The large-billed scrubwren (Sericornis magnirostra ) is a passerine bird in the family Acanthizidae, endemic to eastern Australia. It is found in denser undergrowth in temperate forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.
An insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
A territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
Flocking birds are those that tend to gather to forage or travel collectively. Avian flocks are typically associated with migration. Flocking also ...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe large-billed scrubwren is 11.5 to 13 cm (4.5 to 5.1 in) in length and weighs 10 g (0.35 oz). It has a dark reddish-brown eye in a pale buff face, with a longish, black bill inclined slightly upwards. The upperparts are light grey-brown with an olive tint, the throat is a pale buffy-white, the belly greyish, and the rump and tail light rufous-brown.
The large-billed scrubwren is found from near Cooktown in northern Queensland to Kinglake and the Dandenong Ranges, near Melbourne, Victoria. The distribution of the 3 subspecies corresponds to 3 discontinuous areas within its overall range: the nominate subspecies Sericornis magnirostra magnirostra is found from the Clarke Range, inland of Mackay, Queensland to East Gippsland in Victoria; S. m. viridior is found in northeast Queensland from Mt Amos, south of Cooktown, to the Paluma Range National Park, near Townsville; and S. m. howei is found in West Gippsland and the Strzelecki Ranges of southern Victoria. Its preferred habitat is rainforest in the tropics and wet sclerophyll forest in temperate areas. It is sedentary and more common in the north of its range.
The large-billed scrubwren forages in the low to middle levels of the forest, often in small flocks. It is insectivorous, gleaning various arthropods, including spiders, ants, wasps, beetles, and lepidopteran larvae, from the bark of tree-trunks and branches, and amongst debris suspended in vines and epiphytes.
The large-billed scrubwren breeds from July to January, mainly in November and December. It constructs a rough, domed nest of bark, grass and moss, lined with feathers and set in creepers, tree-ferns or palm-fronds. It often occupies the abandoned nest of other species, notably the yellow-throated scrubwren (Neosericornis citreogularis ). A clutch of 3 or 4 eggs, measuring 19 mm × 15 mm (0.7 in × 0.6 in), is laid. The eggs are dull white to pale purplish-brown in appearance with fine spots at the large end. The incubation period is unknown and the nestling period is about 13 days. The nests are parasitised by the fan-tailed cuckoo (Cacomantis flabelliformis ) and the chestnut-breasted cuckoo (C. castaneiventris ).
