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Cinnamon Quail-thrush
(Cinclosoma cinnamomeum)
: "Cinnamon Ground-bird", "Cinnamon Ground-thrush";
Note: Includes "Nullarbor Quail-thrush" (formerly called "Black-breasted
Ground-bird")
Aboriginal name(s): "melga"
Size: 17-24 cm
Weight: up to 50 g
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Similar species |
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Physical description |
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Click here for a physical description
Cinnamon Quail-thrushes are secretive thrush-sized bushland birds.
Their highly cryptic
plumage is
dimorphic, i.e.
males and
females
are different.
Both sexes have a white belly, vent and undertail coverts. Also
the brownish-grey cap, buff supercilia, brownish-grey ear coverts
pale-grey nape of the neck and cinnamon back, rump and uppertail
are similar. The differences lie in the front, flanks and wing
coverts.
Male
Cinnamon Quail-thrushes have a black stripe down the otherwise
white front from chin to throat and a separate horizontal black
breast band that connects to black streaks running down the flanks.
Chest and flanks are otherwise cinnamon-coloured.
They have prominent black and white wing bars.
Females
have an off-white throat bordered by broad buff moustachial
stripes above a pale-grey chest that connects to the pale-grey
neck. Their wing bars are much more subdued, with only a few
white spots on otherwise pale-cinnamon background.
The irises of both sexes are dark-brown. The slightly down-curved
bill is black; the legs and feet are also black.
The upperparts of
juveniles
resemble
female
Cinnamon Quail-thrushes, while their underparts are buff, with
darker vermiculation.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Cinnamon
Quail-thrush at Wikipedia .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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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 Cinnamon Quail-thrush 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.
Cinnamon Quail-thrushes are endemic to Australia.
There are two extant races, both of which reside in the Red Centre
of the continent.
The range of nominate race
"cinnamomeum"
extends from the base of
Eyre Peninsula, SA, north-westward and north-eastward, covering
about half of SA, except the north-eastern corner, far-western
NSW northward of the Darling River, far-western QLD along the
North-South border with SA, and the southern central NT, southward
of Alice Springs.
Race "tiariensis"
is found at Lake Eyre, SA, and in a sector ranging northwards from
a line connecting the southern end of the lake with Cameron Corner, QLD,
eastward of a line connecting Lake Eyre with Alice Springs, NT,
to the SA/QLD border in the East, continuing into the south-western
corner of QLD, along the East-West border with SA. Their range ends
near Alice Springs, SA, Boulia, QLD, and Longreach, QLD.
Cinnamon Quail-thrushes are found exclusively in arid habitats
dominated by saltbush or bluebush
shrubs.
They are also present on
gibber plains
and arid tablelands of the Lake Eyre Basin.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
Race "tiariensis"
R. Brinsley reports finding Cinnamon Quail-thrushes, race
"tiariensis",
at Lake Eyre NP, SA, in April 2019.
M. Eaton spotted Cinnamon Quail-thrushes, race
"tiariensis",
at the Waddy Trees, near Birdsville, QLD, in July 2021. Others were found
along the Birdsville Track in August 2022.
In June 2022, M. Eaton found Cinnamon Quail-thrushes, race
"tiariensis",
at the Lake Eyre South Lookout, 50 km W of Marree, SA. Another was
found along the Strzelecki Track, ca. 140 km N of Lyndhurst, SA.
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Photos |
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Race "tiariensis"
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ADULT |
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MALE |
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Frontal view of a male Cinnamon Quail-thrush
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Birdsville, QLD, July 2021]
Near-frontal view of a male Cinnamon Quail-thrush
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Birdsville, QLD, July 2021]
Near-lateral view of a male Cinnamon Quail-thrush
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Birdsville, QLD, July 2021]
Near-lateral view of a male Cinnamon Quail-thrush
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Birdsville, QLD, July 2021]
Lateral view of a male Cinnamon Quail-thrush
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Birdsville, QLD, July 2021]
Close-up lateral view of a male Cinnamon Quail-thrush
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Birdsville, QLD, July 2021]
Near-dorsal view of a male Cinnamon Quail-thrush
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Eyre South Lookout, 50 km W of Marree, SA, June 2022]
Near-dorsal view of a male Cinnamon Quail-thrush
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Birdsville Track, SA, August 2022]
Near-dorsal view of a male Cinnamon Quail-thrush looking away
from the observer
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Eyre South Lookout, 50 km W of Marree, SA, June 2022]
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FEMALE |
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Near-lateral view of a female Cinnamon Quail-thrush
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Birdsville, QLD, July 2021]
Lateral view of a foraging female Cinnamon Quail-thrush
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Birdsville Track, 140 km N of Lyndhurst, SA, June 2022]
Lateral view of a female Cinnamon Quail-thrush
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Birdsville, QLD, July 2021]
Dorsal view of a female Cinnamon Quail-thrush looking sideways
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Birdsville, QLD, July 2021]
Dorsal view of a female Cinnamon Quail-thrush
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Birdsville, QLD, July 2021]
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PAIR |
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Near-dorsal view of a pair of Cinnamon Quail-thrushes
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Birdsville Track, SA, August 2022]
Near-lateral view of a male Cinnamon Quail-thrush, with a
female in the background (photo courtesy of R. Brinsley)
[Lake Eyre NP, SA, April 2019]
Frontal view of a pair of Cinnamon Quail-thrushes - female
on the left, male on the right
(photo courtesy of R. Brinsley)
[Lake Eyre NP, SA, April 2019]
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Call(s)/Song |
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For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The
interpretation of their meaning is our own; are welcome.
More Cinnamon Quail-thrush 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.