birding-aus

Thornbills

To: birding-aus <>
Subject: Thornbills
From: Merrilyn Serong <>
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 22:41:14 +1100
Hi Anthony, Cilla, Steve and others
I agree with Cilla, the Brown Thornbill and White-browed Scrubwren alarm calls
are extremely similar.  Sometimes I think I've got it at last and am sure which
species I am listening to and it turns out to be the other one.  Another
complication is that both species are often together and do their alarm calls at
the same time. Both species sometimes give themselves away by inserting little
bits of their own individual calls amongst the buzzing/grating sounds.  I find
it pays to keep listening for a while just in case, and by then they might
appear out of the shrubs anyway.

In wet forests in the Vic Central HIghlands, Brown and Striated Thornbills are
often together, particularly in areas that have regrown since recent logging and
the trees are only a few metres or so tall.  As Steve says, the Striateds are
usually in groups and the Browns in pairs, but quite often both species will be
in the same tree, and to confuse things the Browns will sometimes forage very
high in older forests and the Striateds come down quite low.  Group size and
composition also seem to vary a bit with season. The Striateds appear to forage
almost exclusively on leaves, frequently hang-gleaning or hovering, and move as
a group quickly through an area, making their constant contact calls.  In
contrast, Brown Thornbills tend to stay in a particular area and search very
thoroughly all over each tree or shrub, looking at branches, trunk, holes,
galls, bark curls, live or brown leaves, etc, and using a variety of foraging
methods.  Yesterday I saw a Brown Thornbill in a Silver Wattle and the bird flew
to a quite large caterpillar that was hanging on a thread from some leaves.  The
bird hovered at the caterpillar and delicately took it in its beak then flew to
a nearby branch and proceeded to bang and peck at its prey on the branch for
some time (as they do) before swallowing it.

I have mentioned our resident Brown Thornbills before (Burwood, eastern suburb
of Melbourne).   There has been a pair here for some time, but in recent weeks,
there have been up to 6 birds at a time (successful breeding?), working over our
shrubs and trees, and thankfully ridding us of some caterpillars that have been
devastating one of our eucalypts.

Cheers,
Merrilyn

Cilla Kinross wrote:

> ...I find the brown thornbill alarm (grating) call can also be confused with
> the white-browed scrubwren who share the habitat (the more shrubby
> windbreaks).  Can someone hint at the difference - my feeling is that the
> brown thornbill's is slightly more delicate, less gruff?
>
>
> Steve.Clark wrote:
>
>
> ...I find habitat and behaviour are really useful guides to thornbill
> species
> > >down
> > >my way.
> > >
> > >Striated are always in tree canopies and usually in small groups.
> > >
> > >Brown are usually in the shrub layer and typically in pairs.
> ....

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