The Nullarbor quail-thrush (''Cinclosoma alisteri'') is a species of

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 ...

in 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 ...

. It is the only Australian bird

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 the

Nullarbor Plain The Nullarbor Plain ( ; Latin: feminine of , 'no', and , 'tree') is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its ...

in southern

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 ...

Taxonomy

The species was first described by

Gregory Mathews Gregory Macalister Mathews Order of the British Empire, CBE FRSE FZS FLS (10 September 1876 – 27 March 1949) was an Australian-born amateur ornithologist who spent most of his later life in England. Life He was born in Biamble, New South Wal ...

in 1910, selecting a specimen held in his personal collection as the type.

Description

The size of the male is slightly larger than the female, the range is 185 to 210 millimetres. The tail colour is black at the outer feathers, tipped with white, the upper parts of the plumage is otherwise a rufous colour. Black coloration appears at the lores, throat, breast, and beneath white spots at the shoulder.

Behaviour

A ground-feeding bird that is usually only evident while foraging, ''Cinclosoma alisteri'' actively moves over a range, although in a haphazard manner, turning stones in search of seeds and small invertebrates. This quail-thrush is able to see anything approaching for a considerable distance on the plains, and will quickly seek refuge beneath a shrub or in the burrows created by the introduced rabbit. During the breeding season a pair will defend a territory, but at other times they are found in groups of around individuals. Breeding may occur at any opportune time of the year, but always during a period from August to September. The site selected for breeding may be a slight depression scraped into the earth by the female, but is often against a bush, rock, or patch of grass and lined with strips of plant material. The clutch size is usually two eggs, measuring 28 by 20 mm, which are a creamy white colour with brownish or greyish spots.

Distribution and habitat

The range is restricted to the Nullarbor Plain, an area in southern Australia that extends across the Western and South Australian border. The habitat favoured by this species is described as limestone gibber plains, containing little overlying vegetation, and shrub-dominated plant communities on the

steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the temperate grasslands, ...

. Two other species of the genus are populations that also resulted from the increasing aridity of the Australian continent: the chestnut quail-thrush ''

Cinclosoma castanotum 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 isolated ...

'' has a wider distribution that overlaps with this species; and the cinnamon quail-thrush ''

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 ...

'' which is only found to the north of the Nullarbor.

Gallery

File:Cinclosoma alisteri Gronvold 1910.jpg, Illustration by

Henrik Grönvold Henrik is a male given name of Germanic origin, primarily used in Scandinavia, Estonia, Hungary and Slovenia. In Poland, the name is spelt Henryk but pronounced similarly. Equivalents in other languages are Henry (English), Heiki (Estonian), Heikk ...

, 1910 File:Emu volume 21 plate 36.png, Nest and eggs photographed by F. Lawson Whitlock . ''

The Emu ''Emu'', subtitled ''Austral Ornithology'', is the peer-reviewed scientific journal of BirdLife Australia (formerly the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union). The journal was established in 1901 and is the oldest ornithological journal publis ...

'', 1921.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7068989

Nullarbor quail-thrush The Nullarbor quail-thrush (''Cinclosoma alisteri'') is a species of bird in the family Cinclosomatidae. It is the only Australian bird endemic to the Nullarbor Plain in southern Australia. Taxonomy The species was first described by Gregory ...

Birds of Western Australia Birds of South Australia Endemic birds of Australia Nullarbor Plain