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Apostlebird

(Struthidea cinerea)
Alternative names: "Lousy Jack", "Family-bird", "Grey Jumper", "12 Apostles"
Size: 29-33 cm

Habitat
(for details refer to a field guide)

There are two races of Apostlebirds in Australia. Nominate race "cinerea" populates inland NSW and QLD, up to a geographic longitude close to the NSW/SA border. Their range extends a bit further south-east from Broken Hill, NSW, to just north-east of Adelaide, SA. They are not found on the fringe along the east or south coast (and thereby basically not in VIC at all, except small areas around the border with NSW). In central QLD, a line connecting roughly the Whitsundays with Diamantina National Park marks the transition to race "dalyi", which has a limited range. They are found only in northern QLD (except Cape York) and the northern central NT (southward of Katherine, NT, and also to the south-east, there possibly connecting with the population in QLD, whose normal range ends just shy of the QLD/NT border.

Apostlebirds can be found in open forest and woodland, also often near roadsides or on farmland. They adapt well to the presence of humans and can often be found near picnic or barbecue areas in parks.

Sightings

Apostlebirds are a common sight in the Narrabri, NSW, region. They are often seen foraging through foliage by the roadside in groups of around 10. They are very cunning birds that can adapt to humans around them quite easily and they can estimate speeds (of cars) with extreme accuracy.

Photos

Portrait of a Apostlebird

Profile of a Apostlebird

Frontal view of a "sentry" approaching the intruder

Lateral view of an Apostlebird coming in for a drink and a bath. While they are using the water hole (usually as a group), nobody else will normally be tolerated around; note the brown colour of the wing feathers

Apostlebird on the ground

Here an example of why Apostlebirds are also called "Familybirds"

Breeding information

Breeding season: Sep - Jan Eggs: 3 - 4 Incubation period: 18 days Fledging age: 14 - 21 days

There can be communal breeding, with more than one female laying eggs into the same nest. All family members help care for the chicks. Apostlebirds may try to take over other species' mud nests, especially Magpie-larks'.

Ok, mate, off you go...

Nest

Type: Bowl Material: Mud Height above ground: 2 - 20 m

The similarity of the nest shown below with that of Magpie-larks and their behaviour when a family of Apostles is close to their nest made us wonder whether Apostlebirds sometimes "usurp" their nests.

Apostlebird approaching the nest with a clutch of chicks in it, while the rest of the family remained in a nearby tree

When the "all clear" was given, some tender loving care was given to the chicks...

... before sitting down again

Eggs

Size: 30 x 22 mm Colour: Creamy, with brown speckles at the thick end Shape: Tapered oval

Habits

It is astonishing that Apostlebirds are not found all over Australia, because wherever they show up they are so dominant that others steer clear of them. Amongst others, they hustled our Bantam chickens. Amongst each other Apostlebirds are very sociable, e.g. preening each other. While foraging on the ground, groups of Apostlebirds always have a sentry sitting in an elevated spot, warning the others if necessary. Below an example of the sentry issuing a warning and the group's response to that.

Family clan of Apostlebirds going about its business of having a drink and taking a bath; the bird in the foreground is the sentry ; at some point it issued a warning call - the response can be seen in the next photo below

Here the sentry is joined by six others on the lookout; clearly the call was a warning only, not an alarm, because the group settled down again shortly afterwards

Often seen by us together with Grey-crowned Babblers and also with White-winged Choughs.

Food

Apostlebirds have been seen by us to take both seeds and small insects, which they usually find on the ground.