- Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris
Identification
Juvenile, Subspecies tenuirostris
Photo © by Rose Fletcher
Victor Harbor, South Australia, January 2011
Photo © by Rose Fletcher
Victor Harbor, South Australia, January 2011
13–16 cm (5-6¼ in)
- Greyish-brown back
- Pale cinnamon underparts
- Black head
- White throat with red patch
- Rufous nape
- Dark tail with white tips
- Red iris
- Long down-curved black bill
Female and juvenile - smaller and duller
Distribution
South-eastern Australia: found in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria'
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 4 subspecies1:
- A. t. cairnsensis:
- Montane north-eastern Queensland (Windsor Tablelands to Paluma Range)
- A. t. tenuirostris:
- Eastern Australia (central Queensland to southern Victoria and south-eastern South Australia)
- A. t. dubius:
- Tasmania, King and Flinders Islands (Bass Strait)
- A. t. halmaturinus:
- South-eastern South Australia (Mount Lofty and Flinders Ranges; Kangaroo Island
Habitat
Forest, woodlands and gardens.
Behaviour
Diet
Their diet consists of nectar, insects, arthropods and invertebrates.
Breeding
They construct a deep cup-shaped nest from grass and bark, lined with feathers. The clutch consists of 1-4 pink eggs with dark reddish brown blotches and spots. They are incubated by the female for 13-16 days. Both adults care for the young.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved Dec 2017)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Eastern Spinebill. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 25 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Eastern_Spinebill
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
