The Nullarbor quail-thrush is a species of bird, Cinclosoma alisteri, in the family Psophodidae. It is the only Australian bird endemic to the Nullarbor Plain in southern Australia.
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct ...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe 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.
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.
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 has a wider distribution that overlaps with this species and the cinnamon Cinclosoma cinnamomeum which is only found to the north of the Nullarbor.
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 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 millimetres, which are a creamy white colour with brownish or greyish spots.
