Struthidea cinerea
Silhouette: Michael Scroggie · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
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 |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report an Apostlebird sighting in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park on a given day, based on 731 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 22nd most-seen of the 170 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, September and November
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report an Apostlebird in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park on a given day, against about 30% in May and December, the lowest months.
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.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Apostlebird sightings, Hattah-Kulkyne National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Flinders Ranges National Park (Australia, about 40%) and Nitmiluk National Park (Australia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Apostlebird is recorded against all the birds logged in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park (731 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
