The Feathertail Glider (Acrobates pygmaeus)

There are some wildlife encounters you simply don’t forget. Spotting a feathertail glider launching silently between gum trees on a warm Queensland evening is one of them. Tiny, fast, and utterly extraordinary, this little creature is one of Australia’s most remarkable native mammals — and if you’re spending time in the Lockyer Valley bushland, you may just be sharing the canopy with one.

What Is the Feathertail Glider?

Meet Australia’s Smallest Gliding Mammal

The feathertail glider (Acrobates pygmaeus) holds a title that sounds almost impossible: it is the world’s smallest gliding mammal. Weighing in at just 10–15 grams — roughly the same as a few coins — and measuring around 6–8 cm in body length, this mouse-sized marsupial is an exercise in natural engineering. Despite its diminutive size, it is agile, fast, and surprisingly capable of covering significant distances through the forest canopy.

Feature	Detail
Scientific name	Acrobates pygmaeus
Common name	Feathertail glider
Weight	10–15 grams
Body length	6–8 cm
Tail length	Approximately equal to body length
Classification	Marsupial (Family: Acrobatidae)

Why Is It Called a Feathertail Glider?

The name says it all, really. The feathertail glider gets the first part of its name from its distinctive tail, which is fringed on either side with stiff hairs arranged in a herringbone pattern — giving it the appearance of a feather. This tail isn’t just decorative. It functions as a rudder and brake while the animal is gliding, giving it a degree of aerial manoeuvrability that’s impressive for any creature, let alone one this small.

The “glider” part of the name comes from a thin membrane of skin that stretches between the elbows and knees on either side of the body. When the glider leaps from a branch and spreads its limbs, this membrane opens like a parachute, allowing it to glide smoothly through the air rather than simply fall.

Adding to its climbing credentials, feathertail gliders also have specialised toe pads with serrated scales that create a gripping surface. This allows them to scale smooth bark and even glass-like surfaces with ease, moving through the canopy in ways that would challenge other small animals.

 

Where Do Feathertail Gliders Live?

Distribution Across Eastern Australia

Feathertail gliders are found across a broad sweep of eastern Australia. Their range includes:

• Queensland — from the rainforest margins down through inland eucalypt woodland
• New South Wales — including coastal forests and ranges
• Victoria — across a range of eucalypt habitats
• South Australia — in portions of the south-east

Within this range, their distribution is patchy and largely tied to the availability of suitable habitat — specifically, mature forests with flowering trees and access to tree hollows for shelter.

Preferred Habitat

Feathertail gliders favour habitats that can provide both food and shelter:

• Eucalypt forests — a primary habitat type, particularly where blossoms are seasonally abundant
• Open woodland — provided there are mature trees with hollows
• Mature bushland — older vegetation supports both nesting hollows and insect populations
• Areas with flowering trees — including banksias, bottlebrush, and other native species that produce nectar

They are not typically found in highly modified landscapes. Habitat quality matters enormously for this species, which depends on a connected canopy to move and forage effectively.

Why the Lockyer Valley Is Ideal Habitat

The Lockyer Valley’s native vegetation corridor makes it genuinely well-suited to small gliding mammals like the feathertail glider. The region supports:

• Flowering gums that provide nectar and pollen during bloom seasons
• Mature trees old enough to have developed natural hollows
• Quiet bushland with abundant insect activity
• Limited urban disturbance in key pockets, particularly around creek lines and escarpment areas

The natural environment surrounding Murphy’s Creek Escape sits within this kind of country. The combination of native vegetation, elevated terrain, and proximity to undisturbed bushland creates conditions that support a range of nocturnal wildlife — including, potentially, feathertail gliders.

 

Amazing Adaptations for Life in the Trees

Incredible Gliding Ability

For an animal weighing less than a tablespoon of water, the feathertail glider’s gliding ability is extraordinary. It can travel more than 20 metres in a single glide — and it does so with notable accuracy. The feathered tail plays an active role in flight, allowing the animal to steer and slow down before landing on its target branch.

Gliding is not just an impressive trick; it is an energy-efficient way of travelling through the forest. Moving through the canopy by leaping and gliding costs far less energy than climbing down one tree, crossing the ground, and climbing up the next. For a small mammal with high energy needs, that efficiency matters.

Sticky Feet That Grip Almost Anything

One of the feathertail glider’s less-celebrated but equally remarkable adaptations is its feet. The toe pads are equipped with serrated, comb-like scales that create a gripping surface through a combination of friction and microscopic surface adhesion. This allows feathertail gliders to:

• Climb smooth bark with ease
• Traverse surfaces that would stop other small animals
• Land on narrow branches accurately after a glide
• Move quickly and confidently through even the upper canopy

This adaptation also means feathertail gliders are rarely seen on the ground. They live their lives almost entirely in the trees.

Large Eyes for Night Vision

Feathertail gliders are strictly nocturnal, emerging after dark to forage through the canopy. Their large, forward-facing eyes are adapted for low-light conditions, allowing them to navigate and locate food in the darkness. Their hearing is also acute, helping them detect insect movement and respond to potential threats.

During daylight hours, they retreat to a nest in a tree hollow or a tight cluster of leaves, often huddled in a group to conserve warmth.

 

What Do Feathertail Gliders Eat?

Nectar Lovers

Feathertail gliders are primarily nectarivores — nectar forms the cornerstone of their diet. They are attracted to the flowers of:

• Eucalypts — a critical food source, particularly in spring and summer
• Banksia — a rich source of nectar during its flowering season
• Bottlebrush (Callistemon spp.) — highly attractive to nectar-feeding wildlife
• Other native flowering plants — including grevilleas and melaleucas

Their small snout and brush-tipped tongue are well suited to feeding in flowers, and in doing so, feathertail gliders also act as pollinators — transferring pollen between blossoms as they feed.

More Than Just Nectar

While nectar is the dietary centrepiece, feathertail gliders supplement this with other food sources:

Food type	Examples
Pollen	From eucalypts, banksias, and other natives
Insects	Beetles, moths, small bugs
Small spiders	Opportunistically taken
Tree sap	Particularly from wounded or scarred bark

This dietary flexibility helps feathertail gliders survive periods when flowering is less abundant, and the protein from insects is important for reproduction and growth.

Why Native Plants Matter

The flowering seasons of native trees directly determine when and where feathertail gliders can find food. In landscapes where native vegetation has been cleared or replaced, the consistent availability of nectar and pollen is lost. This is one reason why the preservation of native bushland — including the continued presence of flowering eucalypts, banksias, and other species — is directly linked to the persistence of feathertail glider populations.

 

Behaviour and Lifestyle

Night-Time Acrobatics

True to their scientific name (Acrobates pygmaeus — literally “tiny acrobat”), feathertail gliders are in constant motion after dark. They move rapidly through the canopy, gliding between trees, scaling branches, and probing flowers for nectar. They are rarely, if ever, found on the ground. Watching one move through a flowering eucalypt in the beam of a red-light torch is one of those experiences that stays with you.

Social Nesting Habits

Feathertail gliders are unusual among marsupials in their social nesting behaviour. Rather than nesting alone, they tend to gather in groups — sometimes as many as 20 individuals — sharing a nest made from leaves tucked into a tree hollow. This communal arrangement serves a practical purpose: body heat from multiple individuals helps maintain nest temperature and reduces the energy each animal needs to stay warm overnight.

Nest sites — typically natural hollows in mature or dead trees — are critical resources. Without adequate hollow-bearing trees, feathertail glider populations cannot establish or persist in an area.

Surviving Cold Weather with Torpor

Feathertail gliders do not hibernate, but they are capable of entering a state of torpor during cold weather. Torpor is a temporary, controlled reduction in body temperature and metabolic rate — distinct from the sustained, deep hibernation seen in some Northern Hemisphere species. During cold nights or periods of food shortage, a feathertail glider may drop its body temperature close to ambient air temperature, dramatically reducing its energy needs until conditions improve.

This adaptation is particularly important in areas like the Lockyer Valley, where winter nights can be cold and flowering activity slows during the cooler months.

 

Natural Predators and Threats

Birds of Prey

Small, fast, and light, feathertail gliders have a range of natural predators to contend with in the canopy:

• Owls — particularly the powerful owl and barn owl, which are active hunters of small mammals after dark
• Kookaburras — known to take small vertebrates, including small gliders
• Currawongs — opportunistic predators that may take gliders caught in the open

Natural predation is a normal part of the ecological cycle, and feathertail gliders have evolved to be fast and cryptic in response.

Introduced Predators

The more serious, landscape-scale threat comes from introduced species:

• Feral cats — highly efficient nocturnal hunters that target small mammals, including gliders
• Foxes — while less of a threat in the canopy, they are significant predators of any glider that lands on or near the ground
• Habitat fragmentation — not a predator per se, but the isolation of bush patches forces gliders onto the ground to move between trees, dramatically increasing predation risk from both cats and foxes

Why Habitat Conservation Matters

The long-term survival of feathertail glider populations depends on several key conditions:

• Mature trees — old enough to have developed hollows suitable for nesting
• Connected canopy — allowing gliders to move, forage, and disperse without coming to the ground
• Native understorey — supporting the insects and flowering plants that gliders depend on
• Reduced predator pressure — through responsible pet management and feral animal control

The value of retaining intact native bushland — and managing what remains carefully — extends well beyond any single species. Healthy bush supports the entire web of life that depends on it.

 

How to Spot a Feathertail Glider

Best Time to Look

If you’re hoping to catch a glimpse of a feathertail glider in the wild, timing is everything:

• Shortly after sunset — this is when gliders first emerge from their nests and begin foraging
• Warm evenings — activity is highest on mild nights; cold or wet weather reduces movement
• Spring and summer — peak flowering seasons mean more food, more activity, and more gliders on the move

Signs You Might Have One Nearby

Feathertail gliders are small and fast, so direct sightings require some patience. Signs that they may be present include:

• Tiny rapid movement high in the outer branches of flowering trees
• A fast gliding silhouette crossing a gap between trees at height
• Quiet rustling among blossoms — particularly in eucalypts — that seems too fast and light to be a possum

Wildlife Watching Tips

Getting the most from a nocturnal wildlife experience without disturbing the animals is straightforward with a few simple practices:

• Use a red-light torch — red light is less disruptive to nocturnal wildlife than white light, and it preserves your own night vision
• Keep noise to a minimum — slow, quiet movement through the bush will yield far more sightings than a noisy group
• Never feed wildlife — feeding disrupts natural foraging behaviour and can cause genuine harm to wild animals
• Observe from a respectful distance — a creature this small can be easily stressed; watch from afar and let it come to you

These are the same principles that apply to all wildlife watching at Murphy’s Creek Escape — appreciate what’s there, and leave it as you found it.

 

The Feathertail Glider and the Lockyer Valley Bushland

The Lockyer Valley isn’t just a backdrop — it’s an active, living ecosystem. The ranges and gullies that frame the area around Murphy’s Creek support a nocturnal wildlife community that includes a range of possums, gliders, micro-bats, owls, and other species that most people never get to see simply because they’re asleep when the action happens.

Staying overnight in the bush — whether on a powered site or out in the unpowered bushland sites — gives you the kind of access to that world that a day trip simply can’t. The hours after dark are when the Lockyer Valley really comes alive, and the feathertail glider is one of the species that makes those hours worth staying up for.

For those camping near Brisbane, Murphy’s Creek Escape offers something that’s genuinely hard to find closer to the city: intact native bush, a dark sky largely free from urban light pollution, and the sounds and movements of wildlife going about their lives without being habituated to people.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Are feathertail gliders endangered?

The feathertail glider is currently listed as a species of least concern at the national level, with a population that spans a broad range of eastern Australia. However, localised populations can be vulnerable to habitat loss, introduced predators, and the removal of hollow-bearing trees. Like many small native mammals, they are sensitive indicators of bush health.

How big is a feathertail glider?

Adult feathertail gliders weigh between 10 and 15 grams and measure around 6–8 cm in body length. Their distinctive feathered tail adds roughly the same length again. To put that in perspective, they are about the size and weight of a large house mouse.

How far can a feathertail glider glide?

Feathertail gliders can cover more than 20 metres in a single glide. Given their tiny size, this is a remarkable distance — and they do so with considerable accuracy, using their feathered tail to steer and brake before landing.

What do feathertail gliders eat?

Their diet centres on nectar and pollen from native flowering trees, including eucalypts, banksias, and bottlebrush. They supplement this with insects, small spiders, and tree sap, which provide protein and additional energy, particularly during breeding season.

Can visitors see feathertail gliders at Murphy’s Creek Escape?

It’s possible, though not guaranteed — these are wild animals moving through their natural habitat, not residents of a wildlife park. The bushland surrounding the property does support nocturnal wildlife, and patient observers who head out quietly after dark with a red-light torch have the best chance of spotting something. Even if the feathertail glider stays out of sight, you’re likely to encounter other nocturnal species on a warm evening.

Are feathertail gliders active during the day?

No. Feathertail gliders are strictly nocturnal and spend daylight hours sleeping in their nest — usually a leaf-lined tree hollow shared with other group members. They emerge after sunset and return to the nest before dawn.

 

Discover the Magic of Australia’s Smallest Gliding Mammal

The feathertail glider is one of those species that reminds you just how much is happening in the Australian bush beyond what’s immediately visible. A creature weighing less than 15 grams, capable of gliding 20 metres through the night sky, equipped with serrated feet that grip smooth bark, and tucked into a communal leaf nest in a hollow tree by morning — it’s an extraordinary package.

Protecting the native bushland that supports animals like the feathertail glider isn’t just about one species. It’s about keeping the whole system intact — the flowering trees, the insect communities, the hollow-bearing old-growth, the connected canopy — so that the wildlife that has evolved alongside it continues to have somewhere to live.

If you’re looking for camping near Brisbane that puts you in genuine contact with Queensland’s native bush, Murphy’s Creek Escape is worth a look. 

Book your stay, bring a red-light torch, and head outside after dark. The Lockyer Valley has a lot to show you — if you give it the chance.