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17

Tasmanian Thornbill (Acanthiza ewingii) Alternate name(s): "Ewing's Thornbill" Size: 10 cm Weight: 6-8 g

Australia: Family Group 17 Family Group 17 Table Spotted Pardalote Forty-spotted Pardalote Red-browed Pardalote Striated Pardalote Large-billed Scrubwren White-browed Scrubwren Tasmanian Scrubwren Yellow-throated Scrubwren Pilotbird Rock Warbler Chestnut-rumped Heathwren Striated Fieldwren Scrubtit Speckled Warbler Redthroat Western Gerygone Brown Gerygone Mangrove 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 Chestnut-rumped Thornbill Brown Thornbill Inland Thornbill Slaty-backed Thornbill Tasmanian Thornbill Southern 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 Tasmanian Thornbills are very small bushland birds. Their cap is olive-brown, the back and tail are darker olive-brown, while the wing feathers are dark-grey with olive-brown edge lining. The front, from chin to breast, is finely scalloped grey on lighter grey. The sides of the head and the frons also show some scalloping. The belly is greyish to cinnamon towards the vent. The undertail coverts are white to light-grey and visibly fluffy. The irises are red; the bill, legs and feet are dark-grey. Twitcher's tip Tasmanian Thornbills are best distinguished from Brown Thornbills by their characteristic white to light-grey tail coverts.

Taxonomy, classification See Tasmanian 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 Tasmanian Thornbill is available HERE . There are two races of Tasmanian Thornbills, both of which are endemic to Tasmania and other, smaller islands along Bass Strait. Nominate race "ewingii" populates most of Tasmania and all of the associated smaller islands, EXCEPT King Island. They are also only rarely found in the hills to the South of Launceston, TAS. On King Island, race "rufifrons" is found. Tasmanian Thornbills are found in (often upland) forest, woodland and scrub, in particular in cold and wet areas.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "ewingii" Tasmanian Thornbills, nominate race "ewingii", were spotted by B. Hensen on Bruny Island, TAS, in March 2016. M. Eaton reports finding Tasmanian Thornbills, nominate race "ewingii", at Mt. Wellington, Hobart, TAS, and along the Queen Elizabeth Track, Bruny Island, TAS, in April 2021. More were found at Eaglehawk Neck, near Hobart, TAS, in September 2021.

Photos

Race "ewingii"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Tasmanian Thornbill (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Bruny Island, TAS, March 2016]

Near-frontal view of a Tasmanian Thornbill (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mt. Wellington, Hobart, TAS, April 2021]

Near-lateral view of a Tasmanian Thornbill (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Eaglehawk Neck, near Hobart, TAS, September 2021]

Near-lateral view of a Tasmanian Thornbill (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Queen Elizabeth Track, Bruny Island, TAS, April 2021]

Near-lateral view of a Tasmanian Thornbill (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Bruny Island, TAS, March 2016]

Close-up lateral view of a Tasmanian Thornbill (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Queen Elizabeth Track, Bruny Island, TAS, April 2021]

Lateral view of a Tasmanian Thornbill (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Bruny Island, TAS, March 2016]

Lateral view of a Tasmanian Thornbill; note the fluffy white to light-grey tail coverts characteristic of this species
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Bruny Island, TAS, March 2016]

Lateral view of a Tasmanian Thornbill (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Eaglehawk Neck, near Hobart, TAS, September 2021]

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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