Eastern Bristlebird (Dasyornis brachypterus)

Eastern Bristlebirds (Dasyornis brachypterus) live and nest under dense heath and tussock undergrowth, moving through it like rats and feeding mainly on the floor. Dasyornithidae is a family of birds that includes the eastern bristlebird.  For short distances, it flies clumsily on short-winged stubs with reluctance and only rarely rises above a meter into the shrubbery.

An Eastern Bristlebird has powerful legs and a flared tail, enabling it to run fast through the underbrush. When the bird feeds, it scratches and chews on litter and the ground, as well as low foliage. Insects are taken most of the time, and occasionally berries, mostly epacris. From its name, the bird’s mouth bristles curve back in front of its eyes and may protect them as it travels through the shrubbery at high speeds.

The Eastern Bristlebird is sedentary and territorial, especially when breeding, when it sings loudly and persistently from perches within cover, especially at dawn and dusk. It is estimated that breeding territories occupy an area of prime heath about an acre in size. During the autumn and winter, the birds become quiet.

This bird measures between 210 and 220 millimeters in length. There is no difference between the sexes. It has plain brown upper parts, round wings, and a bulky tail. It has a rufous-brown rump and a pale buff line above the eye. The underparts are gray-brown, with a whitish throat; the breast feathers are scaled with pale edges; and the flanks are russet. There is a reddish brown color to the eyes. There is a dusky color to the bill. Grey-brown is the color of the feet. There is a slight difference with Western Bristlebird.

Eastern Bristlebirds call with a harsh, sharp zeet in alarm and a soft zit. In spite of this, the song is an extremely loud, variable, and penetrating series of whistles, and it is very wooa-weet.

Nesting and breeding occur between August and January. Usually, they build a dome-shaped nest with a large side entrance made of coarse dry grasses, lined with fine grasses, hidden near the ground in grass tussocks, sword grass patches, or small shrubs.

Eastern Bristlebirds lay two dull buff eggs with purple- and red-brown markings, the largest of the two. Approximately 26 x 19 mm in size, the eggs are oval in shape. There are patchy populations of Eastern Bristlebirds along the east coast and in nearby ranges between Cunninghams Gap, Queensland, and Marlo, Victoria. Loss of habitat poses a threat to it.

There are only about 2,500 individuals of the species left in the wild, according to estimates. A lack of genetic diversity can result in the extinction of eastern bristlebirds due to their small, isolated populations.