19

Southern Scrub-robins are thrush-sized, mostly ground-dwelling birds. They are greyish-brown throughout, the back being a bit darker than the front. The small off-white facial mask is bisected by a vertical dark-grey bar through eacy eye. The wings have dark greyish-brown flight feathers with lighter edges and a bar pattern. The rump and tail are rufous, the tail becoming darker towards the end, where it is very dark grey-brown. The eyes have dark irises, the bill is dark-grey and the legs and feet are greyish-brown. Juveniles are heavily scalloped.

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 Southern Scrub-robin is available HERE .

Southern Scrub-robins are endemic to Australia. They populate parts of the southern half of the Australian continent. Besides a small patch near Condobolin, NSW, on the Lachlan River, they are found in the border area of NSW/VIC/SA, to the North of Adelaide, SA, and on Eyre peninsula, SA. There is a third population in WA, in a near-triangular-shaped area from Cape Arid NP to about Waychinicup NP along the South coast of WA, extending inland as far as about Kalgoorlie, with an additional extension from Kalgoorlie to the West coast at Dirk Hartog Island.

Southern Scrub-robins have a preference for dry scrub and dense mallee.

A. Flynn reports spotting a Southern Scrub-robin at Gluepot NR, SA, in November 2013.

F. Japp reports finding a Southern Scrub-robin at Murray Sunset NP, VIC, in July 2014.

R. Plumtree spotted a Southern Scrub-robin between Berri and Renmark, SA, in September 2018.

M. Eaton found Southern Scrub-robins at Salt Creek, Coorong, SA, in April 2022.