Bird of the Week: Eastern Spinebill 7 May 2021
This small, active honeyeater can be hard to see and harder to photograph. The distinctive call is usually the first indication of their presence, for me.
I always think of a squeaky bike wheel when I hear the call – a bike starting slowly then speeding up quickly, and repeating. Listen: https://www.xeno-canto.org/567413
Mallacoota people see them in their gardens all year round I suspect – Wendy G saw one just this morning. They seem to be present around Mallacoota all year, although there may be more of them in winter – high country birds tend to move towards the coast.
They eat nectar from flowers, and their very long thin curved beak is particularly suited to tubular flowers. They have a very long tongue too!
John Hutchison has noted that they love the Kangaroo Paw in his garden. I have delighted in watching them feed from Common Heath Epacris impressa, just centimetres above the ground.
Like most honeyeaters, they don’t just eat nectar – they take insects and spiders too.
Adult males have an all-black head. Adult females have a grey crown. Juveniles are brown on top and buff underneath.
They are one of our smallest honeyeaters, only just a little bigger than the Scarlet Honeyeater. But they are quite long-lived – one study recorded a bird for 13 years!
Some lovely information here: https://connectingcountry.org.au/bird-of-the-month-eastern-spinebill/
LISTEN TO THE CALLS & Scroll through to see lots of great pics here: https://ebird.org/species/easspi1?siteLanguage=en_AU
Details: Eastern Spinebill Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris tenuirostris
Location: coastal eastern Australia, from north of Adelaide, SA through VIC, TAS, NSW QLD. Four subspecies – ours is tenuirostris
Conservation status/learn more: https://birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/eastern-spinebill
Thanks to Gary & Judy Smith, John Hutchison, Caroline Jones, Martin Maderthaner and Michael Barnett for your wonderful pics and information.
Mallacoota Birds 