Bird guideBassian Thrush

Large thrush, greenish brown with black scallop marks above, pale with black scaly marks below.

⚠️WA: Rare
🌿Endemic to Australia

At a glance

FamilyThrushes and Allies
SizeMedium
RarityCommon
HabitatInhabits wet forests, where it forages in leaf litter.
Best timeMost reliable in Victoria from May.

Sounds

Sound sample
0:000:00
Recorded by Marc Anderson

Range map

Range map

1643visible hotspots
32829visible records
4states
Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence

Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.

Species notes

Overview

Larger than Russet-tailed Thrush and has a smaller-appearing bill. In flight when tail is spread, may only show a white spot in tail corners, while Russet-tailed Thrush has more white along edge of tail. Adult has a smaller wingbar with less prominent pale tips (which extend back along the feather shaft like an arrow-head) than Russet-tailed Thrush. Introduced Song Thrush has spots rather than scaly marks below.

Behavior

Inhabits wet forests, where it forages in leaf litter. Song recalls that of Common Blackbird, very different from Russet-tailed Thrush song.

Regional timing

New South Wales
Peak: July to May11,533 records
Tasmania
Peak: October to April3,326 records
Queensland
Peak: October to November3,661 records
Victoria
Peak: May14,756 records
South Australia
Peak: January to May411 records
Australian Capital Territory
Peak: July to August1,128 records
Western Australia
Peak: October1 records
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