Anthochaera chrysoptera

Other Names: Little Brush Wattlebird

Size: Birds Size: 26-33 cm

Family: Meliphagidae (Honeyeaters, 74 species in Australia)

Distribution: Within about 50-100 km of the coast of NSW, VIC, lower QLD and Eastern SA, also Eastern TAS.

Status: Common

Habitat: Woodland, heath, scrub, likes Banksia, parks and gardens.

References: Simpson and Day, Reader's Digest

About the Little Wattlebird

The Little Wattlebird is common in parts of Sydney and many other areas. It is found in the Lower Blue Mountains but not in the Upper Blue Mountains (the Red Wattlebird is found in the Upper Mountains). It looks a lot like Red Wattlebird, but without the red flap of skin under its eye (the "wattle"), and it is a darker colour overall with more distinct white spots/stripes.

It has a very distinctive call, a bit like an old wooden cuckoo-clock (it imitates the ticking of the clock and also the cuckoo sound), which sometimes can go on for hours at a time.

Photo: Blaxland, Blue Mountains NSW.

Artwork: John Gould, 'The Birds of Australia', 1848. Higher Resolution 683 x 1000.

See Also

Australian Mammals
Australian Reptiles
Australian Frogs
Australian Fish
Australian Spiders and Their Faces
Australian Wild Plant Foods

Return to Australian Birds