The Eastern Spinebill (Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris) is an Australian honeyeater, a small bird that is also called the Spine-Billed Honeyeater.

The Eastern Spinebill has a black head, white throat with a rufous (red-brown) patch, a brownish nape, a grey-brown back, and pale cinnamon underparts. It has a dark tail tipped with white. It has a long, thin down-curved black beak. It has red eyes.

Eastern Spinebill

It grows to about 13-16 centimetres (5-6.5 inches) tall.

It is found in southeastern Australia, in forests and woodlands of Canberra, Sydney, and Melbourne. It feeds on nectar from plants.

The Eastern Spinebill makes a cup-shaped nest from grass and bark, lined with feathers. The nest is found in the fork of a small tree or bush. The female lays 1-4 pinkish eggs with dark red-brown blotches. The eggs hatch after 13-16 days. Both parents feed the chicks.

Eastern Spinebill

Eastern Spinebill

Eastern Spinebill

Eastern Spinebill

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM