Acanthiza nana
Silhouette: Matt Wilkins (photo by Patrick Kavanagh) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The yellow thornbill (Acanthiza nana), formerly known as the little thornbill, is a tiny passerine bird endemic to the eastern coast of Australia. While currently listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, the general consensus is that the population is decreasing.
Acanthiza nana was named by Irish zoologist N. A. Vigors and American naturalist Dr Thomas Horsfield in 1827, with the bird noted in the Sydney Cove area. However, the earliest field notes with type description record the yellow thornbill in 1803, with records sent at the time to the Linnean Society of London. The generic name Acanthiza derives from Ancient Greek akantheōn 'thorn-brake' and zaō 'live, inhabit'. The specific epithet nana is Latin for a 'female dwarf'. The yellow thornbill is one of 13 currently recognised species of thornbill within the genus Acanthiza. There are five species groups recognised within this genus, with the yellow thornbill (Acanthiza nana) most closely related to the striated thornbill (Acanthiza lineata). The only Acanthiza species which occurs outside Australia, the New Guinea thornbill (Acanthiza murina), also bears close molecular similarities to both the yellow and striated thornbills...
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilliga National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow Thornbill sighting in Pilliga National Park on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 17th most-seen of the 58 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November and December
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow Thornbill in Pilliga National Park on a given day, against about 10% in February, the lowest month. January, March–May and October have too few records to rate.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow 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 8 parks where we can rate Yellow Thornbill sightings, Pilliga National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Blue Mountains National Park (Australia, about 20%) and Hattah-Kulkyne National Park (Australia, about 10%).
Same genus: Acanthiza
The closest relatives of the Yellow Thornbill that you can see in Pilliga National Park (genus Acanthiza, Australasian Thornbills) are Inland Thornbill (about 10%), Yellow-rumped Thornbill (about 10%) and Chestnut-rumped Thornbill (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow Thornbill is recorded against all the birds logged in Pilliga National Park (17 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.
