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Orange Chat (Epthianura aurifrons) Alternate name(s): "Orange-fronted Chat", "Yellow Tintac"; misnomer: "Saltbush Canary" Size: 10-11.5 cm; wing span 19 cm (average) Body mass: 10-12 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 Orange Chats are very small insect-eating birds. Their plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are different. Male Orange Chats have a bright orange frons and chest, a prominent black facial mask from the lores to the chin and throat and an otherwise paler orange-yellow plumage. Only the upperwing feathers are grey with yellow edge lining and the short tail is dark-grey. Female Orange Chats have no black facial mask and otherwise much duller colours. The head is greyish-brown with a lighter greyish-yellow ring around the eyes and ear patches and a light greyish-yellow chin. The upperwings and tail are similar to the males'. The irises of both sexes are red-brown, the bill is dark-grey and the legs are grey. Juveniles Orange Chats resemble females with dull colours.

Taxonomy, classification See Orange 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 Orange 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. Orange Chats are endemic to Australia. They populate most of subtropical inland Australia, except the Gascoyne in WA, the south-western tip of WA and the Great Dividing Range and southern and eastern coastal fringe. Within that range they are only occasionally found in the great sandy deserts of eastern WA and in the eastern parts of central inland QLD, beyond a line connecting Mt. Isa with Goondiwindi, QLD. Along the South coast they are found from about Esperance, WA, to the Adelaide Hills, but not in Adelaide itself and not on Eyre peninsula. Orange Chats have a preference for low shrubs in salty areas and on gibber plains with some shrubs, but they can also be found in coastal swamps in WA.

Sightings Click here for sighting information M. Mearns reports spotting an Orange Chat at Shallow Lake near Betoota, QLD, in June 2009. M. Mackay reports seeing Orange Chats regularly at Coober Pedy, SA. A. Allnutt found an Orange Chat at Lake Cargelligo, NSW, in January 2019. Both M. Eaton and ourselves independently found Orange Chats at Lake Bindegolly NP, near Thargomindah, QLD, in June 2019. R. Plumtree reports finding Orange Chats at Lake Tyrrell, VIC, in October 2019. In June 2022, M. Eaton found a pair of Orange Chats at Roxby Downs, SA. More were found along the Strzelecki Track, at Montecollina Bore and about 50 km North of the bore. M. Eaton also spotted Orange Chats along the Birdsville to Munga-Thirri Simpson Desert NP Road, QLD, in June 2025. At Cuttaburra Crossing, near Bedourie, QLD, they were found with dependent young in August 2025.

Photos

ADULT

MALE

Near-fronal view of a male Orange Chat (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Cuttaburra Crossing, near Bedourie, QLD, August 2025]

Near-fronal view of a male Orange Chat checking for predators (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Cuttaburra Crossing, near Bedourie, QLD, August 2025]

Near-frontal view of a male Orange Chat looking backwards (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Bindegolly NP, near Thargomindah, QLD, June 2019]

Near-frontal view of a male Orange Chat looking backwards (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Bindegolly NP, near Thargomindah, QLD, June 2019]

Close-up near-lateral view of a male Orange Chat looking at the observer (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Cuttaburra Crossing, near Bedourie, QLD, August 2025]

Near-lateral view of a male Orange Chat (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Lake Tyrrell, VIC, October 2019]

Near-lateral view of a male Orange Chat (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Bindegolly NP, near Thargomindah, QLD, June 2019]

Close-up lateral view of a male Orange Chat (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Cuttaburra Crossing, near Bedourie, QLD, August 2025]

Lateral view of a male Orange Chat (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Bindegolly NP, near Thargomindah, QLD, June 2019]

Near-lateral view of a male Orange Chat (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Lake Tyrrell, VIC, October 2019]

Lateral view of a male Orange Chat looking away from the observer (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Bindegolly NP, near Thargomindah, QLD, June 2019]

Lateral view of a male Orange Chat at take-off, showing its underwings (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Lake Tyrrell, VIC, October 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a male Orange Chat with a pronounced orange frons (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Roxby Downs, SA, June 2022]

FEMALE

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

Lateral view of a female Orange Chat looking towards the observer (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Roxby Downs, SA, June 2022]

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

Lateral view of a female Orange Chat (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Bindegolly NP, near Thargomindah, QLD, June 2020]

Lateral view of a female (or possibly immature) Orange Chat approaching a water hole (photo courtesy of M. Mackay)
[Coober Pedy, SA, January 2017]

Lateral view of a female (or possibly immature) Orange Chat (photo courtesy of M. Mackay)
[Coober Pedy, SA, January 2017]

Near-dorsal view of a female (or possibly immature) Orange Chat (photo courtesy of M. Mackay)
[Coober Pedy, SA, January 2017]

Small mob of Orange Chats perched in a dead tree (photo courtesy of M. Mackay)
[Coober Pedy, SA, January 2017]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Lateral view of a dependent juvenile Orange Chat waiting to be fed (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Cuttaburra Crossing, near Bedourie, QLD, August 2025]

Lateral view of a male Orange Chat bringing its offspring a meal (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Cuttaburra Crossing, near Bedourie, QLD, August 2025]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal?

Mobility: Nomadic/dispersive

Elementary unit: Pair/mob

Orange Chats are one of the bird species that try to lure away potential predators from their nest by pretending to have a broken wing.

Male Orange Chat at take-off pretending to have a broken wing (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Lake Tyrrell, VIC, October 2019]

Distant view of a male Orange Chat taking off from rank samphire like greased lightning; before flying away, the bird did a "broken wing" routine
[Lake Bindegolly NP, near Thargomindah, QLD, June 2019]

Food, Diet

Near-lateral view of a male Orange Chat with its prey, a caterpillar (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Cuttaburra Crossing, near Bedourie, QLD, August 2025]

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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