Western Thornbill

1. Pale cream eye set in a plain olive-brown face

2. Uniformly brown plumage with no contrasting rump patch

3. Fine creamy-buff scalloping on the forehead

Western Thornbills build dome-shaped nests, often tucked into dense shrubs or among grass trees. Breeding typically occurs from July to October, usually following rainfall. The female lays a clutch of two to four eggs, and both parents share incubation and feeding duties. These birds are social, sometimes joining mixed-species flocks. Their diet is mainly insects, but they are also known to feed on nectar from local grevillea flowers, an adaptation to the region’s rich plant diversity.

Western Thornbills are found exclusively in southwestern Australia, inhabiting a range of woodland and shrubby habitats, including wandoo and jarrah forests, banksia woodlands, and mallee scrub. They forage in small flocks from the ground to the canopy but are most often seen in the understorey, especially in areas with dense shrub cover and leaf litter. Their presence is often revealed by their soft, repetitive "pitta-pitta-pitta" call.