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Crimson Chat (Epthianura tricolor) Alternate name(s): "Tri-coloured Chat", "Crimson-breasted Nun" Size: 11-12 cm Body mass: 10-11 g

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Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Crimson Chats are very small insect-eating birds. Their plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are different. Male Crimson Chats have a crimson crown, wide black eye stripes that connect to the black sides of the neck and the mantle, and a white throat patch. The front (chest, part of the belly) is crimson-red, the lower belly and vent are pinkish-white. The back is brownish-black, with white leading edges on the flight feathers, while the uppertail covrets are crimson. The bill is black; the legs and feet are dark-grey. In eclipse the parts that are crimson-red during the breeding season fade to a patchy mix of pale-crimson and off-white. Female Crimson Chats are much more inconspicuous. They look very much like a male in eclipse, but without the pale-crimson cap. They have an off-white front, from the throat down to the undertail coverts, with some reddish patches on the breast. The head and back are brownish-grey, with darker-grey flight feathers with a light-grey leading edge. The tail is dark-grey. The bill is dark-grey; the legs and feet are grey. In eclipse the patchy reddish parts disappear and the front becomes all off-white, with a pale-brown breast band. The eyes of both sexes have pale-yellow irises. Juveniles resemble females, but do not have any reddish patches on the breast.

Taxonomy, classification See Crimson Chat at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range 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 Crimson Chat is available HERE . NB: Reports on ebird of birds submitted by birdwatchers from the Australian Outback tend to be clustered along roads and public areas such as camp grounds; in such cases their distribution is not a good representation of the overall distribution of the species. Crimson Chats are endemic to the Australian continent. They are birds of the semi-arid and arid interior Australia. They are found basically anywhere South of a line connecting Port Hedland, WA, with Hughenden, QLD, except the following areas: They are not found on the extreme south-western tip of WA, not on Eyre peninsula, SA, and not along the South or East coast of Australia. They are also not found anywhere in the far tropical North of the continent, but occasionally do extend their range into the Kimberley, WA, and the northern half of the NT, except the Top End. They are not found on Cape York peninsula. Crimson Chats are usually found in open terrain, e.g. in sparse scrub, in mallee, but also in salty areas of inland plains or rocky hills. They have been found by us in areas with both red and black soil.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Crimson Chats were first spotted by us in various locations West of Brewarrina, NSW, in March 2008. Photos taken at the time confirm that an earlier sighting of an bird 20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, in the summer of 2005/2006 depict an immature Crimson Chat on the edge of its inland range. An adult male was found by us in the Upper Bullawa Creek section of Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, in October 2025. A group of five Crimson Chats was seen 10 km North-West of Moree on a farm property by A. Lines. Crimson Chats were spotted by us in various locations in outback NSW in September 2012, including groups of up to 30 birds. Crimson Chats were seen, e.g. at Currawinya NP near Hungerford, QLD, and about 100 km West of Wanaaring, NSW. M. Mearns reports spotting Crimson Chats at Currawinya NP, QLD, in October 2012 and near Mungeranie on the Birdsville Track, SA, in June 2015. J. Greaves reports finding Crimson Chats at Boolardy Station, Murchison, WA, in August 2016. A pair of Crimson Chats was found by us in a dry, rank paddock at Eulah Creek, 20 km East of Narrabri, NSW, in January 2019. Both M. Eaton and ourselves found Crimson Chats in various locations around Outback south-western QLD, such as Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary, near Cunnamulla, QLD, and Lake Bindegolly NP, near Thargomindah, QLD, in June 2019. More Crimson Chats were found by M. Eaton at Kilcowera Station, between Thargomindah and Hungerford, QLD, in June 2020. Crimson Chats were also found along the Barkley Highway, 50 km NW of Mount Isa, QLD, in June 2021. R. Plumtree reports finding a pair of Crimson Chats at Goschen Bushland Reserve, near Swan Hill, VIC, in September 2019. In February 2022 we found a Crimson Chat at Goran Lake, an ephemeral lake 30 km South of Gunnedah, NSW. In June 2022, M. Eaton found Crimson Chats in various locations in inland SA, especially along the Strzelecki Track, e.g. at the Montecollina Bore. The species was also found at Windorah, QLD, in August 2022. Others were spotted along the Birdsville to Munga-Thirri Simpson Desert NP Road, QLD, in June 2025.

Photos

ADULT

PAIR

Pair of Crimson Chats in breeding plumage - female on the right (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kilcowera Station, between Thargomindah and Hungerford, QLD, June 2020]

MALE

BREEDING

Frontal view of a puffed-up male Crimson Chat in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Goschen Bushland Reserve, near Swan Hill, VIC, September 2019]

Frontal view of a male Crimson Chat in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Windorah, QLD, August 2022]

Frontal view of a male Crimson Chat in breeding plumage looking sideways (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Goschen Bushland Reserve, near Swan Hill, VIC, September 2019]

Near-frontal view of a male Crimson Chat in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary, near Cunnamulla, QLD, June 2019]

Near-lateral view of a male Crimson Chat in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Boolardy Station, Murchison, WA, August 2016]

Lateral view of a male Crimson Chat in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Birdsville to Munga-Thirri Simpson Desert NP Road, QLD, June 2025]

Lateral view of a moulting male Crimson Chat (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary, near Cunnamulla, QLD, June 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a male Crimson Chat in breeding plumage launching itself into the air (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Goschen Bushland Reserve, near Swan Hill, VIC, September 2019]

Dorsal view of a male Crimson Chat in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Currawinya NP, QLD, October 2012]

Dorsal view of a male Crimson Chat in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Boolardy Station, Murchison, WA, August 2016]

Dorsal view of a moulting male Crimson Chat (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary, near Cunnamulla, QLD, June 2019]

Dorsal/ventral view of a male Crimson Chat in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Windorah, QLD, August 2022]

This shot of a male Crimson Chaton on stony ground shows that on the right surface even a red, white and black plumage can provide some camouflage (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Near Mungeranie, Birdsville Track, SA, June 2015]

NON-BREEDING

Frontal view of a male Crimson Chat in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Barkley Highway, 50 km NW of Mount Isa, QLD, June 2021]

FEMALE

BREEDING

Frontal view of a female Crimson Chat in breeding plumage
[Currawinya NP, QLD, September 2012]

Near-frontal view of a female Crimson Chat in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Goschen Bushland Reserve, near Swan Hill, VIC, September 2019]

Lateral view of a female Crimson Chat in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Birdsville to Munga-Thirri Simpson Desert NP Road, QLD, June 2025]

Lateral view of a female Crimson Chat in breeding plumage
[Currawinya NP, near Hungerford, QLD, September 2012]

Lateral view of a female Crimson Chat in breeding plumage
[Currawinya NP, near Hungerford, QLD, September 2012]

Near-dorsal view of a female Crimson Chat in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Birdsville to Munga-Thirri Simpson Desert NP Road, QLD, June 2025]

Near-dorsal view of a female Crimson Chat in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Goschen Bushland Reserve, near Swan Hill, VIC, September 2019]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a female Crimson Chat in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kilcowera Station, between Thargomindah and Hungerford, QLD, June 2020]

Dorsal view of a female Crimson Chat in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Near Hopetoun, VIC, October 2019]

NON-BREEDING

Frontal view of a female Crimson Chat in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Bindegolly NP, near Thargomindah, QLD, June 2020]

Near-lateral view of a female Crimson Chat in non-breeding plumage in mellow light
[Lake Bindegolly NP, near Thargomindah, QLD, June 2019]

Lateral/ventral view of a female Crimson Chat in non-breeding plumage
[Lake Bindegolly NP, near Thargomindah, QLD, June 2019]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-dorsal/ventral view of an immature male Crimson Chat; note the red hue above the lore (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Windorah, QLD, August 2022]

Lateral view of a begging juvenile Crimson Chat (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kilcowera Station, between Thargomindah and Hungerford, QLD, June 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a begging juvenile Crimson Chat (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kilcowera Station, between Thargomindah and Hungerford, QLD, June 2020]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Dispersive

Elementary unit: Pair/mob

Food, Diet

Lateral view of a male Crimson Chat in breeding plumage with a caterpillar (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Near Hopetoun, VIC, October 2019]

Frontal view of a female Crimson Chat in breeding plumage carrying caterpillars for its brood (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Near Hopetoun, VIC, October 2019]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

crmchat_20190617.m4a	(SW QLD)	?	© MD
crmchat_20190619.m4a	(SW QLD)	?	© MD

More Crimson Chat sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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