Colluricincla megarhyncha
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The little shrikethrush or little shrike-thrush (Colluricincla megarhyncha) is a species of passerine bird in the family Pachycephalidae that is found in New Guinea as well as in north and east Australia. The little shrikethrush was formally described and illustrated in 1832 as Muscicapa megarhyncha by the French naturalists Jean Quoy and Joseph Gaimard based on a specimen collected near Manokwari in the Bird's Head Peninsula of New Guinea. The specific epithet combines the Ancient Greek μεγα/mega meaning "much" with ῥυγχος/rhunkhos meaning "bill". The little shrikethrush is now placed in the genus Colluricincla that was introduced in 1827 by the naturalists Nicholas Vigors and Thomas Horsfield.
Molecular genetic studies of New Guinea populations of the little shrikethrush indicate high levels of genetic divergence, suggesting it may comprise more than one species. With at least eight separate clades identified as potential species splits, further research may lead to the re-classification of several new species. Alternate names for the little shrikethrush include the brown shrike-flycatcher and rufous shrike-thrush.
Sixteen subspecies are recognised: Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 3 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brisbane | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Arafura Shrikethrush sighting in Kakadu National Park on a given day, based on 116 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 103rd most-seen of the 186 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, March–August and October–November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Arafura Shrikethrush in Kakadu National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September and December, the lowest months. February has too few records to rate.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Arafura Shrikethrush sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
6th of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Arafura Shrikethrush sightings, Kakadu National Park ranks 6th at about 10%. The best odds are in Daintree National Park (Australia, about 30%), Raja Ampat (Indonesia, about 20%) and Litchfield National Park (Australia, about 20%).
Same genus: Colluricincla
The closest relatives of the Arafura Shrikethrush that you can see in Kakadu National Park (genus Colluricincla, Shrikethrushes) are Sandstone Shrike-Thrush (about 20%) and Gray Shrikethrush (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Arafura Shrikethrush is recorded against all the birds logged in Kakadu National Park (116 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.
