- Acanthiza pusilla
Identification
9cms
- Olive-brown/grey upperparts
- Whitish underparts
- Rufous forehead (scalloped with paler markings)
- Rufous rump patch
Tail
- Grey-brown
- Black band
- Pale tips
- Black streaks on chin, throat and chest
- Dark red iris
Sexes similar
Distribution
Eastern and south-eastern Australia and Tasmania.
Taxonomy
Subspecies[1]
There are 5 subspecies:
- A. p. dawsonensis:
- Eastern Queensland (Bowen to Dawes Range)
- A. p. pusilla:
- Eastern Australia (south-eastern Queensland to southern Victoria and south-eastern South Australia)
- A. p. diemenensis:
- Tasmania and Deal Island (Bass Strait)
- A. p. archibaldi:
- King Island (Bass Strait). Probably extinct ?
- A. p. zietzi:
- Kangaroo Island (South Australia)
Three additional subspecies bunya, mcgilli and archibaldi are usually considered invalid[2].
Habitat
Understorey in rainforest; eucalypt forests; woodlands; scrub; watercourse vegetation; bracken; wetland plants; dune vegetation; saltmarsh, mangroves.
Behaviour
Diet
The diet includes insects, seeds, nectar and fruit.
Breeding
The females builds the small oval, domed nest from grasses and bark; it is lined with feathers, fur or soft plant down. The female incubates the eggs; both parents feed the young.
Vocalisation
Alarm: scolds with angry churrs and zizzing sounds
Song: a deep musical call
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Birds in Backyards
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Brown Thornbill. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 January 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Brown_Thornbill
