This month we're going small and hard to spot - the Striated Thornbill Acanthiza lineata is just 10cm long and weighs around 7 grams. It spends most of its time in the canopy of mature eucalypts feeding on insects, including lerp insects (which are already present in numbers on the pink gums) and will also eat seeds and fruit. If you live near the coast anywhere from southern Qld down and around to eastern SA you might catch a glimpse at a bird bath, or hear the high-pitched call and look up to see this fast moving bird busy in the tree-top - or maybe a few as they tend the gather in small flocks and extended family breeding groups. There seem to be a few around the block - they can be heard more easily than seen, with sounds of multiple little beaks snapping away at insects in a eucalypt tree-top. Striated Thornbills usually lay three eggs and both parents, plus other members of the group, feed the young. Their nests are prone to being parasitised by cuckoos.
1 Comment
Marion May Campbell
5/10/2018 02:11:00 am
What heart-melting delicacy. How very beautiful!
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Archives
December 2018
January - Superb Fairy-Wren
Feb - Eastern Yellow Robin March - NH Honeyeater April - Crimson Rosella May - Grey Currawong June - Grey Shrike-thrush July - Red-browed Finch Aug - White-browed Babbler Sept - Australian Ringneck Oct - Striated Thornbill Nov-Y-t Black Cockatoo Dec - Australian Magpie |