''Acanthiza'' is a genus of

passeriform A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by th ...

birds, most endemic to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, but with two species (''A. murina'' and ''A. cinerea'') restricted to

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

. These birds are commonly known as thornbills. They are not closely related to species in the hummingbird genera '' Chalcostigma'' and ''

Ramphomicron ''Ramphomicron'' is a genus of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the biological family Trochilidae. With about 361 species and 113 genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del ...

'', which are also called thornbills. They are found primarily in

and have a thin long beak. Colloquially the thornbill is sometimes referred to as a “tit” by locals, but in reality the Australian continent lacks any true tits, albeit ''Acanthiza'' species do show some similarities with tits in their behavior. They have a similar role as small insect-eating birds with titmice and kinglets. Like tits, Thornbills live in small groups foraging amidst trees and shrubs, and feed in a similar manner.

Cooperative breeding Cooperative breeding is a social system characterized by alloparental care: offspring receive care not only from their parents, but also from additional group members, often called helpers. Cooperative breeding encompasses a wide variety of group ...

is recorded from most species except the brown and Tasmanian thornbills. The habitat preferences of the group vary from dense forest to open saltbush and bluebush plains. ''Acanthiza'' follow a very characteristic undulating path when flying. Their

diet Diet may refer to: Food * Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group * Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake ** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...

is formed essentially of little

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

s and plant lice that these birds glean from foliage. They are also exceptional acrobats that are easily able to stay head downward like tits do. The

nest A nest is a structure built for certain animals to hold eggs or young. Although nests are most closely associated with birds, members of all classes of vertebrates and some invertebrates construct nests. They may be composed of organic materia ...

of the ''Acanthiza'' is a large dome-shaped construction, completely enclosed except for a side hole, just like that of the

long-tailed tit The long-tailed tit (''Aegithalos caudatus''), also named long-tailed bushtit, is a common bird found throughout Europe and the Palearctic. The genus name ''Aegithalos'' was a term used by Aristotle for some European tits, including the long-tail ...

; however ''Acanthiza'' adds to it an additional room whose function is unknown. It is somewhat similar to the

Aegithalidae The bushtits or long-tailed tits, are a family, Aegithalidae, of small passerine birds with long tails, compared to their size. The family contains 13 species in three genera, all but one of which are found in Eurasia. Bushtits are active birds, ...

in combining long incubation periods with highly synchronous hatching. This combination, normally impossible due to intense competition for food, occurs because parents and (usually) helpers can organise food supply in such a manner that sibling competition for food is virtually absent.Ricklefs, Robert E.
“SIBLING COMPETITION AND THE EVOLUTION OF BROOD SIZE AND DEVELOPMENT RATE IN BIRDS”
/ref> The number of

eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

usually ranges from two to four, and the incubation period is around twenty days with laying intervals of two days. The length of an adult bird is .

Species

The genus contains 14 species: *

Mountain thornbill The mountain thornbill (''Acanthiza katherina'') is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae. It is endemic to Australia. Its natural habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic fac ...

, ''Acanthiza katherina'' * Brown thornbill, ''Acanthiza pusilla'' *

Inland thornbill The inland thornbill (''Acanthiza apicalis'') was originally described by English ornithologist John Gould in '' The Birds of Australia.'' Inland thornbills are within the order passerines. The inland thornbill belongs to the genus '' Acanthiza ...

, ''Acanthiza apicalis'' *

Tasmanian thornbill Tasmanian thornbill (''Acanthiza ewingii'') is a small bushland member of the Acanthizidae (Australian warbler) family, endemic to Tasmania and the Bass Strait Islands. It is a common bird in these regions and is often found occupying the colder, ...

, ''Acanthiza ewingii'' *

New Guinea thornbill The New Guinea thornbill or Papuan thornbill (''Acanthiza murina'') is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae. It is found in the New Guinea Highlands. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest Montane ecosys ...

, ''Acanthiza murina'' * Chestnut-rumped thornbill, ''Acanthiza uropygialis'' * Buff-rumped thornbill, ''Acanthiza reguloides'' *

Western thornbill The western thornbill (''Acanthiza inornata'') is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae. It is endemic to southwestern Australia. Its natural habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and b ...

, ''Acanthiza inornata'' *

Slender-billed thornbill The slender-billed thornbill (''Acanthiza iredalei'') is a small bird native to Australia. It includes three sub-species: * ''A. i. hedleyi'' * ''A. i. iredalei'' * ''A. i. rosinae'' This thornbill can be found in shrublands and salt marshes, ...

, ''Acanthiza iredalei'' *

Yellow-rumped thornbill 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 f ...

, ''Acanthiza chrysorrhoa'' *

Yellow thornbill 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 popul ...

, ''Acanthiza nana'' * Grey thornbill, ''Acanthiza cinerea'' * Striated thornbill, ''Acanthiza lineata'' *

Slaty-backed thornbill The slaty-backed thornbill (''Acanthiza robustirostris'') is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae. It is endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, natio ...

, ''Acanthiza robustirostris''

References

* Del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A. & Christie D. (editors). (2006). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Lynx Edicions.

External links

Acanthiza fotos & videos
on the Internet Bird Collection {{Taxonbar, from=Q481671 Bird genera Taxa named by Nicholas Aylward Vigors Taxa named by Thomas Horsfield