| Scrubbird | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Noisy scrubbird (Atrichornis clamosus) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Atrichornithidae Stejneger, 1885 |
| Genus: | Atrichornis Stejneger, 1885 |
| Type species | |
| Atrichia clamosa[1] Gould, 1844 | |
| Species | |
Scrubbirds areshy, secretive, ground-dwelling birds of the familyAtrichornithidae. There are just twospecies. Therufous scrubbird is rare and very restricted in its range, and thenoisy scrubbird is so rare that until 1961 it was thought to beextinct. Both are native toAustralia.
The scrubbird family is ancient and is understood to be most closely related to thelyrebirds, and probably also thebowerbirds andtreecreepers. All four families originated with the greatcorvid radiation of theAustralia-New Guinea region.
The population of thenoisy scrubbird was estimated at 40 to 45 birds in 1962.Conservation efforts succeeded in increasing the population to around 400 birds by the mid-1980s, and they have subsequently been reintroduced to several sites, but remain endangered. As of 2002, the population had recovered to around 1,200 birds.
Birds of both species are about the same size as acommon starling (roughly 20 cm long) and cryptically coloured in drab browns and blacks. They occupy dense undergrowth—therufous scrubbird intemperate rain forests near theQueensland-New South Wales border, thenoisy scrubbird in heaths and scrubby gullies in coastalWestern Australia—and are adept at scuttling mouse-like under cover to avoid notice.[2] They run fast, but their flight is feeble.
The males' calls, however, are powerful:[2] ringing and metallic, with a ventriloquial quality, so loud as to be heard from a long distance in heavy scrub and almost painful at close range. Females build a domed nest close to the ground and take sole responsibility for raising the young.
| Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atrichornis rufescens | Rufous scrubbird | north-eastern New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland | |
| Atrichornis clamosus | Noisy scrubbird | east of Albany in Western Australia |
