Yellow Thornbill

1. Bright yellow underparts, the most vivid of any Australian thornbill

2. Boldly streaked cheeks and ear-coverts

3. Plain olive forehead with no crown markings

Yellow Thornbills are highly arboreal, foraging mainly in the foliage for insects and sometimes seeds. They are most active in small groups or pairs but may join larger mixed-species flocks. Their call is a distinctive, harsh two-note “tzid-id,” repeated frequently throughout the day. Breeding typically occurs from August to January. Nests are rounded and domed, built high in shrubs or trees from bark fibres and grasses bound with spider web. Females lay two to four eggs per clutch, and both parents share incubation duties over 16–17 days. Cooperative breeding with helpers has been observed in some areas.

Yellow Thornbills inhabit open forests, woodlands, and shrublands across eastern Australia, from northern Queensland through New South Wales, Victoria, the ACT, and into southeastern South Australia. They favour areas with casuarinas, acacias, paperbarks, and native pines, and are often seen in the canopy or subcanopy, rarely venturing to the ground. They may also be found in established parks and gardens, especially those with mature native vegetation.