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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Acanthizidae
  4. ›
  5. Acanthiza
  6. ›
  7. Slender-billed Thornbill
Slender-billed Thornbill
Photo · (c) Alan Bell, some rights reserved (CC BY)

BirdUp · Species

Slender-billed Thornbill

Acanthiza iredaleiMathews, 1911

Updated 21 March 2026

Conservation status: VulnerableOrigin: Endemic
Order
PASSERIFORMES
Family
Acanthizidae
Genus
Acanthiza

At a glance

The Slender-billed Thornbill is a tiny bird, about 9–11 cm long, listed as Vulnerable and endemic to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
9–11 cm
Conservation status
Vulnerable
Origin
Endemic
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Rare
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Slender-billed Thornbill look like?

The Slender-billed Thornbill is a tiny bird, about 9–11 cm long and weighing 5–7 g.

The slender-billed thornbill is a small bird native to Australia. It includes three sub-species:A. i. hedleyi A. i. iredalei A. i. rosinae

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
9–11 cm
Weight
4.6–7 g
Wingspan
14 cm

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Slender-billed Thornbill?

The Slender-billed 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

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

What does a Slender-billed Thornbill eat?

The Slender-billed Thornbill feeds on terrestrial invertebrates, usually foraging in pairs or flocks.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

6 photos

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Slender-billed Thornbill live in Australia?

The Slender-billed Thornbill is endemic to Australia, recorded across 21 of Australia’s bioregions, with a core range spanning west-central to south-central Australia.

BreedingWest-central to south-central Australia

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Resident
  • Vagrant
  • Passage

7 regions recorded