Shrub habitats fact sheet | Field of Mars EEC

What are shrubs?

Shrubs are plants with multiple woody stems growing from the base. They are usually under 6 metres tall. Native shrub examples include bush peas, wattles, grevilleas and banksias.

Grey spider flower. The flowers provide nectar for animals.

Shrubs as habitat

Shrubs provide nest sites and protection for small animals, helping them hide from predators. Their flowers, nectar, seeds and fruit are an important food source for many species of birds, invertebrates and mammals.

After flowering wattles produce seeds. Many seeds are eaten but some will fall into the leaf litter and grow into a new plant.

Pink spider flowers are a type of grevillea. They provide food for many animals in the form of nectar. Can you see evidence of a spider using this flower?

After bushfires shrubs grow quickly to provide essential habitat and food to many species. The pinky purple shrub in the foreground is boronia.

Eastern spinebill

The eastern spinebill is a type of honeyeater. It feeds on insects and nectar from flowering shrubs such as grevilleas, native heath and mountain devils. Its long, narrow beak is specially shaped to reach deep into tubular flowers to obtain nectar. Eastern spinebills are often seen collecting nectar from spider flowers and other brightly coloured shrubs. 

Eastern spinebills collect nectar from flowering shrubs.

Related fact sheets

Habitats

• Habitat fact sheet – overview
• Tree habitats fact sheet – explains how trees provide canopy habitat above shrubs.
• Ground cover habitats fact sheet – grasses and low plants that grow beneath shrubs.
• Leaf litter habitats fact sheet – decomposing leaves and twigs under shrubs.

Species linked with shrub habitats

• Red wattle bird fact sheet
• Common ring tail possum fact sheet

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