My first Bassian Thrush

I was having a picnic next to Sugarloaf Range Dam (a very small body of water) in the Sugarloaf State Conservation Area, when I spotted a bird moving around on the other side of the water:

https://youtu.be/53OBwOVVQBQ

This is my first sighting of a Bassian Thrush. The video isn’t great, but it does show the characteristic movement pattern of this shy bird: darting forward in a short burst, then freezing to blend in with the vegetation.

Here’s a photo, which also isn’t great. The bird was very far away and the lighting was harsh: bright and dark with nothing in between:

I’m excited about this first sighting! It’s also the first thrush of any type that I’ve posted to this blog (aside from Grey Shrike-thrushes, which aren’t actually thrushes).

Common name: Bassian Thrush
Scientific name: Zoothera lunulata
Length: 27-29 cm
Date spotted: 18 February 2026 (summer)
Location: Sugarloaf Dam Access Road, New South Wales, Australia: 32°56’36.6″S 151°30’39.5″E

We did the Koondaii Loop track this morning and encountered a few birds along the way. Here are four of them.

A Grey Goshawk, checking us out.
A Brown Cuckoo-Dove.
A Rufous Fantail.
And a Bassian Thrush.

#Bird #AustralianWildlife #WildOz #GreyGoshawk #BrownCuckooDove #RufousFantail #BassianThrush

It is unclear if the Bassian Thrush actually farts on the ground to startle worms to find/eat - as the claim goes.

A search yields ONE source - from 1983. And many sites telling you it's true. But... ONE actual source.

Perhaps birds can't fart 🤔

Perhaps it DOES fart but not to startle worms - but so other Bassian Thrushes won't eat their farted-on worms 😂

Luckily, @alexpsmith will be keeping an eye out in South Australia for us 👀

SCIENCE
#birbs #BirdsOfMastodon #BassianThrush #BirdFart