Template:POTD/2024-04-12
The orange chat (Epthianura aurifrons) is a species of bird in the honeyeater family, Meliphagidae, endemic to Australia. With a length of around 10 to 12 centimetres (3.9 to 4.7 inches) and average wingspan of 19 centimetres (7.5 inches), it is a small ground songbird with relatively long, broad and rounded wings and a short square-ended tail. The male's feathers are mostly a deep, warm, cadmium yellow with orange overtones, and this colour is strongest on the crown and breast. Females are mottled in grey-brown, with underparts a softer fawny yellow. Its diet consists mainly of small insects, spiders and other invertebrates that are on the ground or shrubs. Its call consists of a metallic twang tang and a softer tchek tchek sound. This orange chat perched on a twig was photographed near Lake Cargelligo in New South Wales, Australia.Photograph credit: John Harrison