- Acanthiza pusilla
Identification
9–11·5 cm (3½-4½ in)
- 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
Clements recognizes these subspecies[1]:
- 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. samueli:
- Mt. Lofty Ranges (south-central South Australia)
- A. p. diemenensis:
- Tasmania and Deal Island (Bass Strait)
- A. p. archibaldi:
- King Island (Bass Strait).
- A. p. zietzi:
- Kangaroo Island (South Australia)
Additional subspecies bunya and mcgilli are usually considered invalid.
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, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, M. Smith, and C. L. Wood. 2024. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2024. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2024. IOC World Bird List (v 15.1). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.15.1. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
- Birds in Backyards
- Birdforum Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Brown Thornbill. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 4 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Brown_Thornbill
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
