Brown Thornbill
Acanthiza pusilla
Family: Pardalotidae (Pardalotes, Bristlebirds, Scrubwrens, Thornbills and allies, 30 species in Australia)
Size: 10 cm
Distribution: Within about 300 km of the coasts of NSW, South QLD, Most of VIC and TAS, small parts of SE SA
Status: Common to Locally Uncommon
Habitat: Most forested areas where there is enough undergrowth
References: Simpson and Day, Reader's Digest
The Brown Thornbill is a very common bird in the Blue Mountains of NSW. They almost always appear in flocks of several birds up to dozens of them. They are hard to get good photos of since they move around so often so I was stoked when I got these ones.
I am fairly sure these photos are Brown Thornbills rather than Striated Thornbills (or another Thornbill) due to the rufous (reddish-brown) around the rump and inner tail, and especially due to the reddish coloured eye. According to Simpson and Day there is no other Thornbill or related bird with a reddish brown eye in the East of New South Wales. The Striated Thornbill is also common in the Blue Mountains and I find it hard to tell the difference, without a close up of the eye like in the photo below.
Photo: Blaxland, Blue Mountains NSW. High Resolution (1972 x 1450)
Photo: Blaxland, Blue Mountains NSW. High Resolution (1370 x 997)
Photo: Blaxland, Blue Mountains NSW. High Resolution (1674 x 1162)
Artwork: John Gould, 'The Birds of Australia', 1848. Original Scanned Image.
Some Birdwatching Resources
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Field Guide to the Birds of Australia, Nicolas Day, Ken Simpson, Peter Trusler. I think this is the best bird field guide for Australia. It is known to birdwatchers as "Simpson and Day". I also like the pictures in this one the best out
of all the major field guides. The information is still very highly regarded compared to most of the other guides. Many serious birdwatchers think "Pizzey
and Knight" is
the best though. I bought this one since I liked the pictures so
much I figured (correctly) that I would spend more time looking through it. I feel that I made the right choice since I love the pictures in this one so much. I have the 6th edition, the current one is the 8th.
Click here to purchase from Australia $45.49 AUD |
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Attracting Birds to Your Garden, John Dengate. Now available in paperback, this is a practical guide to encouraging birds to inhabit your garden and to enjoying the results. Well-known radio and TV personality, John Dengate covers subjects such as planning and planting a garden to suit birds; natural versus artificial feeding; creating a garden wetland; and much more.
Click here to purchase from Australia $31.49 AUD |
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