Large-billed Scrubwren

1. Long, slightly upturned black bill, larger than other scrubwrens

2. Plain face with a dark reddish-brown eye and subtle off-white eye ring

3. Brownish-olive plumage with a warmer rufous-brown rump and tail

This species is primarily insectivorous, gleaning spiders, ants, beetles, wasps, and caterpillars from bark, foliage, and tangled vines. Large-billed Scrubwrens often forage in small flocks and may join mixed-species feeding groups. Breeding occurs from July to January, peaking in November and December. The nest is a rough, domed structure made of bark, grass, and moss, usually placed in creepers, tree-ferns, or palm fronds 1–6 meters above the ground. They frequently reuse or refurbish abandoned nests of other species, especially the yellow-throated scrubwren. Clutches typically contain 3–4 eggs, and the nests are sometimes parasitised by cuckoos. The species is mostly quiet but may give sharp or chattering calls while feeding.

Large-billed Scrubwrens are found from near Cooktown in northern Queensland to the Dandenong Ranges near Melbourne, Victoria. They inhabit rainforests and wet eucalypt forests, often in the denser undergrowth or among vines and epiphytes. The species is sedentary and more common in the northern parts of its range. Look for them in the lower and middle forest layers, where they actively search for insects on tree trunks, branches, and suspended debris.