Photo: Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom / CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
White-bellied Bush Chat
Saxicola gutturalis
White-bellied Bush Chat (Saxicola gutturalis) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Australia & Oceania.
Found across 2 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The White-bellied Bush Chat (Saxicola gutturalis) is a member of the Muscicapidae family found in Australia & Oceania. Adults weigh 15.3 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Muscicapidae Chats, Old World Flycatchers
- Genus Saxicola
- Species gutturalis
Quick facts
- Weight
- 15.3 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The White-bellied Bush Chat is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The White-bellied Bush Chat is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The White-bellied Bush Chat (Saxicola gutturalis) is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family, part of the order Passeriformes. It occurs naturally across Australia & Oceania. Its distribution covers AU Lesser Sundas.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 15.3 g, with a wing length of about 7.1 cm and a tail of around 6.8 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 30,000 km² — a relatively restricted global range.
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the White-bellied Bush Chat?
The White-bellied Bush Chat is a small bird that weighs around 15.3 g.
Where does the White-bellied Bush Chat live?
The White-bellied Bush Chat is found across Australia & Oceania with a range covering AU Lesser Sundas, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the White-bellied Bush Chat belong to?
The White-bellied Bush Chat (Saxicola gutturalis) belongs to the Muscicapidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the White-bellied Bush Chat eat?
The White-bellied Bush Chat is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the White-bellied Bush Chat migrate?
The White-bellied Bush Chat is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the White-bellied Bush Chat endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the White-bellied Bush Chat make?
1 real field recording of the White-bellied Bush Chat — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the White-bellied Bush Chat's range?
The White-bellied Bush Chat has a mapped global range of about 30,000 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
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A field guide to the Muscicapidae family — 355 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.