This is my first post and I would really like some help. This might be a silly question but I would like to know the difference between a Yellow Rumped Thornbill and a Weebill. Have spotted some very small birds at Marulan amongst the Eucalyptus. They flit about very quickly in the trees and then come down to the ground. Have not been able to get a good enough photo of them. Have looked at pics of both birds but am still not sure. Is there anything in patrticular that I should look for next time in identifying them.
Fair question, I believe the Weebill has yellow on it's underparts, where the Yellow Rumped Thornbill has yellow on the upper parts, on it's rump between the wings and above the tail. Have seen many Yellow Rumps in Tassie, but not been lucky enough to photograph.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
I have not got a pic of a Yellow Rumped Thornbill but a quick look at the WWW they seem to be quite different.
Here is a pic of a Weebill if it helps.
--4399 by rawshorty, on Flickr
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
Wee Bills love's corridor of wattle trees, like's to travel in mixed flocks.
Yellow - rump thornbill like's to feed on the ground a lot eg : fields &'parks with a few trees .
This is just common way ID these birds From a distant . Hope this help's
See it! Hear it!
Mid-North Coast NSW
I think a more visible difference is the eye itself. As you can see, the Weebill (slender-billed Thornbill) has a white eye, and the Yellow-rumped Thornbill has a brown eye, white eyebrows and a black forehead spotted with white.
Hope that helps?
(BTW, great photo Shorty)
M-L
Sorry Shorty, but your photo above is not a Weebill, they have a much shorter thicker blunt bill. My guess for your bird is Buff-rumped Thornbill, but I couldn't rule out Slender-billed Thornbill, as I have no experince with them. Where was it?
I'm also confused by what M-L said "Weebill (slender-billed Thornbill)"? You seem to be suggesting that Slender-billed Thornbill is another name for Weebill. Not so,they are 2 different species.
I think best ID features for Yellow-rumped Thornbill are as M-L said "white eyebrows and a black forehead spotted with white", also bright yellow rump seen when they fly (a nickname is Butterbum), & very distinctive call. And as darinnightowl said, Yellow-rumps are often on the ground. I don't recall ever seeing a Weebill on the ground, but I can't say if they never feed on the ground.
Best ID feature for Weebill, is the very short thick bill, & their call. Sorry I can't describe calls, but I've been told they say 'I'm a Weebill'.
Cheers, Steve
If this helps, the Weebill is actually the smallest bird of Australia. I agree with Steve, the bird in the photo is another Thornbill. The Weebill has various calls including what Steve said - 'Weebill'. Some more calls are a continuous insect like 'tiz-tiz' noise like the Striated Thornbill, but generally a more sweeter call like 'Weebee, Weebill' or 'Tidid, Tidid'. And the field guide says another call that I didn't mention - 'willy-weet, willy-weetee' this is one of the most common calls I hear but I just can't say it in words!
Curtis
Thanks for that
Steve. I was very confused, and stared at the bird in the photo and my books for a long time. More looking confused me even more. I take everything I said about the .....back, sorry.
I'm glad to have described the Yellow-rumped Thornbill well
though.
M-L
Sorry, so does a Yellow rumped thornbill have a white eye or brown eye? That's for all the help. If Thornbills are often on the ground, I would have to say that is what I have seen. After looking at the blurry photo I have it does have a brown eye. Thanks again for all the help.
Joannew
The Yellow-rumped has a grey/brown eye, just like the Striated Thornbill.
to confuse even more, there are some Thornbills with red eyes, like the Brown Thornbill.
M-L
Ok. Thanks for that. Looks like I have Yellow rumped Thornbills.
Joannew
Here's my 5 cents worth (for what it's worth): yellow-rumped thornbills usually fly in strung out parties of up to 20 or more, up to about 8 m high, with very short undulations while emitting a short but clear chip, chip, chip. Weebills are often seen hovering at the edge of tree canopies.
Joanne, if you sit on a chair/log/stump in an open area & in the vicinity of yellow-rumped thornbills a few will sometimes gather quite close to your feet.
Thanks Woko. These birds do move around in lge parties and have already noticed that they will come in quite close. They just don't sit still long enough to get a good photo, maybe it's me and I'm just to slow.
Joannew