Little Wattlebird - Anthochaera chrysoptera

Little Wattlebird

Anthochaera chrysoptera

Other Names: Little Brush Wattlebird
Family: Meliphagidae (Honeyeaters, 74 species in Australia)
Size: 26-33 cm
Distribution: Within about 50-100 km of the coast of NSW, VIC, lower QLD and Eastern SA, also Eastern TAS.
Status: Common
Habitat: Woodland, heath, scrub, likes Banksia, parks and gardens
References: Simpson and Day, Reader's Digest

The Little Wattlebird is common in parts of Sydney and many other areas. It is found in the Lower Blue Mountains but not in the Upper Blue Mountains (the Red Wattlebird is found in the Upper Mountains). It looks a lot like Red Wattlebird, but without the red flap of skin under its eye (the "wattle"), and it is a darker colour overall with more distinct white spots/stripes.

It has a very distinctive call, a bit like an old wooden cuckoo-clock (it imitates the ticking of the clock and also the cuckoo sound), which sometimes can go on for hours at a time.

Little Wattlebird - Anthochaera chrysoptera
Photo: Blaxland, Blue Mountains NSW

Little Wattlebird - Anthochaera chrysoptera
Artwork: John Gould, 'The Birds of Australia', 1848. Original Scanned Image.

Some Birdwatching Resources

Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds, Peter Slater, Pat Slater and Raoul Slater. This is a smaller field guide, and its advantage is it is easy to carry around. Its size is 21.3 x 11.4 x 2.8 centimetres, or 8.4 x 4.5 x 1.1 inches in the old scale. So it is a good one to get if you want to have your field guide with you out in the field. Unlike most of the field guides it also has illustrations of the eggs of all the birds that breed in Australia. It has very good reviews on Amazon.

Click here to Purchase from Australia (Booktopia)

Purchase from Australia (Angus & Robertson)

Click here to purchase from Australia (The Nile) $28.45 AUD (May be unavailable)

Click here to purchase from Australia (Fishpond) May be expensive.

Click here to purchase from Amazon

Sydney Birds and Where to Find Them, Peter Roberts. The 30 top bird-watching localities in and around Sydney. These birding hot spots stretch from Tuggerah Lakes on the Central Coast to Lake Illawarra near Wollongong and from the Blue Mountains in the west to some surprisingly accessible sites tucked away in the heart of the city. Each locality entry lists the key species to look out for including rare and seasonal visitors. It describes how to access the location, and what amenities to expect; maps are featured. There is also a handy list of Sydney birds, each entry providing information on the best spots to find it.

Purchase from Australia (Booktopia)

Click here to purchase from Australia (The Nile)

Click here to purchase from Australia (Fishpond)

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