# Scrubtit

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The **scrubtit** (***Acanthornis magna***) is a species of [bird](/source/Bird) in the thornbill family [Acanthizidae](/source/Acanthizidae). It is [endemic](/source/Endemism) to [Tasmania](/source/Tasmania) and [King Island](/source/King_Island_(Tasmania)) in [Australia](/source/Australia). Its natural [habitat](/source/Habitat) is the temperate [rainforest](/source/Rainforest), *[Nothofagus](/source/Nothofagus)* beech forest and [eucalypt](/source/Eucalypt) woodland. It is a small species that resembles the *[Sericornis](/source/Sericornis)* scrubwrens (with which it was once placed).

## Taxonomy

The scrubtit belongs to the [monotypic](/source/Monotypic) genus *Acanthornis*.[1] A 2017 genetic study using both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA found the ancestor of the scrubtit diverged from that of the three whitefaces of the genus *[Aphelocephala](/source/Aphelocephala)* around 7 million years ago. The combined lineage had diverged from the thornbill lineage around 13 million years ago.[2]

## Description

The scrubtit is 11 to 12 centimetres (4.33 to 4.72 in) long and weighs around 10 grams (0.35 oz). The [plumage](/source/Plumage) consists of a white throat and belly, a brown back, crown, flank and tail, black wings and grey on the face. The eye is pale and the bill is short, black and slightly curved. The species is often silent, but makes quite loud contact [calls](/source/Bird_vocalization) and has a song described as "sweet [and] musical".

## Behaviour

The scrubtit forages individually, in pairs or in small family groups near the ground in dense cover. It feeds on small invertebrates, particularly insects and their eggs. The species will associate with [mixed-species feeding flocks](/source/Mixed-species_feeding_flock). The species is territorial and [monogamous](/source/Monogamy_in_animals), with the breeding season lasting from September to January. The nest is a woven globe with a side entrance, lined with feathers and fur, camouflaged and usually found between 1–3 m off the ground. The [clutch size](/source/Avian_clutch_size) is usually three eggs but sometimes four. The eggs measure 18 by 15 millimetres (0.71 by 0.59 in) and are pearly white, with fine reddish spots, mostly around the larger end.[3] No information exists about [incubation](/source/Avian_incubation) or nestling times. Both parents feed the chicks in the nest, but unlike many Australian passerines [helpers](/source/Helpers_at_the_nest) have never been reported.[4] The species is victim to [brood parasitism](/source/Brood_parasitism) by [fan-tailed cuckoos](/source/Fan-tailed_cuckoo) (*Cacomantis flabelliformis*) and [shining bronze-cuckoos](/source/Shining_bronze-cuckoo) (*Chrysococcyx lucidus*), and [quolls](/source/Quoll) (*Dasyurus*) also take eggs and nestlings.[5] The species is shy and unobtrusive and is seldom observed by people.[citation needed]

## Conservation status

The species has a restricted range but is not considered [threatened](/source/Threatened) by the [IUCN](/source/IUCN). The subspecies found on King Island (*A. m. greeniana*) is considered [critically endangered](/source/Critically_endangered), however.[citation needed] A 2018 study ranked this subspecies third as the Australian bird most likely to go extinct.[6]

## References

1. IOC-Classification: [Scrubtit (*Acanthornis magna*), Acanticidae in order Passeriformes](http://www.worldbirdnames.org/n-lyrebirds.html)

1. Marki, Petter Z.; Jønsson, Knud A.; Irestedt, Martin; Nguyen, Jacqueline M.T.; Rahbek, Carsten; Fjeldså, Jon (2017). "Supermatrix phylogeny and biogeography of the Australasian Meliphagides radiation (Aves: Passeriformes)". *Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution*. **107**: 516–29. [doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2016.12.021](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2016.12.021). [hdl:10852/65203](https://hdl.handle.net/10852/65203). [PMID 28017855](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28017855)

1. Morcombe, Michael (2012) *Field Guide to Australian Birds*. Pascal Press, Glebe, NSW. Revised edition. ISBN 978174021417-9

1. See for instance [Old endemics and new invaders: alternative strategies of passerines for living in the Australian environment](https://www.tau.ac.il/lifesci/zoology/members/yom-tov/articles/Old_endemics.pdf)

1. Gregory, P. (2020). "Scrubtit (Acanthornis magna), version 1.0." In *Birds of the World* (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. [https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.scrubt2.01](https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.scrubt2.01)

1. Geyle, Hayley M. & Woinarski, John C. Z. et al. (20 April 2018). ["Quantifying extinction risk and forecasting the number of impending Australian bird and mammal extinctions"](https://www.publish.csiro.au/pc/PC18006). *[Pacific Conservation Biology](/source/Pacific_Conservation_Biology)*. **24** (2): 157–167. [doi:10.1071/PC18006](https://doi.org/10.1071/PC18006). [hdl:10536/DRO/DU:30109156](https://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30109156). [ISSN 2204-4604](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/2204-4604). Retrieved 11 July 2022. [PDF](https://www.publish.csiro.au/pc/pdf/PC18006)

- Del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A. & Christie D. (editors). (2006). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-84-96553-42-2

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Scrubtit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrubtit) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrubtit?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.