Struthidea cinerea
Silhouette: Michael Scroggie · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
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 |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Apostlebird sighting in Nitmiluk National Park on a given day, based on 57 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 47th most-seen of the 103 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Apostlebird in Nitmiluk National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May, the lowest month.
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.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Apostlebird sightings, Nitmiluk National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park (Australia, about 40%) and Flinders Ranges National Park (Australia, about 40%).
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Apostlebird that you can see in Nitmiluk National Park (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Great Bowerbird (about 80%), Brown Honeyeater (about 60%) and Torresian Crow (about 60%), 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 Nitmiluk National Park (57 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.
