Struthidea cinerea
Silhouette: Michael Scroggie · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The apostlebird (Struthidea cinerea), also known as the grey jumper, lousy jack or happy family, is a quick-moving, gray or black bird about 33 cm (13 in) long. It is a native to Australia where it roams woodlands, eating insects and seeds at, or near, ground level. Apostlebirds often travel in groups of about 12; for this reason, they were named after the 12 Biblical apostles.
Originally described by ornithologist John Gould in 1837, its specific epithet is Latin cinerea "grey". In its own genus Struthidea, it is placed in the family known as the mud-nest builders or Corcoracidae, written as Grallinidae in older books before the removal of the genus Grallina to the monarch family. It is one of two remaining species, with the white-winged chough (Corcorax melanorhamphos), which differs in appearance but exhibits many behavioural similarities. The mudnest builder family Corcoracidae itself is now placed in a narrower "core corvine" group, which contains the crows and ravens, shrikes, birds of paradise, fantails, monarch flycatchers, and drongos.
The apostlebird was named after the Biblical apostles, the twelve followers of Jesus Christ. In fact, the species travel in... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Flinders Ranges National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Apostlebird sighting in Brisbane on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 234th most-seen of the 237 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Apostlebird in Brisbane on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Apostlebird sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Among the best
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Apostlebird sightings, Brisbane ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Sydney (Australia, under 5%).
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Apostlebird that you can see in Brisbane (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Noisy Miner (about 90%), Torresian Crow (about 90%) and Australian Magpie (about 80%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Apostlebird is recorded against all the birds logged in Brisbane (10 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
