18

Gibberbird (Ashbyia lovensis) Alternate name(s): "Desert Chat", "Gibber Chat" Size: 12-13 cm Body mass: 14-20 g

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Similar species

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

Physical description Click here for a physical description Gibberbirds are very small nectar-eating birds. Their plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are different. Male Gibberbirds have yellowish front, from the lores via the chin and throat down to the undertail. The ear patches, frons, cap and back are all scalloped grey-brown, with light-grey edge lining. The tail is dark-grey with a narrow white terminal band. Female Gibberbirds have a paler front than males and a darker scalloped back. In general, the colour contrast of their plumage is lower than that of males. The irises of both sexes are yellowish-white. The bill is dark-grey, the legs are grey. Juvenile Gibberbirds resemble females.

Taxonomy, classification See Gibberbird at Wikipedia . Click here for classification information Gibberbirds are closely related to the Chats of genus Epthianura.

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 Gibberbird 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. Gibberbirds are endemic to the Red Centre of the Australian continent. They are found in an area spanning from the SA/NT border to the South of Alice Springs south-eastward to a line connecting Coober Pedy, SA, with Broken Hill, NSW. From Broken Hill the eastern edge of their range runs straight northward, to the tropic of Capricorn. Their range encompasses north-eastern SA, far-northwestern NSW and subtropical south-western QLD, except an area around the three-state corner of SA, the NT and QLD. Sightings elsewhere are extremely rare. Gibberbirds have a strong preference for stony, open plains (gibber), with very little, if any noticeable vegetation.

Sightings Click here for sighting information M. Mearns reports spotting a Gibberbird 100 km North of Innamincka, SA, in September 2009. M. Eaton found a Gibberbird along the Boulia to Bedourie Road, far-western QLD, in July 2021. More Gibberbirds were found along the Birdsville Track, QLD, in August 2022. Others were spotted along the Birdsville to Munga-Thirri Simpson Desert NP Road, QLD, in June 2025. The next sighting was on a gibber plain N of Birdsville, QLD, in July 2026.

Photos

ADULT

PAIR

Many bird species exhibit sexual dimorphism, i.e., male and female have differing appearances which can be quite subtle.
Male Gibberbirds, left, have a bright yellow front; females have a pink-brown suffusion on breast and flanks. In general, the colours of females are slightly duller than in males.

MALE

Frontal view of a Gibberbird looking sideways; the clean yellow underparts suggest that this is a male bird
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Birdsville to Munga-Thirri Simpson Desert NP Road, QLD, June 2025]

Near-frontal view of a male Gibberbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Birdsville to Munga-Thirri Simpson Desert NP Road, QLD, June 2025]

Lateral view of a male Gibberbird looking at the observer (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Birdsville Track, QLD, August 2022]

Near-dorsal view of a male Gibberbird looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Birdsville to Munga-Thirri Simpson Desert NP Road, QLD, June 2025]

Near-dorsal view of a male Gibberbird; click on image to see more of the surroundings, which are the typical habitat of this species, namely gibber (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[100 km North of Innamincka, SA, September 2009]

Dorsal view of a male Gibberbird looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Birdsville to Munga-Thirri Simpson Desert NP Road, QLD, June 2025]

FEMALE

Close-up frontal view of a female Gibberbird looking sideways; note the more subdued colours compared to the males shown above (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Birdsville Track, QLD, August 2022]

Near-frontal view of a female Gibberbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Birdsville to Munga-Thirri Simpson Desert NP Road, QLD, June 2025]

Lateral view of a female Gibberbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[N of Birdsville, QLD, July 2026]

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

Lateral view of a female Gibberbird looking backwards (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Birdsville to Munga-Thirri Simpson Desert NP Road, QLD, June 2025]

Near-dorsal view of a female Gibberbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[N of Birdsville, QLD, July 2026]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal?

Mobility: Sedentary?

Elementary unit: Pair/family clan/mob

Gibberbirds breed in loosely associated mobs or clans.

Food, Diet

Lateral view of a female Gibberbird with its prey, a small insect (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[N of Birdsville, QLD, July 2026]

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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