Few things beat breakfast in the bush. We were in the Mallee forest near Lake Gilles, about five hours north-west of Adelaide, and more or less halfway across Australia. But although I am famous for enjoying my food, I love birds even more. And so when my guide Steve Potter detected a repetitive whistling call in the distance, our coffee and cornflakes had to wait.
First Encounter with the Copperback Quail-Thrush
We headed quickly but quietly into the forest, stopping every now and then to listen. The call seemed to be coming from head height, very close by. Then a large, plump bird materialised beneath a bush, walking purposefully towards us: a copperback quail-thrush.
Endemic to South and Western Australia
Endemic to South and Western Australia, this species was recently separated from the chestnut quail-thrush, which we also managed to see the very next day. Like the names of many Australian songbirds, “quail-thrush” is not what it seems. Neither a quail, nor a thrush, the family is found only in New Guinea and Australia.
And what a bird! Its snow-white eyebrow, moustache and belly contrasted with the smart black throat, and the radiant, copper-coloured back that gives the bird its English name; the scientific name, Cinclosoma clarum, translates as “luminous tail-wagging thrush”.
Terrestrial Habits and Memorable Sighting
Unlike most songbirds, quail-thrushes are mainly terrestrial, walking unobtrusively across the forest floor, and rarely bothering to fly. Of all the many charismatic birds I saw on my whistlestop tour of South Australia, this was by far the most memorable. And well worth delaying breakfast for.
