From Opus

Photo by Mat & Cathy
Mt Wellington, Tasmania, Australia

Acanthornis magna

[edit] Identification

Yellowish underside to whitish throat, reddish-brown upperside and tail, white-edged secondaries, grey sides to head with a thin white eye-ring.

Tasmanian Thornbill and Tasmanian Scrubwren are two similar species.

[edit] Distribution

Tasmania (non-migratory)

[edit] Taxonomy

Two subspecies usually recognized^[2]:

• A. m. magna in most of Tasmania
• A. m. greenianus on King Island

The scientific name was formerly spelt Acanthornis magnus.

[edit] Habitat

Understory of temperate rainforest and wet eucalypt forest, especially where ferns are common.

[edit] Behaviour

The diet includes insects and other invertebrates.

Breeding is from September to December; 3-4 eggs are laid, which are white with reddish spots. The nest is domed, hidden low in vegetation.

[edit] References

1. Pizzey, G. & Knight, F. 1997. Birds of Australia (Collins Field Guide). HarperCollins Publishers, London. ISBN 0-00-220132-1
2. Clements, James F. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2007. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019

[edit] External Links

• View more images of this species on the ABID