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Buff-rumped Thornbill

(Acanthiza reguloides)
Alternative names: "Buff-rumped Tit", "Buff-rumped Tit-Warbler", "Bark-tit"
Size: 10.5-11.5 cm

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.

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.

Photos

Close-up frontal view of a Buff-rumped Thornbill ; 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

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.

Food

To the best of our knowledge all Thornbills feed on little insects.