About
This small, essentially flightless bird is found in Western Australia.
It forages low to the ground where it feeds on a range of invertebrates. The male of the species is extremely territorial and is often heard performing a loud song, for which it is named. Their territorial call starts as a pleasant song that accelerates into an ear-splitting finish. The Noisy Scrub-bird has experienced huge declines across its range due to changes in fire regime and the increase of wildfires. The use of fires has been limited in the areas where populations still persist. Current estimates place the population between 1,000 and 1,500 mature individuals. This scrub-bird has been the focus of 50 years of research and management. Several translocations, some of which included the removal of introduced predators, have been attempted with some successes. Surveys are still being carried out to locate suitable habitat for translocations. The scrub-birds (the Noisy Scrub-bird Atrichornis clamosus and the Rufous Scrub-bird) form a small endemic family of passerine birds who are most closely related to the lyre-birds. DNA studies have suggested that they differentiated from lyre-birds 30-35 million years ago. The Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife consider the Rufous scrub-bird a living fossil that evolved 97–65 million years ago. They are considered an ancient lineage and were likely part of the corvid radiation of the Australia-New Guinea region.
- Order: Passeriformes
- Family: Atrichornithidae
- Population: 1,500-2,300
- Trend: decreasing
- Size: 22-26cm
- Weight: 31-55g
EDGE Score
Distribution
This species is found on the south coast of Western Australia between Albany and Cheynes Beach.
Habitat and Ecology
This species prefers dense habitat with suitable material for nesting such as dense clumps of sedges or shrubs. Their habitat is usually has a well-developed leaf litter where they can feed on invertebrates, such as ants, beetles and spiders. Egg-laying can occur as early as May but peaks in late June. A single egg is incubated for 36–38 days, which is longer than most passerine birds of a similar size. Chicks will then fledge three or four weeks after hatching