Eastern Spinebill
A species of Spinebills Scientific name : Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris Genus : Spinebills
Eastern Spinebill, A species of Spinebills
Botanical name: Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris
Genus: Spinebills
Content
Description People often ask General Info
Description
The male eastern spinebill is 13–16 cm (5–6.5 in) long, and has a long thin downcurved black bill with a black head, white throat with a chestnut patch and red iris. It has a brownish-red nape, a grey-brown back and pale cinnamon underparts. The dark tail is tipped with white laterally. Females are smaller with olive-grey crown, similar in colouring to male but slightly duller; and juveniles are pale warm cinnamon below with grey to olive-brown upperparts, a brown-red eye and orange base to the bill. The call is a clear, high-pitched, staccato piping "chip-chip-chip", sometimes repeated for lengthy periods.
Size
16 cm
Colors
Brown
Black
Yellow
Gray
White
Life Expectancy
15.5 years
Feeding Habits
Eastern Spinebill primarily consumes nectar from various flowers, including gum trees and Proteaceae, and also eats small insects. Adapted to fluctuating nectar availability, eastern Spinebill manages by storing fat, longer feeding, or lowering its metabolic rate.
Habitat
Eastern Spinebill predominantly reside in dry sclerophyll forests and woodlands, which showcase an abundant understorey of shrubs such as Banksia. These birds are also comfortable in heathlands, dense coastal shrublands, and mallee habitats. While typically associated with native flora, eastern Spinebill adapts well to modified landscapes, including urban gardens, orchards, and parks. In certain areas, they occupy wet sclerophyll forests and may occasionally venture into rainforests, vine forests, or even subalpine zones, avoiding truly alpine conditions. Their elevation range extends up to 1200 meters but remains primarily coastal in some northeast regions.
Dite type
Nectivorous
People often ask
General Info
Feeding Habits
Bird Feeder Type
Nectar Feeder
Distribution Area
Eastern spinebills are found in dry sclerophyll forest, scrub and heathland from the Cooktown area in North Queensland south through New South Wales east of the Great Dividing Range, through Victoria and into the Flinders Ranges in eastern South Australia as well as throughout Tasmania. Adaptable, they can be found in urban gardens with sufficient vegetation to act as cover and a food source.
Species Status
Not globally threatened.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Perching birds Family
Honeyeaters Genus
Spinebills Species
Eastern Spinebill