Colluricincla boweri
The Bower's Shrikethrush is a medium-sized passerine, measuring approximately 20-22 cm (8-9 inches) in length and weighing around 30-40 grams. It is characterized by its olive-brown upperparts, a distinct greyish-white throat, and prominent dark streaking across the breast that fades to a pale, unstreaked belly, further distinguished by subtle rufous undertail coverts. As a member of the family Pachycephalidae, the whistlers and allies, it is closely related to other shrikethrushes within the...
Restricted to the dense, wet tropical rainforests of north-eastern Queensland, typically at elevations above 300 meters, often found in highland areas up to 1500 meters.
Strictly insectivorous, consuming a variety of invertebrates such as beetles, spiders, and insect larvae, primarily gleaned from foliage, bark, and the forest floor.
Bower's Shrikethrush is primarily diurnal, active throughout daylight hours as it forages in the dense understory and lower canopy, often roosting solitarily or in pairs amidst thick foliage. Its foraging strategy involves meticulous gleaning of invertebrates from damp leaf litter, mossy branches...
Bower's Shrikethrush is an endemic resident of a highly restricted region in far north-eastern Queensland, Australia. Its entire distribution is confined to the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, specifically from the Paluma Range north to the Windsor Tableland and Mount Finnigan. This range encomp...
Least Concern
- The "Bower" in its name honors Australian naturalist and ornithologist John Bowie Bower, who collected the type specimen in 1877. - Despite its common name, Bower's Shrikethrush is not related to true shrikes (family Laniidae) but belongs to the whistler family (Pachycephalidae). - It is one of...