whitlocki: Inland southern Australia, extending to the coast in the west. Description The inland thornbill is very similar to the brown thornbill (A. pusilla) in appearance, and these two species are sometimes considered conspecific. The brown thornbill is slightly smaller than the inland thornbill at approximately compared to . The inland thornbill has white speckling on the forehead, while the brown thornbill has rufous speckling and is less grey than the inland thornbill. Range and habitat is the easiest way to differentiate these two species. Where both species occur in eastern Australia, the inland thornbill can be found in drier habitats than the brown thornbill; however, in southwestern Western Australia (outside of the brown thornbill’s range) inland thornbill can be found in wetter forests. Gould originally described the inland thornbill as having a larger and rounder tail, a broad and distinct band of black tipped with white across the ends of the tail feathers, and a larger overall size than other Acanthiza species. The inland thornbill has several calls similar to the brown thornbill and a high-pitched tsee-tsee. Inland thornbills have also been found to be proficient in mimicking the calls of other birds, such as the pied butcherbird (Cracticus nigrogularis), rufous whistler (Pachycephala rufiventris), bush stone-curlew (Burhinus grallarius), willie wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys), grey fantail (Rhipidura albiscapa), and various cuckoos. Inland thornbills are long-lived, with one instance of the same bird being retrapped and banded over seven years after the first occasion. A typical lifespan for an inland thornbill is 5.7 years. Ecology Habitat and distribution As the distribution range of the inland thornbills is wide, inland thornbills inhabit a variety of different habitat types. Inland thornbills inhabit arid woodlands and scrubs throughout Australia, including the mulga (Acacia aneura) of the Mallee and the Gibson Desert. Contrary to the common name, inland thornbills can also be found in mangrove forests in southwestern Western Australia and dense forests and coastal heaths. While the distribution range of inland thornbills is large, they are not a migratory species. Feeding Typically, inland thornbills do not feed on the ground but instead in foliage as shrubs-canopy or generalised feeders. Inland thornbills are known to forage in the foliage of trees and the dense understory of shrubs in small parties or pairs but have been known to feed with other small birds in a mixed flock. The typical diet of inland thornbills consists of spiders and