The Apostlebird (Struthidea cinerea) is native to Australia and has dark gray bird with stout black bill, speckled plumage, brown on the wings, quick-moving and full of character. Highly gregarious, they are usually seen in family groups that forage on the ground, although you do see them up in trees. They follow each other around, chattering to each other constantly. A group can consists of up to 30 birds. The early settlers had named these birds in relation to the apostles of Jesus Christ, believing that they were in groups of twelve birds.
The Apostlebirds belong to a group of birds known as ‘mud-nesters’, in the Corcoracidae family, that are noted for their communal activities and their nests that are constructed from mud and plant fibres. They are often associate with another gregarious species, the White-winged Chough, both species build distinctive nests from mud, although the Apostlebirds’ nest is smaller.
They are found throughout eastern Australia, more commonly in the drier inland areas, as well as some coastal areas, and also the northern inland part of the Top End of the Northern Territory. They have become habituated to the presence of people in some camping and picnic areas.
Images © Dorothy L
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Aves
- Order: Passeriformes
- Family: Corcoracidae
- Genus: Struthidea
- Species: Struthidea cinerea
BirdsBird Index Apostlebird Australasian Darter Australasian Figbird Australasian Gannet Australasian Grebe Australasian Pipit Australasian Robins Australasian Shoveler (Spatula rhynchotis) Australasian Wrens Australian Babblers Australian Bustard Australian Chats Australian Magpie Australian Pelican Australian Pratincole (Stiltia isabella) Australian White Ibis Bassian Thrush Black-faced Cormorant Black-faced Woodswallow Black Swan Bowerbirds Brolga Brown Songlark Channel-billed Cuckoo Cinnamon Quail-thrush Cormorants Cuckooshrikes and Allies Dotterels Lapwings Plovers Doves & Pigeons Emu Fairy Martin Finches Freckled Duck Grey Fantail Grey Teal Honeyeaters Kingfishers Little Friarbird Little Grassbird Magpie-lark Masked Woodswallow Noisy Pitta Olive Whistler Paradise Riflebird Pardalotes Parrots Pheasant Coucal Pied Butcherbird Rainbow Bee-eater Raptors Rufous Fantail Redthroat Rufous Bristlebird Silver-crowned Friarbird Torresian Crow Waders Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena) Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida) White-browed Woodswallow White Capped Noddy White-faced Heron White-necked Heron Willie Wagtail Yellow-throated Scrubwren