Eastern Spinebill
Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris
About This Species
Look for this small honeyeater darting between flowering banksias, grevilleas and other tubular native flowers in forest understorey and heathland along Australia's eastern coast, where its long, downcurved bill is adapted for reaching deep into blooms for nectar. It also hawks for insects in short sallies from a perch, and its thin, high-pitched piping call often reveals its presence before the bird is seen. Flowering season for its preferred banksias and heaths, typically autumn through winter in much of its range, tends to bring the most reliable and frequent sightings.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Watching quietly from a short distance near flowering shrubs it is actively feeding on usually works well, since this species will tolerate reasonably close observation if movements are slow and unobtrusive.
- General wildlife protection law covers native birds across Australia, with specific permit and handling rules varying by state, so check local regulations rather than assuming uniform rules nationwide.
- Avoiding disturbance to the flowering shrubs themselves, such as trampling understorey vegetation, helps preserve the food source that draws the bird to a site.
Seasonal Activity
438,554 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Meliphagidae
Photo
(c) judybarnes, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by judybarnes
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.