Inland thornbill

The inland thornbill (Acanthiza apicalis) was originally described by English ornithologist John Gould in The Birds of Australia. Inland thornbills are within the order passerines. The inland thornbill belongs to the genus Acanthiza, which now has three more species than the eleven outlined by Gould in The Birds of Australia. The Noongar people of southwestern Western Australia call A. apicalis "Djoobi-Djoolbang". The inland thornbill is also known as the broad-tail thornbill and presently contains several subspecies that were once considered independent species. The word apicalis comes from the Latin for 'tipped'.

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 10 cm (3.9 in) compared to 11.5 cm (4.5 in). 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.