Weebills are some of Australia’s smallest birds, with northern Australian Weebills even smaller than those in the south.
The Weebills song is “wee bit” or “wee willy weetee”. The species is highly vocal and calls regularly while it feeds in the canopy. Bird call recorded by: Fred Van Gessel
The Weebill’s common name comes from the short, stubby, pale beak. The eye is pale cream, and there is a pale line above the eye. Weebills are dull grey-brown on the head and olive-brown on the back, and the underparts are buff to yellow. In the south and east of the country, the birds are light brown, while northwards and inland they become paler and more yellow. Both sexes are similar in colouration, and young birds can be separated from the adults by their greyer eye.
The Weebill is found throughout mainland Australia, though is largely absent from wet sclerophyll and rainforests.
Habitat: Woodland
The Weebill inhabits almost any wooded area, with the exception of the wettest forests, but favours open eucalypt forests. It spends most of its time in the canopy, in pairs or small groups. The birds stay in the same area throughout the year.
Weebills are seasonally sedentary birds. They move in flocks while they look for food.
Weebills move in active flocks, feeding mainly in the outer edges of the tops of trees. The bill is well suited to taking small scale insects from the leaves; other insect prey is also eaten.
The Weebill’s nest is a neatly woven dome, made from grasses and other fine vegetation. It has a narrow spout-like entrance towards the top. The interior of the nest is lined with feathers and soft vegetable matter. The female alone incubates the eggs, but both parents care for the young birds.
