Rufous Scrub-bird

1. Male has a white streak along the neck and white-edged throat

2. Rich rufous-brown upperparts with fine black barring

3. Loud, metallic song heard far more often than the bird is seen

Rufous Scrub-birds are ground foragers, searching for insects, snails, and other invertebrates by tossing aside leaf litter with their head and bill. Breeding occurs from early spring to summer, mainly September to November. Females build a dome-shaped nest on or near the ground and lay two eggs per clutch. Only the female incubates the eggs and cares for the young, with no assistance from the male. The incubation period is unusually long for a bird of this size, lasting about 36–38 days.

The Rufous Scrub-bird is restricted to dense, wet rainforests and moist eucalypt forests above 6 meters elevation in the border ranges of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland. Key areas include the Gibraltar Range, Mistake Range, Lamington Plateau, and Border Ranges. They prefer thick ground cover with deep leaf litter, often near fallen logs and watercourses. The species is almost always detected by its powerful song rather than by sight, as it scuttles through the undergrowth and rarely ventures into the open.