17

Striated Thornbill (Acanthiza lineata) Alternate name(s): "Striated Tit", "Striped Tit", "Striped-crowned Thornbill" Size: 10 cm Body mass: 6-8 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 Striated Thornbills are very small bushland birds. Their characteristic feature is a boldly streaked throat and chest, with black streaks on white background. The ear coverts are similarly streaked bblack and white. The belly and vent are yellow. From the frons, via the cap to the nape of the neck, the rest of the head is brown, which turns into more olive-green to grey back and a brownish tail with a grey subterminal band. The irises are light, while the bill, legs and feet are black. Twitcher's tip The striated ear coverts and the copper-brown cap distinguish Striated Thornbills from other thornbills with a striated front.

Taxonomy, classification See Striated Thornbill 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 Striated Thornbill is available HERE . Striated Thornbills are endemic to Australia. The four races of Striated Thornbills populate the eastern and south-eastern coastal fringe and some of the south-eastern inland of Australia. Race "alberti" is found from about the tropic of Capricorn in QLD to the Manning River in NSW. Nominate race "lineata" lives further South, from the Manning River to about Bairnsdale, VIC. Especially race "lineata" can extend its range further inland to include the upper Murray River catchment. To the West of Bairnsdale, SA, one finds race "clelandi" along the South coast, up to about Adelaide, SA. Race "whitei" exists only on Kangaroo Island, SA. Striated Thornbills can be found in the dense undergrowth of various types of forest.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "lineata" Our first sighting of a Striated Thornbills, race "lineata", was in February 2006, in Jack's Creek State Forest, 25 km South of Narrabri, NSW. Since then we find them semi-regularly in inland NSW, both inside the Great Dividing Range and on its western slopes, e.g. in Mt. Kaputar NP. The farthest west, outside the Great Dividing Range, we have seen them is Gilgandra Flora Reserve, NSW. On the eastern coastal fringe Striated Thornbills, race "lineata", were also spotted by us, e.g. at Dorrigo NP, northern NSW, in January 2011. R. Plumtree reports spotting Striated Thornbills, race "lineata", occasionally in and around Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC. Together with M. Eaton, we found Striated Thornbills, race "lineata", at The Drip, in Goulburn River NP in June 2022. Striated Thornbills, race "lineata" are often found by us together with other species of small birds, e.g. with a family clan of White-browed Scrubwrens in Mt. Kaputar NP in August 2013. In October 2013 a clan of Striated Thornbills, race "lineata", was found there together with Buff-rumped Thornbills. Race "alberti" M. Eaton reports finding Striated Thornbills, race "alberti", at Queen Mary Falls, near Killarney, QLD, in July 2019. Race "whitei" J. Greaves reports spotting Striated Thornbills, race "whitei", at Flinders Chase NP, Kangaroo Island, SA, in March 2016.

Photos

Race "lineata"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Striated Thornbill
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, August 2015]

Frontal view of a Striated Thornbill
[Dunn's Swamp, Wollemi NP, NSW, October 2016]

Frontal view of a Striated Thornbill looking sideways (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, northern NSW, March 2017]

Near-frontal view of a Striated Thornbill (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Goulburn River NP, NSW, June 2022]

Near-frontal portrait of a Striated Thornbill hanging head-down from a branch (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay South, East Gippsland, VIC, May 2018]

Near-frontal view of a Striated Thornbill looking sideways
[Dunn's Swamp, Wollemi NP, NSW, October 2016]

Near-lateral view of a Striated Thornbill in a rocky creek bed (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Near Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, April 2014]

Lateral view of a Striated Thornbill (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Goulburn River NP, NSW, June 2022]

Lateral view of a Striated Thornbill in a rocky creek bed (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Upper Tongio, Old Omeo Cap Road, East Gippsland, VIC, August 2016]

Lateral view of a Striated Thornbill hanging off an eucalypt leaf (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Near Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, June 2015]

Lateral view of a wet Striated Thornbill, which was photographed in shady conditions, making its colours look different
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Near Brookville, East Gippsland, VIC, February 2019]

Lateral view of a Striated Thornbill
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, April 2022]

Ventral view of a Striated Thornbill hanging off a eucalypt leaf (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Near Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, June 2015]

Distant dorsal view of a Striated Thornbill
[Glacial Valley, near Rocky Creek, NSW, September 2008]

Race "alberti"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Near-lateral view of a Striated Thornbill (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Queen Mary Falls, near Killarney, QLD, July 2019]

Lateral view of a Striated Thornbill (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Queen Mary Falls, near Killarney, QLD, July 2019]

Race "whitei"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Striated Thornbill (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Flinders Chase NP, Kangaroo Island, March 2016]

Frontal view of a Striated Thornbill (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Flinders Chase NP, Kangaroo Island, March 2016]

Near-frontal view of a Striated Thornbill (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Flinders Chase NP, Kangaroo Island, March 2016]

Near-lateral view of a Striated Thornbill (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Flinders Chase NP, Kangaroo Island, March 2016]

Lateral view of a Striated Thornbill (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Flinders Chase NP, Kangaroo Island, March 2016]

Soaking wet Striated Thornbill (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Flinders Chase NP, Kangaroo Island, March 2016]

Soaking wet Striated Thornbills (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Flinders Chase NP, Kangaroo Island, March 2016]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Sedentary

Elementary unit: Family clan/mob

Food, Diet

To the best of our knowledge all thornbills feed on small insects.

Near-frontal view of a Striated Thornbill carrying food for its brood
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, October 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a Striated Thornbill taking nectar from Urn Heath
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, August 2015]

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.

stthbil_20220630.m4a	lineata (Ctl W NSW)	Various	© MD
stthbil_20210918.m4a	lineata (NW NSW)	Various	© MD

More Striated Thornbill 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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