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16

Carpentarian Grasswren (Amytornis dorotheae) Alternate name(s): "Dorothy's Grasswren", "Red-winged Grasswren" Size: 16-17.5 cm Body mass: 21-25 g

Australia: Family Group 16 Family Group 16 Table Purple-crowned Fairy-wren White-winged Fairy-wren Splendid Fairy-wren Superb Fairy-wren Variegated Fairy-wren Purple-backed Fairy-wren Blue-breasted Fairy-wren Lovely Fairy-wren Red-winged Fairy-wren Red-backed Fairy-wren Southern Emu-wren Rufous-crowned Emu-wren Carpentarian Grasswren Eyrean Grasswren Striated Grasswren Thick-billed Grasswren Western Grasswren Dusky Grasswren Kalkadoon Grasswren Grey Grasswren Black Grasswren Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Carpentarian Grasswrens are small, grey-brown birds with long tails. Their cryptic plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are slightly different. Both sexes have a dusky-grey head and rufous-brown back, with coarse white streaks. Wings, rump and uppertail are furous-brown. They have a conspicuous white bib with dark moustachial stripes on each side and a small white spots in front of the eyes. In males the chest tapers into yellowish brown hues on flanks and belly, while females have rufous reddish brown flanks, possibly with some yellowish brown in the centre. The irises are dark-brown, while the bill is grey. Legs and feet are dark-grey. Juveniles are paler than adults, with less colour contrast. They also have a pale-yellow gape and base of the lower mandible.

Taxonomy, classification See Carpentarian Grasswren at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The overall distribution of the Carpentarian Grasswren is available HERE . Carpentarian Grasswrens are endemic to Australia. As is the case with all species of grasswrens, their overall distribution is complex, patchy and highly irregular. Some races also have very restricted ranges. This is mainly caused by the fact that grasswrens are rather poor fliers and individual populations, once separated, will not merge again, leading to a separation of the gene pools.Carpentarian Grasswrens are only found in an area spanning from around Mount Isa, QLD, north-westward to the hills near the southern coastline of the Gulf of Carpentaria in the eastern NT. Carpentarian Grasswrens have a strong preference for rocky hilltops and sandstone escarpments.

Sightings Click here for sighting information M. Eaton found Carpentarian Grasswrens along the Barkley Highway, ca. 50 km NW of Mount Isa, QLD, in June and July 2021. All sighting, photographic and audio information presented on this page has been kindly contributed by M. Eaton.

Photos

ADULT

PAIR

Many bird species exhibit sexual dimorphism, i.e., male and female have differing appearances which can be quite subtle.
Note how the flank (i.e. the area between the wing and the leg) in the male Carpentarian Grasswren, left, is much paler ("yellowish-brown") than the female's ("reddish-brown").

MALE

Lateral view of a male Carpentarian Grasswren; note the yellowish brown flank (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Barkley Highway, ca. 50 km NW of Mount Isa, QLD, July 2021]

Lateral view of a male Carpentarian Grasswren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Barkley Highway, ca. 50 km NW of Mount Isa, QLD, July 2021]

Lateral view of a male Carpentarian Grasswren, with a second bird behind (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Barkley Highway, ca. 50 km NW of Mount Isa, QLD, July 2021]

FEMALE

Frontal view of a female Carpentarian Grasswren; note the reddish brown flanks (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Barkley Highway, ca. 50 km NW of Mount Isa, QLD, July 2021]

Near-lateral view of a female Carpentarian Grasswren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Barkley Highway, ca. 50 km NW of Mount Isa, QLD, July 2021]

Lateral view of two female Carpentarian Grasswrens (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Barkley Highway, ca. 50 km NW of Mount Isa, QLD, July 2021]

Near-dorsal view of a female Carpentarian Grasswren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Barkley Highway, ca. 50 km NW of Mount Isa, QLD, July 2021]

Near-dorsal view of a Carpentarian Grasswren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Barkley Highway, ca. 50 km NW of Mount Isa, QLD, July 2021]

Dorsal view of a Carpentarian Grasswren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Barkley Highway, ca. 50 km NW of Mount Isa, QLD, July 2021]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

More Carpentarian Grasswren sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.