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Yellow-rumped ThornbillAlternate name(s): "Yellow-tailed Thornbill", "Yellow-rumped Tit", "Yellow-rumped Tit-Warbler", "Yellow-tail", "Chigaree" ![]() Size: 11-12 cm Weight: 8-10 g |
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Photos |
Race "chrysorrhoa"
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ADULT |
Sex unknown |
Lateral view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Manjimup, WA, March 2015]
Lateral view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill collecting nest material
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Bibra Lake, near Perth, WA, September 2016]
Lateral view of two Yellow-rumped Thornbills
(photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Dunsborough, WA, June 2023]
Dorsal view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Manjimup, WA, March 2015]
Race "leighi"
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ADULT |
Sex unknown |
Frontal portrait of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill looking sideways
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2022]
Frontal view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2019]
Frontal view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill with its bill wide open
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, July 2019]
Frontal view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill
[Near Bugilbone, NSW, May 2017]
Frontal view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill looking for insects
[Near Bugilbone, NSW, May 2017]
Near-lateral view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill
[Near Bugilbone, NSW, May 2017]
Near-lateral view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill, different posture
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2015]
Close-up lateral view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2022]
Close-up lateral view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill with a
conspicuously hooked upper mandible
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2022]
Lateral view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill
[Near Bugilbone, NSW, May 2017]
Lateral view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2016]
Lateral view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2015]
Lateral view of a slightly dazed Yellow-rumped Thornbill that had
a run-in with a window pane, but in the end recovered
[Eulah Creek, NSW, June 2009]
Lateral view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill, different posture
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2016]
Close-range shot of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill on our lawn
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, February 2006]
Here another Yellow-rumped Thornbill seen foraging on the ground
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2011]
Lateral view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill just out of the bathtub
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2007]
Yellow-rumped Thornbill trying to decide whether or not to go
for another skinny-dip... (photo courtesy of A. Campbell)
[Mount McEuen, QLD, November 2016]
Near-dorsal view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill
(photo courtesy of
V. Collins)
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2020]
Near-dorsal view of a soaking wet Yellow-rumped Thornbill
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, October 2019]
Near-dorsal/ventral view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, September 2006]
Dorsal view, with a very clear view of the yellow rump giving
Yellow-rumped Thornbills their name
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2012]
Here another clear view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill's yellow rump
(photo courtesy of R. Druce)
Normally, even in a dorsal view, the yellow rump of Yellow-rumped
Thornbills is hidden under the folded wings
[Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2013]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
Frontal view of a juvenile Yellow-rumped Thornbill
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, 2006]
Frontal view of a fledgling Yellow-rumped Thornbill
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2013]
Near-frontal view of a fledgling Yellow-rumped Thornbill on its first
day outside the nest; while its siblings were still in the nest (and
the parents trying to feed everybody) this active youngster was all
about our garden, flying distances of up to 30 m
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2012]
Near-lateral view of a fledgling Yellow-rumped Thornbill from
the clutch out of the fancy nest in the palm fruit shown below
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2012]
Lateral view of a fledgling Yellow-rumped Thornbill
(photo courtesy of M. Windeyer)
[Gilgandra Flora Reserve, NSW, September 2013]
Near-dorsal view of a fledgling Yellow-rumped Thornbill
(photo courtesy of M. Windeyer)
[Gilgandra Flora Reserve, NSW, September 2013]
Fledgling Yellow-rumped Thornbill demanding to be fed by one of its parents
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2013]
Fledgling Yellow-rumped Thornbills waiting to be fed; that year
there were only two chicks
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2013]
Fledgling Yellow-rumped Thornbills waiting to be fed
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2013]
Race "leachi"
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ADULT |
Sex unknown |
Frontal view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill in a meadow
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Bruny Island, TAS, March 2016]
Lateral view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Peter Murrell Reserve, near Kingston, TAS, April 2021]
Dorsal view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Peter Murrell Reserve, near Kingston, TAS, April 2021]
Race "normantoni"
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ADULT |
Sex unknown |
Frontal view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill looking sideways
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Roma, QLD, August 2022]
Near-lateral view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Roma, QLD, August 2022]
Lateral view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mount Isa, QLD, July 2021]
Near-dorsal view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mount Isa, QLD, July 2021]
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Breeding information |
Breeding season: Jul - Dec | Eggs: 3 - 4 | Incubation period: 18 days | Fledging age: ca. 14 - 21 days |
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Nest |
"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal] |
Type: Dome | Material: Grass, root fibres, webs | Height above ground: 1 - 8 m |
This Yellow-rumped Thornbill nest in dense foliage of a
eucalypt
in our garden was quite high, about 8 m above ground
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2011]
Yellow-rumped Thornbill collecting lining material for the nest
shown above
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2011]
Fruit stand of an ornamental palm hiding a fancy Yellow-rumped
Thornbill nest
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2012]
Closer look into the fruit stand from a slightly different angle showing
parts of the Yellow-rumped Thornbill nest
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2012]
Adult Yellow-rumped Thornbill approaching its nest
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2012]
Early in the 2014 breeding season, the clan of Yellow-rumped
Thornbills on our property chose a
Cypress pine
for nesting
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2014]
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Eggs |
"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay] |
Size: 18 x 13 mm | Colour: White, with light-brown speckles | Shape: Tapered oval |
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Behaviour |
Social behaviour: Territorial | Mobility: Sedentary/dispersive | Elementary unit: Family clan |
(Next to Buff-rumped Thornbills,) Yellow-rumped Thornbills are one of only two species of thornbill observed by us to regularly forage on the ground. We have seen them hunting for insects on our lawn and paddock. Having caught something, they fly to a nearby tree with dense foliage before eating the insect.
Mob of Yellow-rumped Thornbills at the local bird bath
[Eulah Creek, NSW, June 2023]
Yellow-rumped Thornbills like taking a shower, here under one of our
garden sprinklers
[Eulah Creek, NSW, February 2013]
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Food, Diet |
Like all other members of the Acanthiza family, Yellow-rumped Thornbills hunt for small insects. We have also seen one taking a relatively large spider (see photos below). As opposed to most other thornbills, they are often found hunting on the ground, not only in the leaf litter of forests, but also in open grassland.
Lateral view of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill that has caught a bug
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2022]
This Yellow-rumped Thornbill has caught a spider
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2011]
Here one can see that the Yellow-rumped Thornbill has in fact killed
the spider
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2011]
Yellow-rumped Thornbill hunting for small insects in an Acacia salicina
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2013]
This Yellow-rumped Thornbill was so keen on scraping off some
kind of small white eggs attached to a twig that it decided to
ignore the observer
[Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2017]
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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.
yrthbil_20201227.m4a |
leighi (NW NSW) |
Contact call | © MD | |
yrthbil_20230428.mp3 |
leighi (NW NSW) |
Contact calls (Q&A) | © MD | |
yrthbil_20191221.m4a |
leighi (NW NSW) |
Various (family clan) | © MD | |
yrthbil_20220927.mp3 |
leighi (NW NSW) |
Various (family clan) | © MD | |
yrthbil_20210324.m4a |
leighi (NW NSW) |
Various (family clan) | © MD | |
yrthbil_20210426.m4a |
leighi (NW NSW) |
Various (family clan) | © MD | |
yrthbil_20230726.mp3 |
leighi (NW NSW) |
Various (family clan) | © MD |
We have also recorded the wing beats of Yellow-rumped Thornbills.
yrthbil_20140715_5.mp3 |
leighi (NW NSW) |
Straight, level flight | © MD | |
yrthbil_20230603.mp3 |
leighi (NW NSW) |
Mob buzzing around bird bath | © MD | |
ylthbil_20230603.mp3 | (NW NSW) | Yellow Thornbill alarm call & Yellow-rumped Thornbill departure | © MD |
More Yellow-rumped Thornbill sound recordings are available at
xeno-canto.org
.