Last updated: December 2025
The King Island Scrubtit is a Critically Endangered (EPBC Act 1999) bird found only on King Island, an island in Bass Strait between Victoria and mainland Tasmania. The three known subpopulations of this bird appear to be isolated from each other and together comprise as few as 50 individuals.
The King Island Scrubtit is a small (~11cm) bird with a slender and gently decurved bill. Adults are brown and reddish-brown from above, and pale yellow to cream from below, with a white chin and throat. They have two white spots near the shoulder of each wing, a prominent black band near the end of the tail, grey ear coverts and narrow, white partial eye rings.
The King Island Scrubtit is slightly smaller than the Tasmanian Scrubtit, and is a paler brown colour, with a narrower and less-defined black tail band.
The King Island Scrubtit has a tinkling song and distinctive whistled “to-wee-to-wee” call.
The King Island Scrubtit is found only on King Island, Tasmania.
Habitat: Forest
King Island Scrubtits are typically found in forests of mature swamp paperbark (Melaleuca ericifolia) and other forest communities which contain swamp paperbark and a dense understory. They have also been found in hardwood plantations (Pegarah State Forest), wet eucalypt (Eucalyptus brookerina) forest, Acacia melanoxylon swamp forest, coastal scrub and King Island Scrub Complex.
King Island Scrubtits are usually found singly or in pairs, foraging on tree trunks, fallen logs and leaf litter.
King Island Scrubtits forage for insects and other invertebrates such as spiders and snails, on bark and foliage, and under leaf litter.
Little is known about the breeding behaviour of King Island Scrubtits. They breed around September to January, and construct woven, domed nests near the ground.
The loss of King Island Scrubtits has been driven primarily by the destruction of habitat since the permanent settlement of King Island in the late 1800s. Now, as few as 50 individual King Island Scrubtits remain, spread across three subpopulations.
The remaining habitat for King Island Scrubtit is fragmented, leaving the three subpopulations isolated from each other. Recent studies suggest the birds within each subpopulation are inbreeding, which can cause health problems and make them more vulnerable to disease.
In addition to extensive habitat loss, ongoing threats to King Island Scrubtits include:
BirdLife Australia is working with the King Island Birds Recovery Team and others to coordinate the recovery of King Island Scrubtit and four other threatened birds endemic to King Island. More information.
