White-fronted chat

White-fronted Chat (Epthianura albifrons) male, Orielton Lagoon, Tasmania, Australia.
Image: JJ Harrison
Community type

Saline shrubland

Habitat type

Saltmarsh and tidal flats

The white-fronted chat is a small, black and white insectivorous bird that inhabits saltmarsh, and other damp open habitats along the coast or near waterways. It has a short slender bill, long spindly legs, and rounded wings, and is commonly seen perched atop shrubs or hopping along the ground. The male’s plumage is more striking than the female's, who are browner and have no black. A distinctive ‘tang, tang’ is used as a contact call.

The white-front chat is found across the southern half of Australia, where it has a widespread distribution, but populations are in decline.

Much of the text within the species area of our website was written by Veronica Thorpe, as part of the Derwent River Wildlife Guide (2000).

The DEP has developed a variety of classroom and outdoor activities, including classroom materials, online resources, interpretive walks, games and sensory experience. These are focused around the key estuary habitats.