Yellow-rumped thornbill

The yellow-rumped thornbill (Acanthiza chrysorrhoa) is an Australian bird that lives to the south of the Tropic of Capricorn. Its preferred habitat is open woodland but groups are also sometimes seen in city suburbs.


Appearance

It is a small bird, being no bigger than five inches in length. Male and female birds are similar in appearance.

The upperparts are olive-brown and the underparts “off white”. The flight feathers are dark brown. The rump, from which the bird takes its name, is deep yellow. The tail is dark with a black band. The forehead is dark brown with white spots, with a pale line over the eye. The throat is white and the eyes are grey. The bill is black as are the legs.


Behaviour

The call of the yellow-rumped thornbill is a short “zip” and it also has an attractive song.

The yellow-rumped thornbill feeds on insects that are taken from the ground or the lower parts of trees and bushes.


Breeding

Breeding takes place from July to December. A domed nest is built about six feet up in the dense outer foliage of a tree. It is built from grass and other vegetation and lined with soft material such as feathers, wool or fur. The nest is built in an interesting way in that the entrance is low down on one side and concealed, whereas the top of the dome is made to look like a nest in order to confuse predators.

Three eggs are laid, these being incubated by the female bird for up to 20 days. Both parents feed and tend the young which fledge at around 18 days. Up to four broods may be raised, with the young birds from earlier broods helping to raise those from later broods.

© John Welford