The striated thornbill (Acanthiza lineata) is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae. It is endemic to Australia, where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.
| Striated thornbill | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Acanthizidae |
| Genus: | Acanthiza |
| Species: | A. lineata
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| Binomial name | |
| Acanthiza lineata Gould, 1838
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| Subspecies[2] | |
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| Distribution in southeast Australia | |
Taxonomy edit
John Gould described the striated thornbill in 1838, giving it the common name of striated acanthiza.[3] Alternative common names include striped-crowned thornbill or tit-warbler, striated tit-warbler or tit, and green thornbill.[4]
The striated thornbill still bears its original name.[5]
A 2017 genetic study using both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA found that the ancestor of the striated thornbill diverged from that of the yellow thornbill around 6 million years ago.[6]
Four subspecies are recognised.[7]
- A. lineata alberti is found in southeast Queensland and is paler and more yellowish overall than the nominate subspecies. It has a bright orange-brown cap with prominent white streaks, and a yellow-olive back. There is a broad zone of intermediate birds stretching from Tenterfield south to Port Macquarie on the coast and Tamworth inland.[7]
- A. lineata lineata is found across New South Wales and Victoria, with a zone between the Grampians and Warrnambool, and the South Australian border where intermediate forms between this and clelandii are found.[7]
- A. lineata clelandii is smaller and paler than the nominate subspecies, though has a more greyish back. It is found in southeastern South Australia to Adelaide.[7]
- A. lineata whitei is smaller and darker than the nominate subspecies, with an overall greyish cast. It is found on Kangaroo Island.[7]
Description edit
The adult striated thornbill is 9–10 centimetres (3.5–3.9 in) long and weighs around 7 grams (0.25 oz).[8] It has a russet- or orange-brown crown with cream streaks, dull yellow-olive upperparts, olive-grey flanks, and cream underparts heavily streaked with black.[7]
The brown thornbill (A. pusilla) is similar but lacks the white-streaked orange-brown cap and lives in shrubs.[8]
Feeding edit
The striated thornbill is predominantly insectivorous, generally forages in the canopy of eucalypt trees, gleaning leaves for prey. It often hangs upside-down while foraging.[9] The striated thornbill also visits and feeds on extra-floral nectaries on the leaves of sunshine wattle (Acacia terminalis), helping pollinate the plant as it brushes against flower heads while feeding.[10]
Breeding edit
Striated thornbills form flocks of 7–20 birds outside of breeding season from late summer to winter, before breaking up into groups of 2–4, composed of a breeding pair plus helper birds.[9]
References edit
- ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Acanthiza lineata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22704656A93979528. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22704656A93979528.en. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
- ^ Gill F, D Donsker & P Rasmussen (Eds). 2020. IOC World Bird List (v10.2). doi : 10.14344/IOC.ML.10.2.
- ^ Gould, John (1865). Handbook to The birds of Australia, Volume 1. self. pp. 372.
- ^ Gray, Jeannie; Fraser, Ian (2013). Australian Bird Names: A Complete Guide. Collingwood, Victoria: Csiro Publishing. p. 187. ISBN 978-0-643-10471-6.
- ^ Australian Biological Resources Study (4 December 2014). "Subspecies Acanthiza (Subacanthiza) lineata lineata Gould, 1838". Australian Faunal Directory. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Australian Government. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
- ^ Marki, Petter Z.; Jønsson, Knud A.; Irestedt, Martin; Nguyen, Jacqueline M.T.; Rahbek, Carsten; Fjeldså, Jon (2017). "Supermatrix phylogeny and biogeography of the Australasian Meliphagides radiation (Aves: Passeriformes)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 107: 516–29. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2016.12.021. hdl:10852/65203. PMID 28017855.
- ^ a b c d e f Schodde, Richard; Mason, Ian J. (1999). Directory of Australian Birds: Passerines: Passerines. pp. 216–18. ISBN 9780643102934.
- ^ a b "Striated thornbill". Birds in Backyards. Birdlife Australia. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
- ^ a b Bell, Harry L.; Ford, Hugh A. (1986). "A Comparison of the Social Organization of Three Syntopic Species of Australian Thornbill, Acanthiza". Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 19 (6): 381–92. doi:10.1007/bf00300540. JSTOR 4599974. S2CID 6197201.
- ^ Knox, R.B.; Kenrick, J.; Bernhardt, P.; Marginson, R.; Beresford, G.; Baker, I.; Baker, H.G. (1985). "Extrafloral nectaries as adaptations for bird pollination in Acacia terminalis". American Journal of Botany. 72 (8): 1185–96. doi:10.1002/j.1537-2197.1985.tb08371.x. JSTOR 2443398.
