Yellow-throated Scrubwren, male.
Photo: SG Lane Collection © Australian Museum
Yellow-throated Scrubwren, female.
Photo: SG Lane Collection © Australian Museum
Yellow-throated Scrubwren at nest.
Photo: SG Lane Collection © Australian Museum
Distribution map of Sericornis citreogularis
Map © Birds Australia Birdata
Yellow-throated Scrubwren
Scientific name: Sericornis citreogularis
Family: Pardalotidae
Order: Passeriformes
- Featured Bird Groups
- Small insect-eating birds
What does it look like?
Description
The Yellow-throated Scrubwren is a small, ground-dwelling bird with a distinctive black face mask and forehead, which is bordered by a white and yellow eyebrow above and a bright yellow throat below. The crown and back are dark olive-brown, the underparts grade from the yellow throat to white on the belly, with the flanks washed olive. The wings are dark grey brown with the outer edges yellowish. The relatively long legs are cream to pinkish-grey and the bill is black. Females tend to have a brown face mask and forehead. Young birds are duller than adults in colour, with the underparts washed fawn.
Similar species
The Yellow-throated Scrubwren can be distinguished from other, smaller, scrubwrens, such as the White-browed Scrubwren, S. frontalis, by its yellow throat and black face markings, combined with a dark eye.
Where does it live?
Distribution
The Yellow-throated Scrubwren is found along the east coast of Australia, in two discrete populations: one in far northern Queensland, the other from south-eastern Queensland to southern New South Wales.
Habitat
The Yellow-throated Scrubwren is found in rainforests and wet, timbered gullies with dense vegetation.
Seasonal movements
Sedentary.
What does it do?
Feeding
The Yellow-throated Scrubwren feeds exclusively on the ground, foraging for seeds, insects and other small invertebrates.
Breeding
The Yellow-throated Scrubwren builds a long, bulky domed nest with a hooded side entrance, suspended in tangled vines or from a branch about 1 m to 10 m from the ground. It is made from roots, vine tendrils, leaf skeletons, moss and twigs, and is lined with feathers.
References
Serventy, V.N. (ed) 1982. The Wrens and Warblers of Australia. Angus and Robertson and the Australian Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife, Sydney.
Simpson, K and Day, N. 1999. Field guide to the birds of Australia, 6th Edition. Penguin Books, Australia.