Eastern Spinebill

The Eastern Spinebill, Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris, presents a striking figure with its black, white, and chestnut plumage. This diminutive bird, approximately 15 cm in length, is easily recognized by its red eye and notably long, downcurved bill, which it uses with great dexterity to extract nectar from flowers.

Identification Tips

Males of the species boast a black head and a white throat adorned with a chestnut patch, while their nape is a rich brownish-red, and their backs are grey-brown. The underparts are a soft pale cinnamon, and their dark tails feature white tips laterally. Females are slightly smaller and less vivid, with an olive-grey crown and similar but duller coloration compared to the males. Juveniles appear in a pale warm cinnamon below with grey to olive-brown upperparts, a brown-red eye, and an orange base to their bills.

Habitat

The Eastern Spinebill is a versatile inhabitant of dry sclerophyll forests, scrub, and heathlands. It also adapts well to urban gardens in cities such as Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Hobart, provided there is ample vegetation to offer both cover and sustenance.

Distribution

This species is found from the Cooktown area in North Queensland, south through New South Wales east of the Great Dividing Range, through Victoria, into the Flinders Ranges in eastern South Australia, and across Tasmania.

Behaviour

The Eastern Spinebill is an active forager, often seen flitting from flower to flower in search of nectar. It is also known to store fat during times of abundant food to help it through periods when nectar is scarce.

Song & Calls

The call of the Eastern Spinebill is a distinctive, high-pitched, and staccato "chip-chip-chip," which can be heard for extended periods, particularly during the breeding season.

Breeding

The breeding season spans from August to January, with the possibility of one or two broods. The nest is a meticulously constructed deep cup of grass and bark strips, lined with feathers and soft plant fibers, suspended in the fork of a bushy tree or shrub. Clutches typically consist of one to four pinkish eggs, speckled with dark reddish-brown, each measuring 17 mm by 13 mm.

Diet and Feeding

Eastern Spinebills have a diet rich in nectar from a variety of plants, including gum trees, mistletoes, and members of the Proteaceae family. They also consume small insects and other invertebrates. Their feeding habits are closely tied to the flowering cycles of their preferred plants.

Conservation Status

The IUCN Red List currently classifies the Eastern Spinebill as Least Concern, indicating that, at present, there are no immediate threats to its population numbers.