Acanthiza pusilla
Silhouette: Matt Wilkins (photo by Patrick Kavanagh) · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
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 |
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Thornbill sighting in Great Otway National Park on a given day, based on 2,957 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 175 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August–September and December
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Thornbill in Great Otway National Park on a given day, against about 60% in June–July and October, the lowest months.
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.
Yes
Of the 14 parks where we can rate Brown Thornbill sightings, Great Otway National Park has the highest daily chance: about 70%. Next come Springbrook National Park (Australia, about 60%) and Wilsons Promontory National Park (Australia, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Acanthiza
The closest relatives of the Brown Thornbill that you can see in Great Otway National Park (genus Acanthiza, Australasian Thornbills) are Striated Thornbill (about 30%) and Buff-rumped Thornbill (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Brown Thornbill is recorded against all the birds logged in Great Otway National Park (2,957 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
