Eastern Bristlebird
Dasyornis brachypterus
Small, long-tailed terrestrial bird of southeastern New South Wales and ranges on the Queensland border. Mottled grayish brown, paler below, with red eye, reddish wing, pale throat, faint pale supercilium, and long, graduated rusty tail. Dark bristles around bill give this species its name. Runs around on the ground in forested areas with dense understory, as well as in coastal heathland, and rarely seen in flight. Calls include a chirpy whistled "chip chip whirr-eee."
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Dasyornis brachypterus
- Authority
- (Latham, 1801)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Dasyornithidae
- Genus
- Dasyornis
Range and habitat
The eastern bristlebird is very territorial and will often use a distinct, loud melodic song to mark its territory.<p>Surveys have found the bird prefers to live in small, localised populations, and prefer to build their nests on the ground in areas of dense, clumped grasses.<p>An isolated colony was found in the Conondale Range in southeastern Queensland in the 1980s.<p>In late 2021, it was estimated that there were only about 2,500 of the species left in the wild, existing in isolated populations in eastern New South Wales and southern Queensland. There are four separate populations: one in northern NSW and into southern Queensland, including the Border Ranges National Park (around 40 birds); one in the Southern Highlands; one in the Jervis Bay area; and one southern population around the NSW border with Victoria, which includes Nadgee Nature Reserve and Croajingolong National Park.<p>Sites identified by BirdLife International as being important for eastern bristlebird conservation are the Scenic Rim on the border between southern Queensland and northern New South Wales, Budderoo and Barren Grounds, Jervis Bay, and Nadgee to Mallacoota Inlet straddling the border between south-eastern New South Wales and eastern Victoria.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
Eastern bristlebirds are listed as endangered on the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.<p>Because of the small, isolated nature of the populations of eastern bristlebird, it suffers from a lack of genetic diversity, which can lead to extinction. In an effort to counteract this, a technique known as "genetic rescue" is being used in New South Wales as of 2021[update], under the Saving our Species program. The program involves selecting individuals that have been breeding successfully from the larger populations of birds, and putting them into the smaller ones.[3]<p>Along with the genetic rescue program, a captive breeding program is under way at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in Queensland. By breeding the birds selectively, the conservationists aim to improve resistance to disease, increase genetic diversity and raise the fertility rate, especially in the smallest population in northern NSW.[3]<p>Several organisations are involved in the program besides Currimbin: Cesar Australia,[a] the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP), the University of Queensland, Parks Australia and the Australian Department of Defence.[3]
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Sabine's Puffback
Dryoscopus sabini
A relatively large-billed shrike-like bird primarily found in lowland forest canopy. Male is white below and iridescent black above except for a white rump. The female is overall reddish brown, with more reddish wings and a grayish hood. Similar to several bicolored shrikelike birds in the region, but note Sabine’s Puffback’s large bill, striking sexual dimorphism, and unique song, which consists of a distinctive series of long whistles descending in pitch before arriving at a single repeated pitch, growing louder, and then ending suddenly. Songs can sometimes last several minutes, and are more reminiscent of some Yellow Longbill songs than of the songs of other puffbacks. Calls include typical puffback-like rattles and harsh calls.
Rufous-rumped Foliage-gleaner
Neophilydor erythrocercum
A medium-sized bird, brownish above and pale buff below, with a bright rufous rump and tail and a distinctive buffy line behind the eye. Found in tall rainforest, where it occurs mainly in the midstory and canopy, but occasionally in the understory. Will follow mixed species flocks at all levels. Feeds on insects and forages actively, often investigating dead leaf clusters and other accumulations of detritus. Song is a short, weak series of squeaking notes that fades away; call is a hard doubled note. Most similar to Rufous-tailed Foliage-gleaner but somewhat larger and more likely to occur at lower levels in the forest; both tail and rump are rufous in Rufous-rumped.
Ochre-bellied Flycatcher
Mionectes oleagineus
Rather plain, inconspicuous small flycatcher of humid tropical forest; also wanders into adjacent clearings and semiopen areas with fruiting bushes and trees. Usually found singly at lower to middle levels in shady understory and at times with mixed-species feeding flocks. Feeds mainly on fruit, plucked by short sallies. Plain olive plumage with ochre belly is distinctive. Also has habit of lifting one wing at a time and moving head slowly back and forth.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.