Apostlebird
Struthidea cinerea Gould, 1837
The apostlebird (Struthidea cinerea) is a species in the family Corcoracidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 116 g to 132 g and live up to 25 years. Source checklists list it for 1 country: Australia. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
Quick facts about the apostlebird
- Weight
- 116 g – 132 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 25 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Omnivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- shrublandsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 18.5 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 3.2 – 3.35src for Young per litter or clutch
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1.5src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- 1 countrysrc for Countries on record
Where does the apostlebird live?
Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.
The apostlebird is listed for 1 country.
- Listed
- Not listed
The same countries as a list
Listed by: ITIS (scope: global), through the Catalogue of Life.
What is the apostlebird?
The apostlebird (Struthidea cinerea), also known as the grey jumper, lousy jack or happy family, is a quick-moving, gray or black bird about 33 cm (13 in) long. It is a native to Australia where it roams woodlands, eating insects and seeds at, or near, ground level. Apostlebirds often travel in groups of about 12; for this reason, they were named after the 12 Biblical apostles.
From the Wikipedia article “Apostlebird” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Apostlebird&oldid=1344340438), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the apostlebird endangered?
The apostlebird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the apostlebird classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyCorcoracidae
- genusStruthidea
- SpeciesStruthidea cinerea Gould, 1837
Synonyms Brachystoma cinerea, Struthidea cinerea swainsoni
Other names and names in other languages (33)
- طائر الرسولArabic
- RazamizKotava
- ocell apòstolCatalan
- popeláč šedýCzech
- apostol llwydWelsh
- ApostelfuglDanish
- AposteltöpferkräheGerman
- GimpelhäherGerman
- griza korkorakoEsperanto
- Corvino apóstolSpanish
- مرغ حواریPersian
- mutanärhiFinnish
- Apôtre grisFrench
- קורקס אפורHebrew
- siva blatašicaCroatian
- pirókszajkóHungarian
- Uccello apostoloItalian
- ハイイロツチスドリJapanese
- 오스트레일리아흙둥지새Korean
- pilkasis apaštalasLithuanian
- ApostelvogelDutch
- apostołPolish
- ApóstoloPortuguese
- corvino-apóstoloPortuguese
- Птица-апостолRussian
- Снегирёвая сойкаRussian
- popolák apoštolskýSlovak
- Ptica apostolSerbian
- apostelfågelSwedish
- OnikikardeşTurkish
- апостолUkrainian
- 灰鴕鷚Chinese
- 灰短嘴澳鸦Chinese
Relatives of the apostlebird
Other species in the same family Corcoracidae.
White-winged chough
Corcorax melanorhamphos
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the apostlebird?
An adult apostlebird weighs 116 g – 132 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Where does the apostlebird live?
Catalogue of Life checklists list the apostlebird for 1 country: Australia. Checklist coverage is uneven, so the true range may be wider.
Is the apostlebird endangered?
The apostlebird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
How long does the apostlebird live?
The apostlebird has a recorded lifespan of 25 years.
What kind of animal is the apostlebird?
The apostlebird (Struthidea cinerea) belongs to the family Corcoracidae in the order Passeriformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Apostlebird (Struthidea cinerea). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/apostlebird
“Apostlebird (Struthidea cinerea).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/apostlebird.
@misc{apostlebird_2026,
title = {Apostlebird (Struthidea cinerea)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/apostlebird},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}