced them into higher-altitude parts of suitable environments, ranging between 300 m to 1000 m in altitude, on the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range.

Race "rufescens"

Race "ferrieri"