Alternative names: Rufous Shrike-thrush; Brown Shrike-flycatcher; Rufous Thrush; Red Thrush; Little Thrush; Fawn-breasted Shrike-thrush; Rusty-breasted Shrike-thrush; Rufous-breasted Shrike-thrush
- Colluricincla megarhyncha
Identification
16.5 - 19cm. A species with many different subspecies:
- Olive-brown upperparts, greyish in some subspecies
- Pinkish-brown to blackish bill
- Cinnamon to grey-whitish underparts
- Throat paler and slightly streaked
Sexes alike
Similar species
Can be confused with Bower's Shrike-thrush in northeast Queensland.
Distribution
New Guinea and north and east Australia.
Common to abundant in parts of its range.
Taxonomy
Clements accepts 29 subspecies:
- C. m. affinis on Waigeo Island, New Guinea
- C. m. batantae on Batanta Island, New Guinea
- C. m. misoliensis on Misool Island, New Guinea
- C. m. aruensis on Aru Islands, New Guinea
- C. m. obscura on Yapen Island, New Guinea
- C. m. melanorhyncha on Biak Island, New Guinea
- C. m. idenburgi in northern New Guinea (slopes south of Idenburg River)
- C. m. hybridus in northern New Guinea (Humboldt Bay to Mamberamo River)
- C. m. tappenbecki in northeast New Guinea (Astrolabe Bay to lower Sepik River)
- C. m. maeandrina in northeast New Guinea (upper Sepik River and Victor Emanuel Mts.)
- C. m. megarhyncha in western New Guinea (Vogelkop to Onin Peninsula)
- C. m. ferruginea on Head of Geelvink Bay, northwestern New Guinea
- C. m. neos in Herzog Mountains, southern coast of Huon Gulf and upper Watut River, New Guinea
- C. m. madaraszi in northeastern New Guinea (Huon Peninsula)
- C. m. goodsoni in southern New Guinea (Merauke District)
- C. m. wuroi in southern New Guinea (Oriomo River to Morehead River)
- C. m. palmeri in southern New Guinea (Trans-Fly lowlands)
- C. m. despecta on southern coast of southeast New Guinea (Milne Bay to Hall Sound)
- C. m. superflua on northern coast of sotheast New Guinea (Collingwood Bay to Aicora River)
- C. m. fortis on D'Entrecasteaux Archipelago, New Guinea
- C. m. trobriandi on Trobriand Islands (Solomon Sea)
- C. m. discolor on Tagula Island (Louisiade Archipelago)
- C. m. parvula in northwestern Australia (Kimberley, Western Australia to Arnhem Land)
- C. m. aelptes in Northern Territory (coastal Gulf of Carpenteria)
- C. m. normani in coastal northern Queensland (w and e Cape York Peninsula)
- C. m. griseata in rainforests of northeast Queensland (Cooktown to Ingham)
- C. m. synaptica in rainforests of central Queensland (Burdekin R. to Dawson R. basin)
- C. m. gouldii in eastern Queensland (Connors Range to Dawes Range)
- C. m. rufigaster in eastern Australia (sotheast Queensland to northeast New South Wales)
A recent study demonstrates that there probably are several full species within what we now call Little Shrike-thrush.
Habitat
Rainforest, mangroves, swamp and riverine vegetation, and coastal woodland. Up to 1850m in New Guinea, locally even higher. In Australia mostly in lowlands.
Behaviour
Diet includes mainly insects, also spiders, small snails, and occasionally fruit, obtained mostly by gleaning.
Breeding season in Australia from August to February. Breeding recorded in New Guinea in March, May, June, September and October to December. The nest, a deep cup of bark and dry leaves bound with spider web, is placed in upright fork or dense tangle of vegetation. 2-3 white to pale pinkish cream eggs are laid and incubated for 19 days; fledging at about 12 days.
Resident species.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2013. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.8., with updates to August 2013. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2007. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553422
- Simpson, K and N Day. 1998. Field Guide to the Birds of Australia. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7136-4877-5
- Birdforum thread discussing the taxonomy of Little/Rufous Shrike-Thrush
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Little Shrikethrush. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 4 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Little_Shrikethrush
