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General Information
Description:
We see this bird at our school. The
Little Wattlebird is a medium to large honeyeater which grows
from 26cm to 30cm, but it is the smallest of the wattlebirds. It is
mostly dark grey-brown on the top of its body and has faint white shafts on
each of the feathers. The underneath its body is grey but heavily streaked
with white. A round the throat, he streaks are finer and they become
more blotched on the sides of the tummy. In flight, there is a large rufous
patch in the wings. Its eye is blue-grey. Birds found in Western Australia
have a red eye and a silver patch on the side of their throat and it is
sometimes regarded as a different species. Both male and female look alike
and young Little Wattlebirds look like the adults, but are duller, have less
streaking and a have a browner eye.
 Voice:
The
Little Wattlebird likes to sing from the top branch
of a small bush.
Habitat:
The
Little Wattlebird is found in drier open forests and woodlands, mallee and
mulga and also heathland and mangrove areas as well as urban parks and
gardens. Little Wattlebirds are found throughout south-eastern and
south-western Australia and Tasmania.
Food: Because Little Wattlebirds are members of the honeyeater
family, they like to eat nectar which they get by using their long,
brush-tipped tongue which is specially adapted to probing deep into flowers.
They also eat insects, soft fruits, berries, flowers and seeds. Most feeding
is done while perched, but they catch some insects in mid-air. Birds may
feed in small to large groups or alone.
Breeding:
Little Wattlebirds may breed at any time of the year, but are most active in
the warmer months of August to December. They may raise as many as
three broods in a year.
Little Wattlebirds make a loose cup shaped nest, made of twigs and grass
lined with softer materials. The nest is usually found in the fork of a
tree, usually banksia species, up to about 15m above ground. The female lays
2 pinkish eggs spotted with reddish-brown. The female hatches the eggs
alone but both sexes care for the young chicks, which remain in the nest for
about 16 days.
Reference:
Information - Australian Museum Online - Australian Fact Sheet
http://www.amonline.net.au/factsheets/little_wattlebird.htm
Photo
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©
Richard Major
Some information and pictures were taken from children's charts and
where credited to that child does not claim to be original information.
Where possible, permission to reproduce has been sought and ownership
credited. Any infringement of copyright is purely unintentional and
ownership of pictures and information used is freely acknowledged.
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