mdahlem.net WWW

Aust birds    Bird names   News   1-26    Habitats    Key plants    Glossary    Plumage    Nests    Tips    Thumbnails    Gen. info    Sponsors    Photos for sale
NON-PASSERINES     1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    10     11     12     13     14	15     16     17     18     19     20     21     22     23     24     25     26     PASSERINES
Common names sorted alphabetically: A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O   P   Q   R   S   T   W   Y

18

Little Wattlebird (Anthochaera chrysoptera) Alternate name(s): "Brush Wattlebird", "Mock Gillbird", "Mocker", "Mock Wattlebird", "Cookay-cock", "Biddyquock" Size: 27-31 cm Weight: 45-85 g

Australia: Family Group 18 Family Group 18 Table Yellow Wattlebird Red Wattlebird Little Wattlebird Western Wattlebird Regent Honeyeater Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater Striped Honeyeater Helmeted Friarbird Silver-crowned Friarbird Noisy Friarbird Little Friarbird Blue-faced Honeyeater Bell Miner Yellow-throated Miner Noisy Miner Macleay's Honeyeater Tawny-breasted Honeyeater Yellow-spotted Honeyeater Lewin's Honeyeater Yellow-faced Honeyeater Graceful Honeyeater Bridled Honeyeater Eungella Honeyeater Singing Honeyeater Mangrove Honeyeater Varied Honeyeater White-lined Honeyeater White-gaped Honeyeater White-eared Honeyeater Yellow Honeyeater Yellow-throated Honeyeater Yellow-tufted Honeyeater Purple-gaped Honeyeater Grey-headed Honeyeater Yellow-plumed Honeyeater Grey-fronted Honeyeater Fuscous Honeyeater Yellow-tinted Honeyeater White-plumed Honeyeater Brown Honeyeater Bar-breasted Honeyeater Brown-backed Honeyeater Rufous-throated Honeyeater Grey Honeyeater Tawny-crowned Honeyeater Rufous-banded Honeyeater New Holland Honeyeater White-cheeked Honeyeater Crescent Honeyeater White-fronted Honeyeater Painted Honeyeater Black-chinned Honeyeater White-throated Honeyeater Strong-billed Honeyeater White-naped Honeyeater Brown-headed Honeyeater Black-headed Honeyeater Eastern Spinebill Western Spinebill Banded Honeyeater Black Honeyeater Pied Honeyeater Scarlet Honeyeater Red-headed Honeyeater Dusky Honeyeater Olive-backed Sunbird Gibberbird Crimson Chat Orange Chat Yellow Chat White-fronted Chat 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 Little Wattlebirds are large nectar-eating birds. The general appearance of their plumage is dark grey-brown, with prominent white streaking, which is most obvious in the spines on the cheeks and chest. The back is darker overall than the front, where the streaking is boldest on belly and vent. The flight feathers have olive-green leading edges. The undertail coverts are barred. The grey tail is very long, with feathers that have different, tapered lengths, each having a white end. Little Wattlebirds do not have wattles. The irises are blueish-grey, the long, curved bill is dark-grey, while the legs and feet are grey. Juveniles have more brownish plumage than adult Little Wattlebirds, with dull-blue irises, a yellow gape and less prominent striation. Twitcher's tip Compared with Western Wattlebirds, Little Wattlebirds have less silver-grey cheeks.

Taxonomy, classification See Little Wattlebird 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 Little Wattlebird is available HERE . Little Wattlebirds are endemic to Australia. They live in a narrow coastal margin along the South and East coast of Australia, from about Adelaide, SA, to Gladstone, QLD. This range is occupied by nominate race "chrysoptera". Race "tasmanica" is found only in Tasmania, on the eastern side and along the North coast of the island. Race "halmaturina" occurs only on Kangaroo Island, SA. Little Wattlebirds are usually found in coastal woodland, heath or low scrub, with a strong preference for banksias. They adapt to the presence of humans quite well and will also enter urban parks and gardens.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "chrysoptera" We first spotted Little Wattlebirds, race "chrysoptera", feeding on the nectar of banksias at Bundjalung NP on the NSW North Coast in 2005. Since then, many have been found by us, and also been reported to us by various contributors, in many different locations along the East coast of Australia. I. Duncan reports spotting Little Wattlebirds, race "chrysoptera", in the Melbourne Botanical Gardens, VIC, in July 2012. R. Plumtree reports spotting Little Wattlebirds, race "chrysoptera", at Metung, near Lakes Entrance, East Gippsland, VIC, in November 2019. M. Eaton reports finding Little Wattlebirds, race "chrysoptera", at the Botanical Garden, Melbourne, VIC, in April 2022. Race "tasmanica" B. Hensen reports spotting Little Wattlebirds, race "tasmanica", at Peter Murrell Reserve near Kingston, TAS, in March 2016. Race "halmaturina" J. Greaves reports spotting Little Wattlebirds, race "halmaturina", on Kangaroo Island, SA, in March 2016.

Photos

Race "chrysoptera"

Not the photos you want? Or are you after even better quality? Have a look here .

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Little Wattlebird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Garden, Melbourne, VIC, April 2022]

Frontal view of a Little Wattlebird having a stretch (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Noosa, QLD, July 2017]

Close-up near-frontal portrait of a Little Wattlebird
[Cape Byron, NSW, May 2014]

Near-frontal portrait of a Little Wattlebird
[Urunga board walk, Urunga Heads, NSW, August 2015]

Near-frontal view of a Little Wattlebird with its bill dusted with pollen(photo courtesy of I. Duncan)
[Melbourne Botanical Gardens, VIC, July 2012]

Near-frontal view of a Little Wattlebird (photo courtesy of C. Kellenberg)
[Point Plomer, Limeburners Creek, NSW, February 2009]

Near-lateral view of a Little Wattlebird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[South West Rocks, NSW, July 2017]

Little Wattlebird checking whether all is safe! First to the right...
[Hat Head, NSW, January 2011]

... then to the left
[Hat Head, NSW, January 2011]

Near-lateral view of a Little Wattlebird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Yamba, NSW, January 2021]

Near-lateral view of a Little Wattlebird looking backwards (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Yamba, NSW, January 2021]

Close-up lateral view of a Little Wattlebird in a coastal banksia
[Point Plomer, Limeburners Creek NP, NSW, October 2013]

Lateral view of a Little Wattlebird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Garden, Melbourne, VIC, April 2022]

Near-dorsal view of a Little Wattlebird looking back at the observer (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Dundowran Beach, Hervey Bay, QLD, May 2018]

Close-up near-dorsal view of a Little Wattlebird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[South West Rocks, NSW, July 2017]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-frontal view of a Little Wattlebird; the remnant yellow gape may indicate that this bird is still sub-adult (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Noosa, QLD, December 2017]

Race "tasmanica"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Near-lateral view of a Little Wattlebird (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Peter Murrell Reserve, near Kingston, TAS, March 2016]

Race "halmaturina"

No photos of this race are available yet. However, see below for sound recordings.

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial/ communal

Mobility: Dispersive

Elementary unit: Pair/flock

 

Little Wattlebirds are territorial, but can feed in areas with flowering trees in large numbers.

Food, Diet

Like many other honeyeaters, Little Wattlebirds do not exclusively feed on nectar, but use their sticky tongue to take insects too. They are also known to take fruit. For gathering nectar, especially in (near-)coastal regions, they have a preference for banksia flowers.

Little Wattlebird feasting on the flowers of a grevillea
[Hat Head, NSW, January 2011]

Close-up view of a Little Wattlebird feeding on the nectar of a coastal banksia
[Cape Byron, NSW, May 2014]

Close-up lateral view of a Little Wattlebird feeding on the nectar of a coastal banksia
[Point Plomer, Limeburners Creek NP, NSW, October 2013]

Lateral view of a Little Wattlebird feeding on the nectar of a Grevillea robusta (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Metung, near Lakes Entrance, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2019]

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.

litwatt_20140526.mp3	chrysoptera (NE NSW)	Contact call?	© MD
litwatt_20150818.m4a	chrysoptera (NE NSW)	Contact calls?	© MD
litwatt_20150327_3.m4a	chrysoptera (NE NSW)	Territorial call?	© MD
whchhon_20150327_5.m4a	chrysoptera (NE NSW)	Fighting over food source (with White-cheeked Honeyeater)	© MD
whchhon_20150327_6.m4a	chrysoptera (NE NSW)	Fighting over food source (with White-cheeked Honeyeater)	© MD
litwatt_20150327.m4a	chrysoptera (NE NSW)	Various	© MD
litwatt_20150327_2.m4a	chrysoptera (NE NSW)	?	© MD
litwatt_20150327_4.m4a	chrysoptera (NE NSW)	?	© MD
litwatt_20150327_5.m4a	chrysoptera (NE NSW)	?	© MD
litwatt_jg_20160325.mp3	halmaturina (Kangaroo Island)	Territorial call?	© JG

More Little Wattlebird 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.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Sat, 8 October 2022, 3:04 +00:00