The Cinclosomatidae family, comprising the quail-thrushes and jewel-babblers, is native to Australia and New Guinea and has been the subject of complex taxonomic revisions. These medium-sized songbirds, ranging from 17–28 cm in length, show strong differentiation in male and female plumages with quail-thrushes blending into their arid Australian environments and jewel-babblers displaying vivid blue tints in New Guinean forests. Known for their distinctive calls, they're largely terrestrial, foraging on the ground for insects and seeds, and have a tendency to run rather than fly when startled. Their cup-shaped nests are built low among shrubs or on the ground, where they lay two to three eggs. While their conservation status generally isn't alarming, there are concerns for some subspecific populations. The family's complex classification includes debates on the inclusion of related wedgebills, whipbirds, and the taxonomic standing of the Malaysian rail-babbler and blue-capped ifrit, with historical ties to the Orthonychidae and adjustments suggesting they share a common ancestor with the Corvidae.

Blue Jewel-babbler

Ptilorrhoa caerulescens

Chestnut-backed Jewel-babbler

Ptilorrhoa castanonota

Painted Quail-thrush

Cinclosoma ajax

Spotted Jewel-babbler

Ptilorrhoa leucosticta
App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.
Download Birda on the Apple App StoreDownload Birda on the Google Play Store
1
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.
What Our Birders Say
Emcil24
A Friendly Place
I love using the bird app, I have a pretty good knowledge of birds. But I do have some gaps in it, so it’s nice to have a safe space to check on a sighting to confirm the species. It’s really enjoyable and I love the badges you can collect. It’s like a real life Pokémon go.
Anonymous
The best bird logging app
Birda is honestly the best bird logging app I have seen. I love all the features it has from being able to do a session and log all the birds you see in one sitting, to being able to connect with other birders from all over the globe!
Stewart W
Fantastic to be involved
Fantastic to be involved, great for mental health and gets you responding with the Challenges that are to takd part in.
SuperOliviaGirl
Really great app
It’s easy to use and it’s fun to log the birds you notice on a walk or just in your garden. There’s a option to record the birds you see in a session which is really nice. Good excuse to stop for a while and just watch birds. I am also enjoying the information part where you can find out fact about birds from all over the world.
778
Great bird recording
For a while I’ve been trying to find an app to easily record bird lists and day out and struggled to find one that I like. Birda is great for this, straightforward and a great community!
Birdafan
Ideal Birdwatch Companion
Simply adds to the enjoyment of my birdwatching and helps me record what I’ve seen.
Leonie
We've been waiting for an App like this
Excellent! We've been waiting for an app like this! Thank you! It would be nice if you could assign additional birds to sessions later!
Sacha0508
Simply fantastic
I love this app, it puts so much fun into recording the birds I’ve seen and heard while I’m out and about. The interface is user-friendly and suitable for all ages. It’s great to collect badges and to review my “lists”.
Abi.M
Awesome App
I really enjoy using this app! It is such a friendly community of bird-lovers who are happy to help if I need ID advice. It’s been great motivation to get outdoors and go birding more! 10/10 😍😍
EandB17
Terrific App for Birders
Downloaded Birda around the time my interest in birding was sparked, and it has been a terrific app to help me (1) share my experience, (2) document my sightings, and (3) learn more about birds in general. That said, I also believe Birda is a fantastic app for birders of all experience levels. Great community!
As featured in
BBC RadioABC NewsFox NewsForbesTimeoutAndroid CentralBirdWatching DailyPetapixel
Birda
Install now for free
Get app
Get the Birda app on your phone to easily identify birds on the go