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Western Bristlebird
(Dasyornis longirostris)
: "Long-billed Bristle-bird", "Brown
Bristlebird"
Aboriginal name(s): "booderitj", "djidalya"
Size: 17-21 cm
Weight: 30-38 g
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Physical description |
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Click here for a physical description
Western Bristlebirds are mostly ground-dwelling birds roughly
the size of a Bell
Miner.
Their plumage is
mostly mottled and streaked brownish-grey, with rufous flight feathers
and uppertail coverts. Most of the head (except the supercilium
and the chin) and the back are darker brownish-grey than the front.
The centre of the breast and belly are lighter grey than the sides.
They receive their characteristic streaked appearance from
white shafts on their feathers. The name derives from their
prominent, dark bristles.
The irises are red. The only slightly down-curved bill, legs
and feet are all grey.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Western
Bristlebird at Wikipedia .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
.
The global distribution of the Superb Lyrebird is available
HERE
.
The Western Bristlebird has a very restricted range. It is found
only in coastal heathland
along the South coast of WA.
Formerly described as "East and West of Albany", recent
reports indicate the presence of Western Bristlebirds only
in two areas to the East of Albany, WA.
One area extends from Albany north-eastwards, to near Mettler, WA.
The other extends from eastward of Bremer Bay to roughly the
Fitzgerald River NP.
Western Bristlebirds have a strong preference for coastal
heath.
This specialization, together with their already restricted
range, makes them vulnerable to habitat loss.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
J. Greaves reports spotting a Western Bristlebird at
Arpenteur NR, near Albany, WA, in March 2018. Another was
found at Cheynes Beach, Albany, WA, in June 2020.
All photographic and sighting information presented
on this page has kindly been contributed by J. Greaves.
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Photos |
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ADULT |
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Full-frontal view of an adult Western Bristlebird
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Arpenteur NR, near Albany, WA, March 2018]
Frontal view of a Western Bristlebird
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Arpenteur NR, near Albany, WA, March 2018]
Near-frontal view of a Western Bristlebird
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Arpenteur NR, near Albany, WA, March 2018]
Near-frontal view of a Western Bristlebird
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Arpenteur NR, near Albany, WA, March 2018]
Near-lateral view of a Western Bristlebird
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Arpenteur NR, near Albany, WA, March 2018]
Lateral view of a Western Bristlebird running on sandy soil
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Arpenteur NR, near Albany, WA, March 2018]
Lateral view of a Western Bristlebird foraging on sandy soil
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Arpenteur NR, near Albany, WA, March 2018]
Near-dorsal view of a Western Bristlebird foraging on sandy soil
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Arpenteur NR, near Albany, WA, March 2018]
Near-dorsal view of a Western Bristlebird
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Cheynes Beach, Albany, WA, June 2020]
Near-dorsal view of a Western Bristlebird
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Cheynes Beach, Albany, WA, June 2020]
Dorsal view of a Western Bristlebird
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Arpenteur NR, near Albany, WA, March 2018]
View of the coastal heath
where the Western Bristlebird shown here was found
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Arpenteur NR, near Albany, WA, March 2018]
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors.
The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.