Yellow Thornbill
A species of Thornbill Scientific name : Acanthiza nana Genus : Thornbill
Yellow Thornbill, A species of Thornbill
Botanical name: Acanthiza nana
Genus: Thornbill
Content
Description General Info
Description
Although similar to the striated thornbill and brown thornbill in both size and shape, the yellow colour of the yellow thornbill is more prominent. There is no sexual dimorphism, so that males and females look alike. They are around 9 cm (3.5 in) in length, with an average wing span of 14 cm (5.5 in), and weighing between 6–7 g (0.21–0.25 oz).
Size
10 cm
Feeding Habits
Yellow Thornbill, a small bird, primarily feasts on insects, occasionally supplementing its diet with seeds. It forages in upper to middle forest canopies, often in groups, and exhibits agile flight-assisted hunting. Unique to yellow Thornbill are occasional large feeding flocks or mixed-species foraging groups.
Habitat
Yellow Thornbill predominantly reside in open forests and shrublands within temperate to semi-arid, and marginally subtropical zones. They favor environments with a dominance of casuarina, cypress pine, acacia species like mulga and brigalow, paperbark, and eucalypt varieties such as mallee and box-ironbark. They typically avoid rainforests but can occasionally be found in dry monsoon rainforest and tall closed subtropical rainforest areas. Yellow Thornbill are also adaptable to human-modified landscapes, including wooded parks, gardens, pine plantations, and orchards.
Dite type
Insectivorous
General Info
Distribution Area
Yellow thornbills are found mainly within temperate and semi-arid areas, with their range just extending into the subtropical zone. Within these zones, yellow thornbills are found in a variety of habitats including shrublands, forests and thickets, preferring vegetation dominated by casuarinas or eucalypts, particularly in areas with a drier climate. Their range extends from northern and central west Queensland, south along the eastern coast of Australia through much of New South Wales, throughout Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory, and into the southeastern corner of South Australia.
Species Status
Their current status according to the IUCN Red List is Least Concern, but with a decreasing population. In developed areas such as towns or industrial sectors, the yellow thornbill has only been recorded in older development areas and not at all in more recently developed areas. This correlates with observations of general bird populations in residential zones, with native birds decreasing when the native vegetation is removed. Fire also affects population numbers, with only the oldest age-class present after fires. In farmland which undergoes regular harvesting, yellow thornbills have not been recorded. Fire, land development, agricultural insecticides and climate change have also led to a decrease in insect populations, which for a largely-insectivorous bird could potentially hold severe complications in the future.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Perching birds Family
Australasian warblers Genus
Thornbill Species
Yellow Thornbill