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Large-billed Gerygone (Gerygone magnirostris) Alternate name(s): "Large-billed Warbler", "Large-billed Bush-warbler", "Large-billed Flyeater", "Brown-breasted Flyeater", "Floodbird*" Size: 10.5-11.5 cm Body mass: 5-8 g

Australia: Family Group 17 Family Group 17 Table Spotted Pardalote Forty-spotted Pardalote Red-browed Pardalote Striated Pardalote Large-billed Scrubwren Atherton Scrubwren White-browed Scrubwren Spotted Scrubwren Tasmanian Scrubwren Yellow-throated Scrubwren Pilotbird Rock Warbler Chestnut-rumped Heathwren Shy Heathwren Striated Fieldwren Rufous Fieldwren Fernwren Scrubtit Speckled Warbler Redthroat Western Gerygone Brown Gerygone Mangrove Gerygone Dusky Gerygone Large-billed Gerygone Green-backed Gerygone Fairy Gerygone White-throated Gerygone Weebill Yellow Thornbill Striated Thornbill Buff-rumped Thornbill Yellow-rumped Thornbill Western Thornbill Slender-billed Thornbill Chestnut-rumped Thornbill Brown Thornbill Inland Thornbill Slaty-backed Thornbill Tasmanian Thornbill Mountain Thornbill Southern Whiteface Chestnut-breasted Whiteface Banded Whiteface Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Large-billed Gerygones are very small birds found in intertidal wetlands. Their front is light-grey, from the throat to the undertail coverts, while the head and back are darker brownish-grey, with dark-grey flight feathers and a dark-grey tail. They have thin eye-rings surrounding eyes with reddish-brown irises. The bill and lores are dark-grey, while the legs and feet are grey. Juvenile Large-billed Gerygones have brown irises. Twitcher's tip Compared to either Brown Gerygones or Mangrove Gerygones, Large-billed Gerygones have only an inconspicuous white eye-ring.

Taxonomy, classification See Large-billed Gerygone at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species 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 Large-billed Gerygone is available HERE . Large-billed Gerygones are found in northern Australia, West Papua (Indonesia) and New Guinea. There are three races of Large-billed Gerygones in Australia. The range of nominate race "magnirostris" extends from Derby, WA, along a narrow coastal strip, to about Arnhemland, in the NT, including several offshore islands. Race "cairnensis" populates the East coast of QLD, from about the tropic of Capricorn in the South, to Cape York peninsula, including all of the peninsula, including the East coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria. Race "brunneipectus" is found only on islands along the Torres Strait and farther North. Large-billed Gerygones have a preference for mangrove in intertidal wetlands and thickets along rivers.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "magnirostris" B. Hensen reports spotting Large-billed Gerygones, nominate race "magnirostris", at Lee Point, Darwin, NT, in August 2012 and at Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, in April 2013. We spotted a Large-billed Gerygone, nominate race "magnirostris", at East Point, Darwin, NT, in August 2014. P. Brown reports finding Large-billed Gerygones, nominate race "magnirostris", occasionally in various locations in and around Darwin, NT, mostly in mangrove in intertidal wetlands. Race "cairnensis" M. Eaton reports finding Large-billed Gerygones, race "cairnensis", nesting along both the Daintree River, QLD, and at Centenary Lakes, Cairns, QLD, in December 2018. Another was found at Julatten, QLD, in June 2024. A. Lee reports that Large-billed Gerygones, race "cairnensis", are regularly seen at East Russell, near Cairns, QLD. They have bred there annually from 2018 to 2020. J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours found Large-billed Gerygones, race "cairnensis", nesting along the Daintree River, QLD, in January 2019. Another was spotted at Yungaburra, Atherton Tablelands, QLD, in October 2023.

Photos

Race "magnirostris"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Close-up frontal view of a Large-billed Gerygone (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Coconut Grove, Darwin, NT, January 2020]

Frontal view of a Large-billed Gerygone (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Coomalie Creek, 90 km south of Darwin, NT, June 2018]

Near-frontal view of a Large-billed Gerygone (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Rapid Creek, Darwin, NT, January 2021]

Near-frontal/ventral view of a Large-billed Gerygone (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Coomalie Creek, 90 km south of Darwin, NT, June 2018]

Near-lateral view of a Large-billed Gerygone; note the reddish-brown irises
[East Point, Darwin, NT, August 2014]

Near-lateral view of a Large-billed Gerygone
[East Point, Darwin, NT, August 2014]

Close-up lateral view of a Large-billed Gerygone (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Coomalie Creek, 90 km south of Darwin, NT, June 2018]

Close-up lateral view of a Large-billed Gerygone (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Coconut Grove, Darwin, NT, January 2020]

Lateral view of a Large-billed Gerygone (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, August 2012]

Lateral/ventral view of a Large-billed Gerygone (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Charles Darwin NP, Darwin, NT, January 2019]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a Large-billed Gerygone (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Charles Darwin NP, Darwin, NT, January 2019]

Ventral view of a Large-billed Gerygone (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Coomalie Creek, 90 km south of Darwin, NT, June 2018]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Frontal view of a juvenile Large-billed Gerygone - note the brown irises (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Charles Darwin NP, Darwin, NT, March 2018]

Frontal view of a juvenile Large-billed Gerygone, different posture - note the brown irises (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Charles Darwin NP, Darwin, NT, March 2018]

Near-frontal view of a juvenile Large-billed Gerygone, different posture - note the brown irises (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Charles Darwin NP, Darwin, NT, March 2018]

Near-lateral view of a juvenile Large-billed Gerygone, different posture - note the brown irises (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Charles Darwin NP, Darwin, NT, March 2018]

Lateral view of a juvenile Large-billed Gerygone, different posture - note the brown irises (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Charles Darwin NP, Darwin, NT, March 2018]

Frontal view of a Large-billed Gerygone; the brown iris and the yellow tinge to eye-ring and throat patch suggest that this is a juvenile bird, probably younger than the bird shown above (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Charles Darwin NP, Darwin, NT, February 2018]

Frontal view of a juvenile Large-billed Gerygone studying the observer (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Charles Darwin NP, Darwin, NT, February 2018]

Lateral view of a juvenile Large-billed Gerygone hanging head down off a branch (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Charles Darwin NP, Darwin, NT, February 2018]

Near-dorsal view of a Large-billed Gerygone (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Coomalie Creek, 90 km south of Darwin, NT, June 2018]

Ventral view of a juvenile Large-billed Gerygone (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Charles Darwin NP, Darwin, NT, February 2018]

Race "cairnensis"

ADULT

PAIR

Pair of Large-billed Gerygones working on their nest (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Daintree River, QLD, January 2019]

Sex unknown

Near-frontal view of a Large-billed Gerygone carrying nest material; note the strong buff wash typical of race "cairnensis"
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Centenary Lakes, Cairns, QLD, December 2018]

Near-frontal view of a Large-billed Gerygone at its nest (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Daintree River, QLD, January 2019]

Lateral view of a Large-billed Gerygone at its nest (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Daintree River, QLD, January 2019]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Sep - Apr

Eggs: 2 - 3

Incubation period: 12 - 14 days

Fledging age: ?

Nest building: Female & male

Incubation: Female & male

Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Domed hanging bottle

Material: Bark strips, lichen, leaves

Height above ground: 1 - ? m

Large-billed Gerygone nests are often built above water. They look untidy, possibly on purpose, resembling flood debris, rather than a nest in use. The nest with its tendrils can be up to 80 cm long.

Large-billed Gerygone working on its nest in an intertidal wetland (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Ludmilla Creek, Darwin, NT, January 2021]

Large-billed Gerygone nest in an intertidal wetland (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Botanic Garden, Darwin, NT, March 2018]

Overview of the location of a Large-billed Gerygone nest in an intertidal wetland - at high tide the nest is above the water's edge (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Botanic Garden, Darwin, NT, March 2018]

Overview of the location of a Large-billed Gerygone nest in an intertidal wetland - at low tide the nest is above dry ground (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Botanic Garden, Darwin, NT, March 2018]

Large-billed Gerygone starting work on its new nest (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, August 2020]

Close-up near-frontal view of a Large-billed Gerygone carrying nest material
(photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Yungaburra, Atherton Tablelands, QLD, October 2023]

Near-lateral view of a Large-billed Gerygone carrying nest material (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Charles Darwin University campus, Darwin, NT, December 2020]

Dorsal view of a Large-billed Gerygone carrying nest material (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Botanic Garden, Darwin, NT, March 2018]

Large-billed Gerygone nest (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Daintree River, QLD, December 2018]

This Large-billed Gerygone nest is still under construction (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Centenary Lakes, Cairns, QLD, December 2018]

Overview of the location of a Large-billed Gerygone nest (photo courtesy of A. Lee)
[East Russell, near Cairns, QLD, November 2020]

View into a Large-billed Gerygone nest (photo courtesy of A. Lee)
[East Russell, near Cairns, QLD, November 2020]

View into a Large-billed Gerygone nest, with one of the birds brooding the chicks (photo courtesy of A. Lee)
[East Russell, near Cairns, QLD, November 2020]

View into a Large-billed Gerygone nest, with one of the birds brooding the chicks (photo courtesy of A. Lee)
[East Russell, near Cairns, QLD, November 2020]

Large-billed Gerygones feed their chicks lots of spiders (photo courtesy of A. Lee)
[East Russell, near Cairns, QLD, November 2020]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 17 x 13 mm

Colour: Creamy with copious rufous/brown specks

Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Sedentary

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair

Food, Diet

Large-billed Gerygone with its prey, a spider (photo courtesy of A. Lee)
[East Russell, near Cairns, QLD, November 2020]

Large-billed Gerygone with its prey, a spider (photo courtesy of A. Lee)
[East Russell, near Cairns, QLD, November 2020]

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.

Some species of gerygones have very elaborate, long calls that they tend to sometimes abbreviate. When, below, we mark a call as "abbreviated", this does not mean to say that the recording is incomplete, but that the bird rendered only a partial (or abbreviated) call.

labgery_pb_20190107_2.m4a	magnirostris (Inland NT)	Territorial call?	© PB
labgery_pb_20210622.m4a	magnirostris (Inland NT)	Territorial call?	© PB
labgery_pb_20190107_3.m4a	magnirostris (Inland NT)	Territorial calls?	© PB
labgery_al_20201208.m4a	cairnensis (N QLD)	Territorial call?	© AL
labgery_al_20201208_NR.m4a	cairnensis (N QLD)	Territorial call? (no bkgd)	© AL

More Large-billed Gerygone sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

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.

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