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Buff-rumped ThornbillAlternative names: "Buff-rumped Tit", "Buff-rumped Tit-Warbler", "Bark-tit" Size: 10.5-11.5 cm |
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Habitat |
(for details refer to a field guide) |
There are four races of Buff-rumped Thornbills which populate the east and south coast of Australia and the Great Dividing Range. Race "australis" is found from about Adelaide, SA, to just west of Melbourne, VIC. Further to the east and north, throughout eastern VIC and NSW, up to the Clarence River, race "reguloides" is found. Race "nesa" lives in subtropical QLD and race "squamata" north of the tropic of Capricorn, up to about Townsville, QLD. Given the right conditions, all races can extend their ranges further inland, especially in QLD and NSW, where occasionally they can be found as far inland as e.g. the Paroo River.
Buff-rumped Thornbills can usually be found in open forest and woodland, sometimes where there is only light undergrowth.
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Sightings |
First spotted by us in January 2008, high up near the tops of the Nandewar Range, chattering and chirping in a group of maybe half a dozen birds.
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Photos |
Close-up frontal view of a Buff-rumped Thornbill
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note the light
colour of the iris and the scalloped forehead
Slightly different angle, showing nicely the spotted forehead
More lateral view, exhibiting some of the underside of the buff-coloured rump
View from behind of a Buff-rumped Thornbill, with the typical colour of the rump clearly visible, but also the scalloped texture of the forehead is quite pronounced
This frontal view of a bird hiding in the underbrush shows
how hard they can be to identify
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Behaviour |
| Social behaviour: Territorial?/ roaming? | Mobility: Sedentary | Elementary unit: Family clan |
Buff-rumped Thornbills are one of only two species of thornbill observed by us to regularly forage on the ground. We have seen them hunting insects on our lawn and paddock. When they had caught something, they flew to a nearby tree with dense foliage before eating the insect.
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Food |
To the best of our knowledge all Thornbills feed on little insects.












