Copperback Quail-thrush

1. Males: Deep chestnut-brown back and rump, black throat and breast

2. Both sexes: White eyebrow and moustache stripes, intricate white-spotted wing patterns

3. Grey flanks distinguish from other quail-thrush species

Copperback Quail-thrushes build cup-shaped nests in shallow ground depressions sheltered by shrubs or grass clumps, typically breeding during the cooler winter months but potentially year-round if conditions are favourable. Their diet consists mainly of arthropods and seeds. Some populations may be nomadic in response to rainfall. When threatened, they perform dramatic distraction displays and, if flushed, fly low and fast with loud whirring wings before running into cover. Both parents share incubation duties.

Copperback Quail-thrushes inhabit arid woodlands, shrublands, and mallee with sandy substrates across southwestern Australia, from Lake Torrens to Shark Bay. They favour areas with well-developed shrub layers, including acacia, grevillea, hakea, and eremophila, often with spinifex grass. Look for them quietly foraging on the ground, especially during early morning and late afternoon when they are most active. Their cryptic plumage and secretive behaviour make them easier to hear than seelisten for their high-pitched, whistled “seeeep” call`.`