Chowchilla
Orthonyx spaldingii
Macaulay Library ML22520431 · Cornell Lab of Ornithology
eBird code
chowch1
Best season
Year-round
Difficulty
2/5
A loud, skulking ground-dweller whose dawn chorus of ringing calls is one of the signature sounds of the Wet Tropics. Forages by flicking leaf litter with powerful legs.
Field notes from Clayton Smith
Chowchilla are heard more than seen as the group will erupt spontaneously in babbling often right on daybreak from deep within the dense gullies of the wettest mountain rainforests. Look out for their fancy footwork as they scratch around in little troops on the rainforest floor, as much like a mammal as a bird.
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See this species with us
The Chowchilla is among the species we target on our Wet Tropics Expedition. Eight days, maximum five guests, led by Clayton Smith.
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