Nullarbor Quail-thrush

1. Males: Black throat patch connecting to thick black breast band (upside-down “T”)

2. Rich rufous upperparts and brown sides with black streaking

3. Endemic to the Nullarbor Plain’s treeless limestone environment

Nullarbor Quail-thrushes are ground feeders, foraging in a seemingly random manner and quickly seeking cover under shrubs or in rabbit burrows if threatened. Outside the breeding season, they may form small groups, but pairs defend territories during breeding. Breeding can occur at any time of year when conditions are favourable, but is most often recorded from August to September. Nests are simple depressions in the earth, often lined with plant material and placed against a bush or rock. The clutch is usually two creamy white, brown- or grey-spotted eggs. Both parents share incubation and care of the young.

Nullarbor Quail-thrushes are found exclusively on the Nullarbor Plain, inhabiting open low shrubland and limestone gibber plains with little overlying vegetation. They forage on the ground, flipping stones in search of seeds and small invertebrates, and are most active during the cooler hours of early morning and late afternoon. Their cryptic plumage and wary behaviour make them challenging to spot, but their high-pitched “seeeep” calls can be heard across the open plain`.`