Eastern spinebill fact sheet | Field of Mars EEC

What are eastern spinebills?

The eastern spinebill is a small native honeyeater found in eastern and south-eastern Australia. Its scientific name is Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris. It is easy to recognise because it has a long, fine, curved beak, a black and white head pattern, chestnut patches and quick, energetic movements.

Eastern spinebills are often noticed when they visit flowering shrubs. They use their curved beak and brush-tipped tongue to reach nectar inside flowers. They may hover briefly while feeding, then dart quickly to another flower or branch.

Eastern spinebills can occur in Sydney bushland, parks and gardens where nectar-rich native plants are flowering. Field of Mars Reserve and Lane Cove National Park are on Darug Country, and looking after flowering bushland helps care for the living plants, animals and places connected to Country.

An eastern spinebill.

Eastern spinebill perched in bushland.

Where do eastern spinebills live?

Eastern spinebills live along eastern and south-eastern Australia, including parts of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. They occur in forests, woodlands, heathlands, rainforest edges, parks and gardens.

They are often found where native plants flower through the year. Banksias, grevilleas, bottlebrushes and eucalypts can provide nectar and shelter. Some eastern spinebills move locally or seasonally to follow flowering plants.

Eastern spinebills use the bushland and nearby gardens around Field of Mars Reserve and Lane Cove National Park when suitable flowers are available. They are likely to use sheltered gullies, forest edges, planted gardens and patches of flowering native shrubs connected to bushland.

Flowering bushland provides food and shelter for eastern spinebills.

What do eastern spinebills eat?

Eastern spinebills mostly eat nectar from flowers. Their long curved beak helps them reach deep into tubular flowers, and their brush-tipped tongue helps soak up nectar.

They also eat small insects and spiders. These foods provide protein, which is especially important when adults are feeding growing chicks.

As eastern spinebills move from flower to flower, pollen can stick to their feathers and beak. This means they can help pollinate some native plants while they feed.

Eastern spinebill feeding from native flowers.

What do eastern spinebills sound like?

Eastern spinebills make high-pitched piping and chirping calls. Their calls can help birds stay in contact as they move through shrubs and trees.

They may also call while defending a feeding area. In dense flowering shrubs, students may hear an eastern spinebill before they see it.

What is the life cycle of eastern spinebills?

Eastern spinebills breed mainly in spring and summer. The female builds a small cup-shaped nest from grass, bark, plant fibres and spider web. The nest is usually hidden in dense shrubs or other sheltered vegetation.

The female lays eggs in the nest. After the chicks hatch, the adults feed them insects, spiders and nectar. The chicks grow quickly until they are ready to leave the nest.

Young eastern spinebills continue learning how to fly, find food and avoid danger after leaving the nest.

Eastern spinebills build small hidden nests in dense shrubs.

What adaptations do eastern spinebills have to help them survive?

The eastern spinebill’s long curved beak is an important feeding adaptation. It helps the bird reach nectar inside flowers that are too deep for many other birds.

Its brush-tipped tongue helps collect nectar, while its small body and fast wings help it move quickly between flowers. It can also hover briefly, which helps it feed from flowers without always needing a perch.

Eastern spinebills are alert and active. Their quick flight helps them escape danger, and their ability to use flowering shrubs, forest edges and gardens helps them find food in different parts of the Sydney landscape.

The eastern spinebill’s curved beak helps it reach nectar.

Why are eastern spinebills important?

Eastern spinebills are important pollinators. When they feed on nectar, pollen can brush onto their head, beak and feathers. Some of this pollen is carried to the next flower they visit.

They also help local food webs. Eastern spinebills eat small insects and spiders, and they may be prey for larger birds and other predators. Their presence can show that flowering plants and small bird habitat are available.

Protecting native flowering plants in and around Field of Mars Reserve and Lane Cove National Park supports many living things. Caring for these habitats also supports the broader idea of caring for Country, where plants, animals, waterways and people are connected.

Eastern spinebills can help pollinate native flowers.

How can you help eastern spinebills?

You can help eastern spinebills by protecting native bushland and planting local native flowering plants. Gardens with banksias, grevilleas, bottlebrushes and other nectar-rich plants can provide food for small birds.

Avoid using pesticides where possible because eastern spinebills also eat insects and spiders. Keeping cats indoors or safely contained helps protect small native birds.

When visiting bushland, stay on tracks, leave flowers and nests undisturbed, and observe birds quietly from a distance. Looking after local habitats helps care for Country and supports eastern spinebills and many other native animals.

Planting native flowers can help eastern spinebills.

Related fact sheets

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• Birds fact sheet – Learn about the features, life cycles and adaptations of birds.
• Superb fairy-wren fact sheet – Learn about a small bushland bird that uses shrubs, grasses and gardens for shelter.

Habitats and ecosystems

• Tree habitats fact sheet – Explore how tree trunks, branches, flowers and hollows provide habitat for wildlife.
• Eucalypt forest fact sheet – Explore a habitat with flowering trees, shrubs, insects and small birds.
• Field of Mars Reserve fact sheet – Learn about local bushland habitats that support native plants and animals.

Food sources and food webs

• Insects fact sheet – Discover the small animals that many birds eat and that help pollinate plants.
• Plants fact sheets – Learn how flowers provide nectar, pollen, seeds and habitat for wildlife.

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