- Amytornis barbatus
Identification
18-21cm. A medium-sized grasswren with a very distinctive face pattern.
- White facial area with black eyestripe, black V-mark on white ear-coverts crossing lower throat
- White-streaked black crown
- Pale cinnamon upperparts with black-edged white shaft streaks
- Long black tail, white below
- White breast with faint grey-black streaks, buff flanks
Sexes similar, females are smaller and duller.
Distribution
Endemic to Australia: found very locally in New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia.
A locally common restricted-range species. The nominate race occurs in a single location, diamantina is widely scattered.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 2 subspecies[1]:
- A. b. barbatus:
- Lower Bulloo River (south-western Queensland and adjacent north-western New South Wales)
- A. b. diamantina:
- Lower Diamantina River and Coopers Creek
Habitat
Flood plains with lignum and swamp canegrass in the Australian outback.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on seeds and insects.
Forages close or on the ground through shrubs and in litter. Birds may gather in dry seasons in favoured lignum patches.
Breeding
Breeding recorded from July to August. Apparently breeding as territorial pairs. The nest is a loose and bulky structure with a slight hood and a platform at the side entrance. It's made of grass, rootlets and pant down and placed 0.3 to 0.6 m above the ground in a lignum or canegrass clump. Lays 2 to 3 eggs.
Movements
Probably a sedentary species.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2007. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553422
- Avibase
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Grey Grasswren. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 4 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Grey_Grasswren