Brown thornbill
Brown thornbill | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Acanthizidae |
Genus: | Acanthiza |
Species: | A. pusilla
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Binomial name | |
Acanthiza pusilla (Shaw, 1790)
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The brown thornbill (Acanthiza pusilla) is a passerine bird usually found in eastern and south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania. It can grow up to 10 cm (3.9 in) long, and feeds on insects.[2] It is brown, grey and white.[3] The species has five subspecies.
Taxonomy
The brown thornbill is a member of the order
The generic name Acanthiza derives from
A 2017 genetic study using both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA found the ancestor of the brown thornbill diverged from that of the mountain thornbill around 2 million years ago.[7]
Description
The brown thornbill is warm brown to olive-brown above, with flanks of olive-buff to yellowish white. It has buff scallops on the forehead and large dark red eyes. There are blackish streaks on a grey throat and breast, a tawny rump and tail base, and a black subterminal band with paler tips on the tail.[8]
The brown thornbill ranges in size from 9 to 10 cm (3.5 to 3.9 in), making it relatively small. It typically weighs 7 g (0.25 oz).[3]
Distribution and habitat
The brown thornbill can be found in the eastern and southeastern parts of
Brown thornbills live at elevations up to 1,200 m (3,900 ft). They are found in
Behaviour
Vocalization
Brown thornbills are skilled mimics and also respond to humans imitating their calls. The calls have been described as "rich, musical warble".[3] Their calls vary from a mellow baritone pee-orr, high whistles with rapid cascading trills, to many squeaks and churrs.[8][10] Adult brown thornbills are able to mimic the alarm calls of other birds such as the New Holland honeyeater that warn of a raptor approaching, which deters other predators such as pied currawongs from attacking their nests.[11]
Feeding
The brown thornbill is mainly an
Breeding
Brown thornbill couples tend to pair for a long time. Their nests are dome-shaped with a hooded side-entrance and built out of grasses, bark shreds, moss and feathers or plant down, lightly bound with spider webs, and usually set low in the undergrowth among ferns or tussocks.
Conservation
The brown thornbill is widespread with a stable population and classified as
The King Island brown thornbill (A. p. archibaldi) is considered to be
References
- ^ . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "Birds of Lamington NP:Brown thornbill". Archived from the original on 2004-03-22. Retrieved 2005-09-22.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Brown Thornbill, retrieved March 5, 2014
- ^ a b Brown Thornbill (Acanthiza pusilla), retrieved March 5, 2014
- ^ a b Brown Thornbill Acanthiza pusilla · (Shaw, 1790), retrieved March 5, 2014
- ^ a b Jobling, James A. (2010). "Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird-names". Retrieved 2020-05-10.
- PMID 28017855.
- ^ a b c d e f Pizzey, G. and F. Knight, The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia. 9 ed. 2012, Sydney: Harper Collins. 608
- ^ a b Brown Thornbill, November 7, 2011, retrieved March 5, 2014
- ^ ISBN 978174021417-9
- ^ Salleh, Anna (3 June 2015). "Little Aussie bird cries wolf to fool a predator". News In Science. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ^
- ^ a b Burgess, Georgie. "New hope King Island brown thornbill and scrubtit can be brought back from brink". ABC Radio Hobart. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
External links
- Brown Thornbill Videos, Photos and sounds on the Internet Bird Collection
- Sound recording of Brown Thornbill on Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology's Macaulay Library website