Smicrornis brevirostris
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
The weebill (Smicrornis brevirostris) is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae. It is an insectivorous passerine that is found throughout mainland Australia. At 8 to 9 cm (3.1 to 3.5 in) long, it is Australia's smallest bird. It was originally described by John Gould in 1838, and four subspecies are recognised. The weebill's plumage is nondescript, with olive-grey upperparts and paler, more yellowish underparts. It grades from more brownish plumage in the southern regions of Australia to more yellow in tropical areas.
The weebill was described by John Gould in 1838 as Psilopus brevirostris. The species epithet is derived from the Latin words brevis 'short' and rostrum 'beak'. In 1843, Gould erected the genus Smicrornis for his new species Smicrornis flavescens, collected from Port Essington, noting it as distinct from Gerygone (which had replaced Psilopus as a name). The generic name Smicrornis derives from the Greek smicros 'small' and ornis 'bird'. It is the only member of genus Smicrornis; gene flow is strong and local variation follows Bergmann's and Gloger's rules.
Gould initially called it the short-billed smicrornis, but it did not gain acceptance. Other... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flinders Ranges National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Weebill sighting in Melbourne on a given day, based on 639 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 109th most-seen of the 236 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Weebill in Melbourne on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Weebill sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Weebill sightings, Melbourne ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Perth (Australia, about 30%).
Same family: Acanthizidae
The closest relatives of the Weebill that you can see in Melbourne (family Acanthizidae, Thornbills and Allies) are Brown Thornbill (about 40%) and White-browed Scrubwren (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Weebill is recorded against all the birds logged in Melbourne (639 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
