Spinebill

Spinebill
File:Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris ANBG.jpg
Eastern spinebill (Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Meliphagidae
Genus:	Acanthorhynchus Gould, 1837
Type species
Certhia tenuirostris Latham, 1801
Species
Acanthorhynchus superciliosus Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris

Spinebill is the name given to two members of the honeyeater family, both in the genus Acanthorhynchus, which is Latin for "spine bill". They are around 15 centimetres in length, and are coloured black, white and chestnut, with a long, downcurved bill. They are native to Australia, with one species in the east and one in the west. They feed on nectar as well as insects, and live mainly in forests, gardens, and other shrubbery habitats.

A 2004 molecular study has shown that the two spinebills are a sister grouping to all other honeyeaters, that is, they diverged earlier than all other species.

Species and distribution

The genus contains two species.

Genus Acanthorhynchus – Gould, 1837 – two species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Western spinebill File:Spinebill9256e.jpg Male {{{image2-alt}}} Female	Acanthorhynchus superciliosus Gould, 1837	south-western Australia	Size: Habitat: Diet:	LC
Eastern spinebill File:Eastern Spinebill444.jpg Male {{{image2-alt}}} Female	Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris (Latham, 1801)	North Queensland south through New South Wales, eastern South Australia as well as throughout Tasmania	Size: Habitat: Diet:	LC

External links

• Basic information, eastern spinebill - Birds in Backyards
• Photos, eastern spinebill - Australian Birds Image Database