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26

Bassian Thrush

(Zoothera lunulata)
Alternate name(s): "Ground Thrush", "Mountain Thrush", "Scaly Thrush", "White's Thrush"
Size: 27-29 cm
Weight: 95-140 g

Similar
species

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

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See Bassian Thrush at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

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 (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Snowy River Road, Orbost, East Gippsland, VIC, in August 2017]

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

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]

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

Behaviour

When running on the ground, Bassian Thrushes often keep their head low, as visible here
[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]

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.