Acanthiza pusilla
Silhouette: Matt Wilkins (photo by Patrick Kavanagh) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The brown thornbill (Acanthiza pusilla) is a passerine bird usually found in eastern and south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania. It can grow up to 10 cm (3.9 in) long, and feeds on insects. It is brown, grey and white. The species has five subspecies.
The brown thornbill is a member of the order Passeriformes, the family Acanthizidae, and the genus Acanthiza. The species was first described by George Shaw in 1790. The generic name Acanthiza derives from Ancient Greek akantheōn 'thorn-brake' and zaō 'to live, inhabit'. The specific epithet derives from Latin pusillus 'very small'.
A 2017 genetic study using both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA found the ancestor of the brown thornbill diverged from that of... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Freycinet National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Flinders Chase | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 11 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 12 | Maria Island National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 13 | Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 14 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Thornbill sighting in Sydney on a given day, based on 2,328 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 55th most-seen of the 243 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Thornbill in Sydney on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Brown Thornbill sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 4
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Brown Thornbill sightings, Sydney ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Melbourne (Australia, about 40%) and Hobart (Australia, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Brown Thornbill is recorded against all the birds logged in Sydney (2,328 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.
