The chestnut quail-thrush (''Cinclosoma castanotum'') is a native Australian
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
of the family
Cinclosomatidae
Cinclosomatidae is a family of passerine birds native to Australia and New Guinea. It has a complicated taxonomic history and different authors vary in which birds they include in the family. It includes the quail-thrushes and jewel-babblers.
Ta ...
. These scrub birds are
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and found in all states - barring Tasmania. They are relatively uncommon and are isolated to the
semi-arid
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...
and
arid
A region is arid when it severely lacks available water, to the extent of hindering or preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life. Regions with arid climates tend to lack vegetation and are called xeric or desertic. Most ar ...
fringes of the Australian interior.
Description
Similar in physical appearance to other species such as
Cinclosoma cinnamomeum
The cinnamon quail-thrush (''Cinclosoma cinnamomeum'') is cryptic arid-zone species that is endemic to Australia. This small to medium-sized species of bird is found in the arid and semi-arid regions of central Australia.
Taxonomy
This speci ...
and ''C.c. punctatum'', the chestnut quail-thrush is a medium-sized bird that resides in the lower canopy and scrub of arid and semi-arid vegetation. The male is characterised by a rich, yellow chestnut breast, yellow to chestnut flank, with a black band that separates the white belly from the breast. The female differs with a deeper, lighter throat that lacks the black band that separates the belly from the chest, presenting an overall duller hue than the male. The difference in plumage and body size is attributed to the sexual dimorphism common amongst the Cinclosoma genus.
[OEH (2017) "Chestnut quail-thrush profile". ''Threatened Species''. Office of Environment & Heritage: NSW]
/ref>
They are known to collect in pairs and small family groups, using scrub and bushes for concealment and song perches, and running swiftly in rocketing bursts when disturbed or alarmed.[Pizzey, G. & Knight, F. (2012) ''The Field Guide to Birds of Australia'', 9th Eds. HarperCollins Publishers: Sydney] The chestnut quail-thrush can be distinguished by its high-pitched call, heard as a ‘seep’ or an insect-like ‘see see see’.
Taxonomy
The family Cinclosomatidae
Cinclosomatidae is a family of passerine birds native to Australia and New Guinea. It has a complicated taxonomic history and different authors vary in which birds they include in the family. It includes the quail-thrushes and jewel-babblers.
Ta ...
is characterised by terrestrial birds that prefer the safety of the ground to the wide arena of the air. They are often observed squatting and running along the ground, usually foraging. The birds of this family – those that include jewel-babblers and wedgebills – also prefer the ground for nesting purposes. The Cinclosoma castanotum species was discovered by John Gould
John Gould (; 14 September 1804 – 3 February 1881) was an English ornithologist. He published a number of monographs on birds, illustrated by plates produced by his wife, Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists, including Edward Lear, ...
in 1840 and was labelled so in order to draw attention to the patch of chestnut on the lower back of the bird.[Gray, J. & Fraser, I. (2013) ''Australian Bird Names: A Complete Guide''. CSIRO Publishing: Australia] The race ''marginatum'' is the ‘western quail-thrush’ – adopting a richer plumage and found around the majority of inland Western Australia. The moniker ''castanotum'' derives from the Greek word ''kastanon'' meaning chestnut and ''noton'' meaning the back.
The other quail-thrush that share the same genus are distributed through the arid and semi-arid areas of Central Australia, as well as more temperate and tropical areas in northern Australia and New Guinea.[Toon, A. et al. (2012) "Evolution of arid zone birds in Australia: Leapfrog distribution patterns and mesic-arid connections in quail-thrush (Cinclosoma, Cinclosomatidae)". ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'', Vol. 62. Elsevier: The Netherlands. pp. 286-295] The most notable species include the painted quail-thrush
The painted quail-thrush (''Cinclosoma ajax'') is a species of bird in the family Cinclosomatidae.
It is found in New Guinea.
Its natural habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors ...
(''Cinclosoma ajax''), spotted quail-thrush
The spotted quail-thrush (''Cinclosoma punctatum'') is a species of bird in the family Cinclosomatidae.
It is endemic to Australia.
Its natural habitat is subtropical, tropical and temperate dry forest
Dry or dryness most often refers to:
* ...
(''C.c. punctatum''), chestnut quail-thrush (''C.c. castanotum''), cinnamon quail-thrush
The cinnamon quail-thrush (''Cinclosoma cinnamomeum'') is cryptic arid-zone species that is endemic to Australia. This small to medium-sized species of bird is found in the arid and semi-arid regions of central Australia.
Taxonomy
This speci ...
(''C.c. cinnamomeum''), and chestnut-breasted quail-thrush
The chestnut-breasted quail-thrush (''Cinclosoma castaneothorax'') is a small endemic Australian bird which is predominantly found within the semi-arid deserts of New South Wales and Queensland.
Distribution
The chestnut-breasted quail-thrus ...
(''C.c. castaneothorax'').
It has been suggested that the quail-thrush found in arid zones originate from their forest ancestors in the tropical reaches of northern Australia and the Guinea lowlands, changing as the climate shifted from a wet climate to a cooler, dryer climate in the late Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...
. Despite this, there remains some debate as to the origin and taxonomical relationship between the arid and tropical species due to the stark difference in habitat and environment.
A study in 2015 found the divergence between species using mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA or mDNA) is the DNA located in mitochondria, cellular organelles within eukaryotic cells that convert chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial D ...
(mtDNA), characterising each group through spatial and phylogenetic qualities.[Dolman, G. & Joseph, L. (2015) "Evolutionary history of birds across southern Australia: structure, history and taxonomic implications of mitochondrial DNA diversity in an ecologically diverse suite of species". ''Emu - Austral Ornithology'', Vol. 115. pp - 35-48. DOI: 10.1071/MU14047] The study concluded that populations of ''Cinclosoma castanotum'' east of the Eyrean Barrier were to remain their original taxonomical moniker, while those west of the Eyrean Barrier were split into C. c. clarum, C. c. fordianum or into phenotypically intermediate subspecies. In addition to the divergence in mtDNA, there was a difference in dorsal colouration caused by sexual dimorphism in species found to the east and west of the Eyrean Barrier – helping to define the taxonomical separations.[Ford, J. R. (1981). "Geographic variation in Cinclosoma castanotum and its historical significance". ''Emu 81'', 185–192. doi:10.1071/MU9810185]
Distribution and Habitat
The chestnut quail-thrush occurs in a relatively large area across the interior of Australia, covering both semi-arid and arid landscapes. The nominate species of ''Cinclosoma castanotum'' is found in central Queensland, extending down through the New South Wales border and continuing south as far as Cobar. The race ''marginatum'' occurs from the far southwest corner of the Northern Territory across to Shark Bay in WA and as far south as Kalgoorlie. The distribution and habitats of the chestnut quail-thrush is naturally fragmented due to natural landscape breaks, such as the Eyrean Barrier, Murchison Barrier and the desert landscapes of the Yellabinna Region – landscapes that do not support mallee or heathland
A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler ...
and thus a lack of suitable habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
.
The traditional habitat of the chestnut quail-thrush is scrub and low-lying vegetation, such as mulga-eucalyptus and acacias
''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...
that reside on stony ground, as well as grevilleas and tea trees on rocky hillocks. There is a variance between habitat enjoyed by species inhabiting NSW and those in WA, with the former occurring exclusively in mallee woodlands that feature spinifex and acacia shrubs, while the latter enjoys an understorey habitat characterised by sclerophyll
Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. The plants feature hard leaf, leaves, short Internode (botany), internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem) and leaf orientation which is paral ...
woodlands, acacia shrubs and heathland. Their relationship to fire regimes varies with the highest densities occurring between two and fifteen years, while densities have been observed to drop when fire intervals fall below two years.
Behaviour and Diet
The chestnut quail-thrush is a largely ground-based bird that favours the understorey over the canopy in order to forage, nest and hide from predators. They are a locally nomadic bird that prefers to run than fly – with or without disturbance. They are a diurnal species that forages during the day and are often seen in pairs or small family groups when foraging, nesting or singing. It has been observed that, as with other quail-thrush, they can be easily confused with a babbler when running.[Smith, B. & Smith, M. (2019) ''Ellura Sanctuary - Birds''. Accessed 4 Jun]
/ref> Easily disturbed from external activity, the chestnut quail-thrush is difficult to follow and has a practiced skill in hiding in undergrowth and scrub when threatened.
The ''Cinclosoma castanotum'' is an omnivore species that feeds on a combination of ground-laden insects and seeds. They are often observed foraging through clumps of spinifex chasing insects such as grasshoppers, beetles and caterpillars, both native and exotic seed, as well as the fruit of various native plants.
Reproduction
Chestnut quail-thrush adopt the same breeding season as other quail-thrush – from July to August – with the males singing from daybreak throughout the breeding season[Chapman, G. (2016) "Chestnut quail-thrush". ''Australian Birds''. Accessed 4 June.]
/ref> In between August and December (depending on rainfall) they lay in between 2 and 3 eggs that are cream to white in colour with blackish brown spots covering the surface.[BiodiversityWatch (2017) ''BirdWatch''. Accessed 4 June]
/ref> They are a ground nesting bird that makes their nest in a small depression using surrounding foliage and vegetation, such as bark, grass and sticks.
Threats and Conservation
The chestnut quail-thrush is listed as Least Concern under the IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
guidelines and is in no immediate danger of extinction. Despite this, it has gone into decline in some parts of WA. This decline spreads along the western range of the ''marginatum'' contingent, specifically Kellerberrin, Dryandra
''Banksia'' ser. ''Dryandra'' is a series of 94 species of shrub to small tree in the plant genus ''Banksia''. It was considered a separate genus named ''Dryandra'' until early 2007, when it was merged into ''Banksia'' on the basis of extensiv ...
and large parts of the Western Australia wheatbelt.[Fulton, G. (2013) Woodland birds persisting in least disturbed environment: Birds of Dryandra Woodland 1953–2008. Pacific Conservation Biology, Vol. 19. Surrey Beatty & Sons: Sydney. pp. 58-75] In areas of NSW the population trend appears to be falling as well, though not fast enough to warrant a change to Vulnerable under the population trend criteria.[Birdlife International (2019) ''Species factsheet: Cinclosoma castanotum''. Accessed June 4.]
/ref>
The species – and genus at large - are vulnerable to a variety of threats, including: land clearing leading to habitat loss, Habitat fragmentation, fragmentation and genetic isolation; the degradation of habitat due to adjacent or immediate human activity; predation from invasive pests, such as cats and foxes; the direct and indirect challenges faced by inappropriate fire regimes, including rapid landscape change; and the unknown future threats driven by anthropogenic climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
.
Potential conservation assistance strategies have been suggested, centring on reducing the stocking rates in and around potential and real habitat; retention of remnant grasslands and shrubland, aggressive control of invasive predators, and the implementation and maintenance of a sustainable fire plan.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q27075283
chestnut quail-thrush
The chestnut quail-thrush (''Cinclosoma castanotum'') is a native Australian bird of the family Cinclosomatidae. These scrub birds are endemic to Australia and found in all states - barring Tasmania. They are relatively uncommon and are isolate ...
Endemic birds of Australia
chestnut quail-thrush
The chestnut quail-thrush (''Cinclosoma castanotum'') is a native Australian bird of the family Cinclosomatidae. These scrub birds are endemic to Australia and found in all states - barring Tasmania. They are relatively uncommon and are isolate ...
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot