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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Cinclosomatidae
  4. ›
  5. Cinclosoma
  6. ›
  7. Western Quail-thrush
Western Quail-thrush
Photo · (c) Nathan Ruser, some rights reserved (CC BY)

BirdUp · Species

Western Quail-thrush

Cinclosoma marginatumSharpe, 1883

Updated 21 March 2026

Origin: Endemic
Order
PASSERIFORMES
Family
Cinclosomatidae
Genus
Cinclosoma

At a glance

The Western Quail-thrush is a medium-sized bird, about 21–25 cm long, endemic to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
21–25 cm
Origin
Endemic
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Endemic
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Western Quail-thrush look like?

The Western Quail-thrush is a medium-sized bird, about 21–25 cm long and weighing 60–70 g.

Western quail-thrush is a species of bird in the family Cinclosomatidae. It is found in arid inland habitat in south-central Western Australia. It typically resides in dry woodland shrub with low understory on a stony ground. The climatic zones it is most commonly found in are semi-arid or arid.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
21–25 cm
Weight
60–70 g

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Western Quail-thrush?

The Western Quail-thrush is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

What does a Western Quail-thrush eat?

The Western Quail-thrush feeds on spiders, insects and arthropods, usually foraging in walks slowly on the ground pecking at soil.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

5 photos

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Western Quail-thrush live in Australia?

The Western Quail-thrush is endemic to Australia, recorded across 13 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingWest-central WA to south-west NT and south-west SA (west-central Australia)

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Non-breeding
  • Resident

3 regions recorded