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20

Spotted Quail-thrush

(Cinclosoma punctatum)
Alternate name(s): "Spotted Groundbird", "Ground-thrush", "Ground-dove", "Babbling-thrush"
Size: 26-28 cm
Weight: 84-123 g
Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See Spotted Quail-thrush at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Photos

Race "punctatum"

ADULT

MALE

Frontal view of a male Spotted Quail-thrush issuing its call (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Moggill Regional Park, near Anstead, QLD, August 2019]

Frontal view of a male Spotted Quail-thrush spreading its wings to cool at ca. 32 C
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, January 2019]

Frontal view of a male Spotted Quail-thrush looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Moggill Regional Park, near Anstead, QLD, August 2019]

Near-frontal view of a male Spotted Quail-thrush issuing its call (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Moggill Regional Park, near Anstead, QLD, August 2019]

Near-lateral view of a male Spotted Quail-thrush (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Moggill Regional Park, near Anstead, QLD, August 2019]

Lateral view of a male Spotted Quail-thrush looking at the observer (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, September 2021]

Lateral view of a male Spotted Quail-thrush looking towards the observer (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, September 2021]

Lateral view of a male Spotted Quail-thrush issuing its call (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Moggill Regional Park, near Anstead, QLD, August 2019]

Lateral view of a male Spotted Quail-thrush (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Moggill Regional Park, near Anstead, QLD, August 2019]

Close-up lateral view of a male Spotted Quail-thrush
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, January 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a male Spotted Quail-thrush
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, January 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a male Spotted Quail-thrush (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Near St. Albans, NSW, October 2017]

Dorsal view of a male Spotted Quail-thrush
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, January 2019]

Dorsal view of a male Spotted Quail-thrush (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, September 2021]

FEMALE

Frontal view of a female Spotted Quail-thrush challenging the observer
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, April 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a female Spotted Quail-thrush (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Near Ensay South, East Gippsland, VIC, April 2014]

Dorsal view of a female Spotted Quail-thrush
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, April 2020]

Dorsal view of a female Spotted Quail-thrush
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, April 2020]

Dorsal view of a female Spotted Quail-thrush; note the extreme wide-angle vision
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, April 2020]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial? Mobility: Sedentary Elementary unit: Covey/family clan

Spotted Quail-thrushes are cryptic in both plumage and behaviour and thereby often very hard to spot, even when in plain view.

Lateral view of a male Spotted Quail-thrush using low vegetation for cover (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, September 2021]

Male Spotted Quail-thrush - the full-size image shows how the bird melts into the surrounding landscape; this is most likely the bird whose calls were recorded on 6 August 2016 (photo courtesy of M. Windeyer)

Find the bird - male Spotted Quail-thrush walking away from the observer
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, April 2020]

Male Spotted Quail-thrush hiding behind low growth
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, April 2020]

The following set of photos may show a male marking his territory.

Lateral view of a male Spotted Quail-thrush walking along a branch
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, November 2011]

The same Spotted Quail-thrush as shown above, now seen calling
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, November 2011]

... after which the Spotted Quail-thrush turned around...
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, November 2011]

... before strutting back to where it had first come from
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, November 2011]

Food, Diet

Spotted Quail-thrushes forage on the ground for insects and seeds.

Male Spotted Quail-thrush with grubs in its bill
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, April 2020]

Male Spotted Quail-thrush looking foraging near the base of a tree
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, January 2019]

Male Spotted Quail-thrush looking for water?
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, January 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.

spotqth_me_20190828.m4a punctatum
(SE QLD)
Territorial calls? (male) © ME
spotqth_20150103.mp3 punctatum
(NW NSW)
Warning call (male) © MD
spotqth_20160806.m4a punctatum
(NW NSW)
Warning calls © MD
spotqth_20190402_1.m4a punctatum
(NW NSW)
Alarm call (male) © MD
spotqth_20190402.m4a punctatum
(NW NSW)
Alarm calls (male) © MD
spotqth_20200425.m4a punctatum
(NW NSW)
Alarm calls © MD
spotqth_20200425_2.m4a punctatum
(NW NSW)
Various © MD

More Spotted 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.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site?
If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.