Russet-tailed Thrush

1. Warm rufous rump and uppertail contrasting with dark olive-brown back

2. White in tail corners visible in flight (but can be subtle)

3. More prominent pale wingbar tips and narrower, longer bill than Bassian Thrush

Russet-tailed Thrushes build large, well-concealed cup nests covered with moss, usually placed in tree forks or on old stumps up to 15 metres above the ground. They lay 2–3 pale greenish-blue to sky-blue eggs with sparse chestnut spotting. Their diet consists mainly of worms and molluscs found in the forest floor, supplemented by fallen fruit when available. Both parents share incubation and care of the young. Breeding season is not precisely defined but aligns with periods of food abundance.

Russet-tailed Thrushes inhabit wet forests, rainforest edges, and cool gullies with dense leaf litter across eastern Australia, from the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland to southeastern New South Wales. They are most often seen foraging on the ground, especially during early morning and late afternoon. They favour areas with deep leaf litter and moist soil, often venturing to forest edges and tracks when active. Their distribution is generally more coastal and at lower altitudes than the Bassian Thrush, but the two species can overlap in some regions. [`4`](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russet-tailed_thrush)