Brown ThornbillAcanthiza pusillaSmall bird with thin pointed bill. Upperparts brown, underparts grayish brown, with dark red eye, reddish-brown forehead, and white throat with dark streaking. Similar Tasmanian Thornbill has longer tail and rufous-brown panel on wings; Inland Thornbill has grayer upperparts, more streaking on the breast, and a longer tail; and Striated Thornbill has more greenish upperparts, thin white streaking in reddish-brown cap, and pale eyebrow. Inhabits a wide variety of shrub habitats, where usually seen in small groups or pairs.Acanthizidae bird family
Order Passeriformes · 5 selected species
Browse verified BirdLens profiles selected for complete taxonomy, substantial descriptive coverage, and visual evidence. Open a species to compare its identification notes, distribution, behavior, sounds, and maps.
Brown ThornbillAcanthiza pusillaSmall bird with thin pointed bill. Upperparts brown, underparts grayish brown, with dark red eye, reddish-brown forehead, and white throat with dark streaking. Similar Tasmanian Thornbill has longer tail and rufous-brown panel on wings; Inland Thornbill has grayer upperparts, more streaking on the breast, and a longer tail; and Striated Thornbill has more greenish upperparts, thin white streaking in reddish-brown cap, and pale eyebrow. Inhabits a wide variety of shrub habitats, where usually seen in small groups or pairs.
Chestnut-rumped ThornbillAcanthiza uropygialisSmall bird with thin pointed bill, found in woodland and shrubland across much of arid inland temperate Australia. Brownish gray above, cream-colored below, with white eye, pale speckling on forecrown, pale-tipped dark tail, and vivid chestnut rump, often visible in flight. Forages in small flocks in understory bushes and also on the ground. Young bird has dark eye and can be confused with Slaty-backed Thornbill. Compare Inland Thornbill, which has a heavily streaked chest. Typical calls are very thin rapid chatter interspersed with slower, high- pitched "seeeep seeeep."Chestnut-rumped ThornbillAcanthiza uropygialisSmall bird with thin pointed bill, found in woodland and shrubland across much of arid inland temperate Australia. Brownish gray above, cream-colored below, with white eye, pale speckling on forecrown, pale-tipped dark tail, and vivid chestnut rump, often visible in flight. Forages in small flocks in understory bushes and also on the ground. Young bird has dark eye and can be confused with Slaty-backed Thornbill. Compare Inland Thornbill, which has a heavily streaked chest. Typical calls are very thin rapid chatter interspersed with slower, high- pitched "seeeep seeeep."
Inland ThornbillAcanthiza apicalisSmall bird with thin pointed bill. Upperparts gray-brown, underparts off-white, with dark streaking on throat and breast, reddish-brown rump, white flecking on forecrown, and dark red eye. Often cocks tail upright. Similar Brown Thornbill has brown rather than gray-brown upperparts. Chestnut-rumped and Buff-rumped thornbills both have pale eyes, unstreaked chest, and mostly black tails. Inhabits dry woodland and scrubland, also in wetter habitats in southwestern edges of its range.
Rufous FieldwrenCalamanthus campestrisSmall bird of open arid shrubland and grasslands. Pale brown above, whitish below, with distinct pale supercilium, faint chest streaking, and long, cocked tail. Forages quietly on the ground or in thick vegetation, where difficult to see. Most easily observed when males sing in spring, as they perch up in the vegetation. Similar to Western Fieldwren but no range overlap. Compare Shy Heathwren, which has a white wing spot and darker legs.