Mallacoota Birds: Little Wattlebird

Bird of the Week: Little Wattlebird 4 December 2020

There’s something joyous about these birds. If you were to watch them calling with the sound off, you’d be forgiven for thinking they were operatic masters, with beautiful voices. They have such vigour and pride!

Little Wattlebirds East Gippsland Jack Winterbottom — Little Wattlebirds East Gippsland by Jack Winterbottom

But to hear them is something else altogether. Their ‘song’ is a strangled, hiccuping croak-hoot, usually pitched low. They can do a high-pitched nasal version too. There is often a bill rattle at the start, and the call has a rhythmic, repetitive quality that Red Wattlebirds don’t have as much.
Listen: https://ebird.org/species/bruwat1/
And compare to Red Wattlebird: https://ebird.org/species/redwat1/

Little Wattlebird feeding Coast Banksia, East Gippsland Martin Maderthaner — Little Wattlebird feeding on Coast Banksia, East Gippsland by Martin Maderthaner

It can be hard to tell the two wattlebirds apart by call. Both do the bill rattle, both do the “Jock!” Both do a version of the “Be-kerk!” Generally I feel that Little Wattlebirds are more tuneful, more inclined to make a memorable tune and repeat it. Red Wattlebirds seem to throw in any note at any time in no particular order.

Little Wattlebirds are the fairly large brown-grey honeyeaters found most commonly along the coast. Both they and Red Wattlebirds are common in gardens around Mallacoota.

Little Wattlebird East Gippsland Rob Clay — Little Wattlebird showing rufous wing patch, East Gippsland by Rob Clay

You can tell the Little Wattlebird by their red-orange wing patch in flight – Red Wattlebirds don’t have that. Close up, Little Wattlebirds have a shooting-star pattern on their feathers: a bright white vane, with a little star at the tip of the feather. It’s very beautiful.

Little Wattlebird feather detail Jack Winterbottom — Little Wattlebird feather detail, showing “shooting stars” East Gippsland by Jack Winterbottom

Red Wattlebirds also have a white central vane on their feathers, but it is not as showy and doesn’t have the star at the tip.

Little Wattlebirds have grey legs & blue-grey eyes, whereas Red Wattlebirds have pinkish legs & red eyes.

blue eyes Little Wattlebird East Gippsland Rob Clay — Little Wattlebird showing blue eyes, East Gippsland by Rob Clay

Little Wattlebird East Gippsland John Hutchison — Black and white pic just for fun, shows off the very strong streaking of the Little Wattlebird, by John Hutchison

Many people call them just Wattle Bird, I’ve heard others call them Jock and they used to be called Brush Wattlebird in some books (but I don’t think that ever took off). What do you call them at home?

Young Little Wattlebirds look like adults, but less striking and browner.