Acanthiza chrysorrhoa
Silhouette: Matt Wilkins (photo by Patrick Kavanagh) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The yellow-rumped thornbill (Acanthiza chrysorrhoa) is a species of passerine bird from the genus Acanthiza. The genus was once placed in the family Pardalotidae but that family was split and it is now in the family Acanthizidae. There are four subspecies of yellow-rumped thornbill. It is a small, brownish bird with a distinctive yellow rump and thin dark bill. It inhabits savannah, scrub and forests across most of Australia and eats insects. The species engages in cooperative breeding.
The yellow-rumped thornbill was described as Saxicola chrysorrhoa by the French naturalists Jean René Constant Quoy and Joseph Paul Gaimard in 1830, from a specimen collected in King George Sound. The specific epithet derives from Ancient Greek khrysos 'gold' and orrhos 'rump'. Four subspecies are recognised: the nominate chrysorrhoa of Western Australia, leachi of Tasmania, leighi of eastern Australia, and normantoni of central and northern Australia. Butterbum is a colloquial name used by Australian birdwatchers.
A 2017 genetic study using both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA found the yellow-rumped thornbill was an early offshoot within the thornbill genus, its ancestor diverging from... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maria Island National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Flinders Ranges National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Freycinet National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-rumped Thornbill sighting in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park on a given day, based on 140 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 84th most-seen of the 170 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and April
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-rumped Thornbill in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August, the lowest month.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-rumped Thornbill sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 10
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Yellow-rumped Thornbill sightings, Hattah-Kulkyne National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Maria Island National Park (Australia, about 60%), Flinders Ranges National Park (Australia, about 30%) and Grampians National Park (Australia, about 20%).
Same genus: Acanthiza
The closest relatives of the Yellow-rumped Thornbill that you can see in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park (genus Acanthiza, Australasian Thornbills) are Chestnut-rumped Thornbill (about 50%), Inland Thornbill (about 20%) and Yellow Thornbill (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow-rumped Thornbill is recorded against all the birds logged in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park (140 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.
