Chestnut-crowned Babbler
Back (being silly)
Ellura
Chestnut-crowned Babbler
Having a shower
 
                      
Chestnut-crowned Babbler (Pomatostomus ruficeps)Class: Animals (Animalia) - Chordates (Chordata) - Birds (Aves)
Order: Perching Birds (Passeriformes)
Family: Australasian Babbler (Pomatostomidae)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: Chestnut-crowned Babbler (Pomatostomus ruficeps)
This Photo:     Fighting

Thank you Petra Hanke for confirming the id of this species for us

EXTRA - Photo Specific Information:
While checking the reserve, these two suddenly fell in front of us on the track going hard at it.
One assumes they are male.
We jumped out and proceeded to take photo's as we walked up to them.
They completely ignored us until we were within metres.
A truly amazing spectacle
General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA) and elsewhere
Very similar to the more common white-browed babbler. Easy to miss-identify.
However the white lines on the back guarantee Chestnut-crowned vs white-browed.
Both have white tips on their tails making them look like fan-tails when they fly.
Generally run, skip and hop along the ground. A sentry sits up in a nearby bush to warn those on the ground of danger.

Copyright © 2009-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 22-Nov-2009
This species is classed as NT (Near Threatened) in the Murray Mallee, SA, by DENR (Regional Species Status Assessments, July 2010)