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Eyrean Grasswren (Amytornis goyderi) Alternate name(s): "Goyder's Grasswren" Size: 14-16.5 cm Body mass: 14-19 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 Eyrean Grasswrens are small, grey-brown birds with long tails. They are the smallest of the Australian grasswrens. Their cryptic plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are slightly different. Both sexes have a creamy-white front and a more greyish-brown back. The head and back are coarsely streaked off-white, with a dark-grey base colour on the sides of the head, a rufous base on the crown and a brownish base on the back. The wings and tail are greyish-brown. The only visible difference between the sexes is that males pale, buff-tinted flanks, whereas females have darker-hued, pale-rufous flank spots. The irises of both sexes are dark-brown. Compared to other grasswrens, they have a massive, short bill, which is grey. Legs and feet are dark-grey. Juveniles have duller colours than adults.

Taxonomy, classification See Eyrean 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 Eyrean Grasswren is available HERE . Eyrean 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.This species has a restricted range. Eyrean Grasswrens are only found in the border region of the NT with QLD, SA and NSW, from just to the SE of Alice Springs, NT, south-eastwards, up to ca. Bedourie, QLD, and Birdsville, QLD, in the East, Innamincka, SA, and Cameron Corner, NSW, in the south-east, and Lake Eyre, SA, in the South. This area encompasses Lake Eyre and the Simpson and Strzelecki deserts. Eyrean Grasswrens have a strong preference for sandy hills and dunes covered with tall tussocks of cane grass in arid country.

Sightings Click here for sighting information M. Eaton reports finding Eyrean Grasswrens at the Big Red sand dune, near Birdsville, QLD, in July 2021. More Eyrean Grasswrens were found along the Birdsville Track in August 2022. All sighting and photographic 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.
Male Eyrian Grasswrens, left, have a pale, very inconspicuous, buff-tinted flank spot; the flank spot of females is a shade darker, pale-rufous.

MALE

Full-on frontal view of a male Eyrean Grasswren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Birdsville Track, SA, August 2022]

Full-on frontal view of a male Eyrean Grasswren issuing its call (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Birdsville Track, SA, August 2022]

Close-up near-frontal view of a male Eyrean Grasswren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Birdsville Track, SA, August 2022]

Close-up near-lateral view of a male Eyrean Grasswren; note the absence of a rufous flank spot (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Birdsville Track, SA, August 2022]

Close-up lateral view of a male Eyrean Grasswren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Birdsville Track, SA, August 2022]

Close-up lateral view of a male Eyrean Grasswren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Birdsville Track, SA, August 2022]

Lateral view of a male Eyrean Grasswren issuing its call (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Birdsville Track, SA, August 2022]

Close-up lateral view of a male Eyrean Grasswren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Birdsville Track, SA, August 2022]

Close-up near-dorsal view of a male Eyrean Grasswren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Birdsville Track, SA, August 2022]

Near-dorsal view of a male Eyrean Grasswren issuing its call (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Birdsville Track, SA, August 2022]

FEMALE

Close-up frontal view of a female Eyrean Grasswren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Big Red, near Birdsville, QLD, July 2021]

Frontal view of a female Eyrean Grasswren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Big Red, near Birdsville, QLD, July 2021]

Close-up frontal view of a female Eyrean Grasswren; note the faint rufous flank spot (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Big Red, near Birdsville, QLD, July 2021]

Close-up frontal view of a female Eyrean Grasswren; note the faint rufous flank spot (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Big Red, near Birdsville, QLD, July 2021]

Near-frontal view of a female Eyrean Grasswren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Big Red, near Birdsville, QLD, July 2021]

Near-frontal view of a female Eyrean Grasswren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Big Red, near Birdsville, QLD, July 2021]

Near-lateral view of a female Eyrean Grasswren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Big Red, near Birdsville, QLD, July 2021]

Near-lateral view of a female Eyrean Grasswren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Big Red, near Birdsville, QLD, July 2021]

Lateral view of a female Eyrean Grasswren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Big Red, near Birdsville, QLD, July 2021]

Near-dorsal view of a female Eyrean Grasswren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Big Red, near Birdsville, QLD, July 2021]

Near-dorsal view of a female Eyrean Grasswren issuing its call (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Big Red, near Birdsville, QLD, July 2021]

Dorsal view of a female Eyrean Grasswren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Big Red, near Birdsville, QLD, July 2021]

Dorsal view of a female Eyrean Grasswren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Big Red, near Birdsville, QLD, July 2021]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Sedentary

Elementary unit: Family clan

Eyrean Grasswrens are known to be shy and observant. Seeing an approaching observer usually from tens of meters out, they run ahead of the intruder to seek cover between or inside grass tussocks.

Frontal view of a female Eyrean Grasswren hiding between grass tussocks (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Big Red, near Birdsville, 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.

eyrgwrn_me_220818.mp3

(SW QLD)

Various

© ME

More Eyrean 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.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.