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Bassian Thrush (Zoothera lunulata) Alternate name(s): "Ground Thrush", "Mountain Thrush", "Scaly Thrush", "White's Thrush" Size: 27-29 cm; wing span: 39-44 cm Body mass: 90-120 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.30-0.35

Australia: Family Group 26 Family Group 26 Table Australian Reed-Warbler Spinifexbird Tawny Grassbird Little Grassbird Golden-headed Cisticola Zitting Cisticola Rufous Songlark Brown Songlark Yellow White-eye Ash-bellied White-eye Silvereye Bassian Thrush Russet-tailed Thrush Metallic Starling Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

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

Physical description Click here for a physical description Bassian Thrushes are rainforest birds. Their plumage is highly cryptic. They have a scaly pattern basically all over their body, with a near-white front with mid- to dark-brown scales on the front and some light-brown tint on the chest. The back is almsot all olive-brown, with near-black scales. The eyes are surrounded by a light-grey eye-ring and lores. The wing feathers are dark greyish-brown with lighter-brown leading edges. The tail is also dark greyish-brown. The eyes have dark-brown irises. The bill is grey, the legs and feet are pinkish-grey. Twitcher's tip Compared with Russet-tailed Thrushes, Bassian Thrushes have more colour contrast on the head and especially the median wing coverts and less brown on rump and uppertail.

Taxonomy, classification See Bassian Thrush 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 Bassian Thrush is available HERE . There are three races of Bassian Thrushes, all of which are endemic to Australia. Together they populate a narrow strip along the East and South-east coast of Australia. Race "cuneata" is found in some of the tablelands in QLD, North of the Burdekin River up to the Atherton Tablelands. The range of nominate race "lunulata" extends from just to the West of Brisbane, QLD, in the North, along the NSW coast and eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range through southern VIC to about Mt. Gambier, SA. They are also found all over Tasmania. The range of race "halmaturina" is restricted to a narrow strip to the North of the city of Adelaide, SA, and Kangaroo Island. Where to look? How to find this species? Both species of Zoothera thrushes in Australia are ground foragers. So in order to find one, one will need to cast one's eyes downward and look for subtle movement in leaf litter. Twitcher's tip Bassian Thrushes are mostly found in rainforest at higher altitudes, e.g. on the Dorrigo Plateau (800-1000 m; Dorrigo NP), whereas Russet-tailed Thrushes are mostly found in low-elevation rainforest. In order to make a secure visual ID, one will likely need to see the colour of the rump.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "lunulata" A Bassian Thrush, race "lunulata", was first spotted by us in July 2009, at Dorrigo NP, NSW, at an altitude of about 1000 m. Since then Bassian Thrushes are seen by us there regularly. Various contributors report spotting Bassian Thrushes, race "lunulata", occasionally at O'Reilly's Plateau, Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD, in dense leaf litter in high-altitude (1000 m) rainforest. R. Plumtree reports spotting a Bassian Thrush, race "lunulata", at Upper Little River Road, East Gippsland, VIC, at an altitude of about 800 metres. Next seen along Commins Track, East of Swifts Creek, East Gippsland, VIC, in May 2014; this bird was spotted at an altitude of only about 550 m. Another was found on Snowy River Road, Orbost, East Gippsland, VIC, in August 2017. M. Mearns reports spotting a Bassian Thrush, race "lunulata", at Bunya Mountains NP, QLD, in December 2015. We found a Bassian Thrush at the same location in March 2016. This location is on the north-western edge of the species' range. B. Hensen found a Bassian Thrush, race "lunulata", on Bruny Island, TAS, in March 2016.

Photos

Race "lunulata"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Full-frontal view of a Bassian Thrush (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Snowy River Road, Orbost, East Gippsland, VIC, in August 2017]

Near-frontal view of a Bassian Thrush (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Snowy River Road, Orbost, East Gippsland, VIC, in August 2017]

Near-lateral view of a Bassian Thrush looking at the observer
[Bunya Mountains NP, QLD, March 2016]

Near-lateral view of a Bassian Thrush (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Snowy River Road, Orbost, East Gippsland, VIC, in August 2017]

Close-up near-lateral view of a Bassian Thrush
[Bunya Mountains NP, QLD, March 2016]

Lateral view of a Bassian Thrush (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[O'Reilly's Plateau, Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD, January 2020]

Lateral view of a Bassian Thrush (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Bruny Island, TAS, March 2016]

Lateral view of a Bassian Thrush (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Little River Road, East Gippsland, VIC]

Lateral view of a Bassian Thrush spotted at a comparatively low altitude of only 550 m (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Commins Track, East of Swifts Creek, East Gippsland, VIC, May 2014]

Near-dorsal view of a Bassian Thrush (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Snowy River Road, Orbost, East Gippsland, VIC, in August 2017]

Near-dorsal view of a Bassian Thrush; note the characteristic dark-brown rump and tail feathers (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lamington NP, QLD, February 2018]

Near-dorsal view of a Bassian Thrush in dark undergrowth
[O'Reilly's Plateau, Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD, May 2014]

Near-dorsal view of a Bassian Thrush in more open surroundings
[Bunya Mountains NP, QLD, March 2016]

Dorsal view of a Bassian Thrush (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD, February 2018]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Locally migratory

Elementary unit: Solitary

Seasonal movements of Bassian Thrushes are usually altitudinal, retreating to lower altitudes outside the breeding season.

When running on the ground, Bassian Thrushes often keep their head low, as visible in this close-up lateral view
[Bunya Mountains NP, QLD, March 2016]

Food, Diet

Like all ground thrushes known to us, Bassian Thrushes feed on small insects, grubs and worms that they find in soft soil or under leaf litter in dense, wet forests.

Lateral view of a Bassian Thrush with a load of earthworms for its brood (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Lamington NP, QLD, November 2020]

Close-up near-dorsal portrait of a Bassian Thrush foraging in dense underbrush
[Dorrigo NP, NSW, July 2009]

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.

bassthr_20140522.mp3

lunulata (SE QLD)

Contact call?

© MD

More Bassian 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.