Eastern Spinebill - Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris
A very rainy catch.
The Eastern Spinebill inhabits shrubs in open eucalypt forests, as well as shrubland, heathland and suburban gardens. They use their long, slender, decurved bills to probe deep into flowers, at all levels from the canopy down to the undergrowth, to feed on the sweet nectar. Some plants appear to have evolved specially to be pollinated by them. Fuelled with this energy-rich nectar, Eastern Spinebills are also often seen actively darting about on whirring, fluttering wings, after flying insects.
The eastern spinebill is a species of honeyeater found in south-eastern Australia in forest and woodland areas, as well as gardens in urban areas of Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne. It is around 15 cm long, and has a distinctive black, white and chestnut plumage, a red eye, and a long downcurved bill.
