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Brown ThornbillAlternate name(s): "Brown Tit", "Scrub Thornbill" Size: 9.5-10.5 cm Weight: 5-8 g |
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Similar |
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Photos |
Race "pusilla"
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ADULT |
Sex unknown |
Frontal view of a Brown Thornbill
[Girraween NP,
QLD, January 2017]
Frontal view of a Brown Thornbill on the ground
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay South, East Gippsland, VIC, July 2016]
Frontal view of a Brown Thornbill
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Queen Mary Falls, QLD, August 2017]
Near-lateral view of a Brown Thornbill
[Ferntree Gully Environmental Reserve, near Rylstone, NSW, December 2016]
Near-lateral view of a Brown Thornbill issuing its
call
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2019]
Near-lateral view of a Brown Thornbill
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2019]
Near-lateral view of a Brown Thornbill hanging head-down
[Manning Point, NSW, July 2013]
Near-lateral view of a Brown Thornbill
(photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Stanthorpe, QLD, March 2015]
Near-lateral/ventral view of a Brown Thornbill
[Manning Point, NSW, July 2013]
Lateral view of a Brown Thornbill looking towards the observer
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2019]
Lateral view of a Brown Thornbill hanging off a branch
(photo courtesy of
I. Duncan)
[Shepherd's Bush Park, Melbourne, VIC, March 2012]
Lateral view of a Brown Thornbill
[Girraween NP,
QLD, January 2017]
Lateral view of a Brown Thornbill
[Ferntree Gully Environmental Reserve, near Rylstone, NSW, December 2016]
Lateral view of a Brown Thornbill
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay South, East Gippsland, VIC, July 2016]
Lateral/ventral view of a Brown Thornbill
(photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Stanthorpe, QLD, March 2015]
Near-dorsal view of a Brown Thornbill
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay South, East Gippsland, VIC, July 2016]
Near-dorsal view of a Brown Thornbill
[Girraween NP,
QLD, January 2017]
Brown Thornbill hanging upside down (photo courtesy of
R. Plumtree)
[Cassilis, Swifts Creek, VIC, September 2016]
Ventral view of a Brown Thornbill
[Girraween NP,
QLD, January 2017]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
Lateral view of a juvenile Brown Thornbill
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Cape Conran Nature Reserve, VIC, November 2016]
Juvenile Brown Thornbill waiting to be fed
[Near Old Bar, NSW, September 2011]
Here a different stance...
[Near Old Bar, NSW, September 2011]
... and a lateral view
[Near Old Bar, NSW, September 2011]
Near-lateral view of a fledgling Brown Thornbill
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay South, East Gippsland, VIC, January 2013]
Near-lateral view of a fledgling Brown Thornbill
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay South, East Gippsland, VIC, January 2013]
Race "diemenensis"
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ADULT |
Sex unknown |
Near-frontal view of a Brown Thornbill (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Bruny Island, TAS, March 2016]
Lateral view of a Brown Thornbill (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Bruny Island, TAS, March 2016]
Near-dorsal view of a Brown Thornbill (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Bruny Island, TAS, March 2016]
Dorsal view of a Brown Thornbill (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Bruny Island, TAS, March 2016]
Race "zeitzi"
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ADULT |
Sex unknown |
Frontal view of a Brown Thornbill (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Seal Bay, Kangaroo Island, SA, March 2016]
Near-frontal view of a Brown Thornbill (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Seal Bay, Kangaroo Island, SA, March 2016]
Near-lateral view of a Brown Thornbill (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Seal Bay, Kangaroo Island, SA, March 2016]
Lateral view of a Brown Thornbill (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Seal Bay, Kangaroo Island, SA, March 2016]
Lateral view of a Brown Thornbill (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Seal Bay, Kangaroo Island, SA, March 2016]
Near-lateral view of a Brown Thornbill issuing its call
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Seal Bay, Kangaroo Island, SA, March 2016]
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Breeding information |
Breeding season: Aug - Dec | Eggs: 2 - 3 | Incubation period: 17 - 20 days | Fledging age: 15 - 16 days |
Nest building: Female & male | Incubation: Female | Dependent care: Female & male |
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Nest |
"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal] |
Type: Dome | Material: Grass stems, bark strips, fern fronds, webs | Height above ground: 0.2 - 2(?) m |
Brown Thornbill nest low above the ground, inside a prickly shrub
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Queen Mary Falls, QLD, August 2017]
One of the owners of the Brown Thornbill nest shown above
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Queen Mary Falls, QLD, August 2017]
Brown Thornbill nest that is still under construction
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Goulburn River NP,
NSW, June 2022]
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Eggs |
"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay] |
Size: 16 x 12 mm | Colour: Creamy, with light- to mid-brown speckles | Shape: Tapered oval |
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Behaviour |
Social behaviour: Territorial | Mobility: Sedentary/dispersive | Elementary unit: Family clan |
We have repeatedly seen Brown Thornbills moving around with a group also including Yellow Thornbills.
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Food, Diet |
Like several other species of the Acanthiza family, Brown Thornbills hunt for small insects in low shrubs and bushes.
Lateral view of a Brown Thornbill with its prey, a juicy
caterpillar
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Moggill Reserve, QLD, April 2018]
Brown Thornbill with its prey (photo courtesy of
I. Duncan)
[South West Rocks, NSW, September 2011]
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Call(s)/Song |
For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The
interpretation of their meaning is our own;
comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.
Brown Thornbills have regional variations in their calls.
brthbil_20160314.mp3 |
pusilla (S QLD) |
Contact calls? | © MD | |
brthbil_20160314_2.mp3 |
pusilla (S QLD) |
Contact calls? | © MD | |
brthbil_20150611_3.m4a |
pusilla (E NSW) |
Territorial call? | © MD | |
brthbil_20150611_2.mp3 |
pusilla (E NSW) |
Territorial calls? | © MD | |
brthbil_20220630.m4a |
pusilla (Ctl W NSW) |
Territorial calls? (+ Striated Thornbill) |
© MD | |
brthbil_20170606.m4a |
pusilla (SE QLD) |
Territorial dispute(?) with mimicry (White-browed Scrubwren) | © MD | |
brthbil_20220630_2.m4a |
pusilla (Ctl W NSW) |
Various | © MD | |
brthbil_20150620_3.mp3 |
pusilla (N NSW) |
Various | © MD | |
brthbil_20150620.m4a |
pusilla (N NSW) |
Various | © MD | |
brthbil_20150620_4.m4a |
pusilla (N NSW) |
Various | © MD | |
brthbil_20150620_2.m4a |
pusilla (N NSW) |
? | © MD |
More Brown Thornbill sound recordings are available at
xeno-canto.org
.