Bird guideOrange Chat

Brightly colored, terrestrial songbird found in open and arid regions across much of inland Australia.

⚠️Not listed
🌿Endemic to Australia

At a glance

FamilyHoneyeaters
SizeTiny
RarityCommon
HabitatBrightly colored, terrestrial songbird found in open and arid regions across much of inland Australia.
Best timeMost reliable in South Australia from July to September.

Sounds

Sound sample
0:000:00
Recorded by Marc Anderson

Range map

Range map

2201visible hotspots
12351visible records
5states
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

Male has rich bright orange head and underparts, with a dramatic throat that extends to the dark eye. In flight, the back is slightly paler than the wings. Females plainer, with faint yellowish underparts, yellowish face, and red eye.

Behavior

The orange chat is a small ground songbird with relatively long, broad, rounded wings and a short, square-ended tail. Orange chats are strongly nomadic within the arid and semi-arid zones of Australia that they inhabit. The orange chat is nomadic, but less so than the crimson chat, and moves around irregularly.

Regional timing

South Australia
Peak: July to September4,416 records
Western Australia
Peak: June to September601 records
Northern Territory
Peak: May to October1,284 records
Queensland
Peak: June to August2,261 records
New South Wales
Peak: September to October2,724 records
Victoria
Peak: September to October961 records

Commonly confused with

© BetterBirdingAustralian bird pages, free in the app, with every feature unlocked.Privacy