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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Acanthizidae
  4. ›
  5. Acanthiza
  6. ›
  7. Inland Thornbill
Inland Thornbill
Photo · (c) Dmitry Mozzherin, some rights reserved (CC BY)

BirdUp · Species

Inland Thornbill

Acanthiza apicalisGould, 1847

Updated 11 June 2026

Origin: Native
Order
PASSERIFORMES
Family
Acanthizidae
Genus
Acanthiza

At a glance

The Inland Thornbill is a tiny bird, about 9–12 cm long, native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
9–12 cm
Origin
Native
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Very common
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Voice
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does an Inland Thornbill look like?

The Inland Thornbill is a tiny bird, about 9–12 cm long and weighing 5–10 g.

The inland thornbill 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, which now has three more species than the eleven outlined by Gould in The Birds of Australia. The Noongar people of southwestern Western Australia call A. apicalis "Djoobi-Djoolbang". The inland thornbill is also known as the broad-tail thornbill and presently contains several subspecies that were once considered independent species. The word apicalis comes from the Latin for 'tipped'.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
9–12 cm
Weight
4.8–10 g

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see an Inland Thornbill?

The Inland Thornbill is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

04 · Voice

What it sounds like

Call

Ruth Clark · Western Australia, AU

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

What does an Inland Thornbill eat?

The Inland Thornbill feeds on seeds and terrestrial invertebrates, usually foraging in pairs or flocks or alone.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

4 photos

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Inland Thornbill live in Australia?

The Inland Thornbill is native to Australia, recorded across 60 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingAustralia (except north, east, Tasmania)

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Resident
  • Vagrant
  • Non-breeding

8 regions recorded