Alternative names: Orange-breasted Chat; Orange-fronted Chat; Orange-fronted Nun; Tang; Saltbush Canary
- Epthianura aurifrons
Identification
11-12 cm. A distinctive species.
Male
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- Rich orange forehead, becoming yellow on crown
- Prominent black mask
- Olive-yellow rest of head and upperparts with dark brown mottling or streaking on nape, mantle, back and scapulars
- Bright yellow uppertail-coverts
- Brownish wings with whitish or yellow-white fringes
- Orange-yellow underparts
- Reddish eye
Female
- Greyish-brown head with yellow tinge and without black mask
- Whitish lores and chin becoming pale yellow on throat
- Upperwings similar to male
- Pale yellow underparts with some brown wash
Juveniles are similar to females.
Distribution
Arid interior of Australia.
Locally fairly common, especially after good rains.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Habitat
In open shrubland and stony areas of semi-arid or arid regions, sometimes in coastal regions. Often at the edge of saltlakes, occasionally in low mulga woodland or in spinifex. Only rarely on agricultural land.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on insects (grasshoppers, caterpillars, flies, beetles), small spiders and vegetable matter.
Forages in low shrub or on the ground, usually in pairs or small groups.
Breeding
Breeding season usually from August to Novembers but also recorded in other months. The nest is a small cup made from fine twigs, grass, rootlets and feathers. It's placed 10-30 cm above the ground in low shrub, sometimes on the ground. Lays 3 eggs. Sometimes parasitized by Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo.
Movements
A nomadic species. Usually more common after good rains.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved November 2015)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Orange Chat. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Orange_Chat
