Thick-billed Grasswren
Amytornis modestus
Small brownish bird with fine white streaking and long cocked tail, found in open shrubland of northern South Australia and northwestern New South Wales (different subspecies). Upperparts pale brown, with even paler brown underparts. Much more solidly built than fairywrens, with fine white streaks on head and chest. Forages on the ground, darting between shrubs.
Identification
The thick-billed grasswren has dull brown underparts, a long dark-brown tail and noticeable white streaking on the head. It has white streaks continuing down the neck, throat and down to the rump. The white streaks across the chin to the forehead and along the wings and rump, contrast with the red-brown to grey colours of the feathers. Males have distinguishably longer tails. Females also have chestnut flanks. Vocals are a combination of short high-pitched song, repeated. They have a soft, high-pitched call that is often inaudible to human ears.
Taxonomy
The thick-billed grasswren was formerly considered as conspecific with the western grasswren until split as a separate species in 2010.<p>Seven subspecies have been identified in recent studies (Black 2011, 2016; Austin et al. 2013):
- Scientific name
- Amytornis modestus
- Authority
- (North, 1902)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Maluridae
- Genus
- Amytornis
Range and habitat
The thick-billed grasswren is endemic to Australia and is found throughout the arid regions of northwestern New South Wales, northern parts of South Australia, through to southern sections of the Northern Territory. It is also speculated to still occur in fragmented populations in the Grey Range of Sturt National Park.<p>Chenopod scrublands (consisting largely of saltbush), sandhill cane-grass and flood debris in dry, sandy watercourses. They favour the scrublands with dense chenopod bushes. These denser shrublands usually occur in lower-lying areas, such as watercourses and drainage lines.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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