Australian
Thornbill Identification




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** A Shining Bronze Cuckoo being fed by a Yellow Thornbill


Thornbills (Acanthiza) are a notorisly difficult family to identify in the field, often refered to as "Little Brown Jobs". This page gathers together some of my photographs of thornbills, that display the key characteristics of each species. They have been grouped into three distinct groups by eye colour, in an attempt to give a starting point to identification. The page focusses on physical characteristics, with Call, jizz, and habitat left to be investigated in the field. Below is the list of species covered. Those in bold are yet to be covered:

    Mountain Thornbill, Acanthiza katherina
    Brown Thornbill, Acanthiza pusilla
    Inland Thornbill, Acanthiza apicalis
    Tasmanian Thornbill, Acanthiza ewingii
    Chestnut-rumped Thornbill, Acanthiza uropygialis
    Slaty-backed Thornbill, Acanthiza robustirostris
    Western Thornbill, Acanthiza inornata
    Buff-rumped Thornbill, Acanthiza reguloides
    Slender-billed Thornbill, Acanthiza iredalei
    Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Acanthiza chrysorrhoa
    Yellow Thornbill, Acanthiza nana
    Striated Thornbill, Acanthiza lineata
    Papuan Thornbill, Acanthiza murina
    Weebill, Smicrornis brevirostris


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