BetterBirding
Bird guideSlaty-backed Thornbill

Small bird with thin pointed bill, uncommon in mulga woodland of arid inland temperate Australia.

Spot this speciesRead on Wikipedia
⚠️Not listed
🌿Endemic to Australia
🍃Indigenous: Robust Thornbill, Thick-Billed Tit, Large-Billed Thornbill, Thick-Billed Thornbill

At a glance

FamilyThornbills and Allies
SizeTiny
RarityUncommon
Habitatherbaceous graminoids sparse hummock grasses, shrubland, herbaceous graminoids open hummock grasses, and woody trees scattered
Best timeMost reliable in Western Australia from July.

Sounds

Sound sample
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Recorded by Marc Anderson

Range map

Range map

931visible hotspots
3148visible records
5states
Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence

Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.

Species notes

Overview

Brownish gray above, cream-colored below, with dark eye, dark streaking on forecrown, pale lores, pale-tipped dark tail, and chestnut rump, often visible in flight. Distinguished from juvenile Chestnut-rumped Thornbill (which also has dark eyes) by noting the dark streaks on Slaty-backed’s forehead.

Behavior

Usually seen in pairs or singly, foraging low in branches rather than on the ground. Typical calls are thin chatter and a clear, reeling trill.

Gallery

Regional timing

Western Australia
Peak: July1,687 records
Northern Territory
Peak: May1,141 records
South Australia
Peak: July105 records
Queensland
Peak: June to August77 records
New South Wales
Peak: July to September56 records

Commonly confused with

Banded WhitefaceAphelocephala nigricinctaIt is endemic to dryer regions of Australia . The ornithologist Alfred John North described the banded whiteface as Xerophila nigricincta in 1895, from specimens collected at Missionary Plains, Northern Territory.→Slender-billed ThornbillAcanthiza iredaleiGrayish brown above, pale with faint speckling on chest below, with pale eye and faint pale-and-dark grizzling in face. Dark tail contrasts with paler rump.→RedthroatPyrrholaemus brunneusFemale pale around the face and throat; male has small rusty-red throat patch. Larger than thornbills and rather plump, more like a whiteface. Song a sustained warbling, trilling medley, with buzzing and mimicking mixed in.→
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