Epthianura albifrons
Silhouette: Rachael Joakim · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The white-fronted chat (Epthianura albifrons) is a species of bird in the honeyeater family Meliphagidae native to southern Australia. The male has a white face bordered by a black breast band. It is insectivorous. Sir Willam Jardine and P.J.Selby described the white-fronted chat in 1828 as Acanthiza albifrons. Lesson described it in 1844 as Fluvicola leucocephala, and Brehm as Cinura torquata in 1845. John Gould named it Epthianura albifrons in 1838. The derivation of the generic name Epthianura is obscure, coming either from the Ancient Greek ephthos 'refined' or ephthinaō 'wasting away' and oura 'tail' (referring to the "short and truncated tail"). The specific epithet albifrons derives from the Latin albus 'white' and frons 'forehead'.
The species is monotypic; that is, no subspecies are recognised. Tasmanian birds were thought to have longer bills but this has not been borne out on further investigation. This species has collected many vernacular names. From its distinctive call were derived the names (banded) tintack, gar and tang, and the males' resemblance to a nun's habit led to the name (white-fronted) nun, and similarly moonface, moonbird, baldyhead, baldy... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rottnest Island | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Maria Island National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Flinders Ranges National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Freycinet National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melbourne | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a White-fronted Chat sighting in Melbourne on a given day, based on 148 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 156th most-seen of the 236 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 a White-fronted Chat in Melbourne on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-fronted Chat sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Melbourne, in our data
Melbourne is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate White-fronted Chat sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Meliphagidae
The closest relatives of the White-fronted Chat that you can see in Melbourne (family Meliphagidae, Honeyeaters) are Noisy Miner (about 80%), Red Wattlebird (about 70%) and White-plumed Honeyeater (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-fronted Chat is recorded against all the birds logged in Melbourne (148 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.
