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Striated Grasswrens are very small, grey-brown birds with long tails. Their cryptic plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are slightly different. In most races both sexes are grey-brown on the head and back, with white streaking. The lores are rufous and under a white spot under each eye they have a black moustachial stripe on each side of the white throat. The chest is light-grey streaked with darker grey, while the belly is fawn. The wings and the tail are brown and dark-grey. The only difference between the two sexes is that female Striated Grasswrenss have rufous patches on the flanks which males don't have. The irises of both sexes are dark-brown. The slender bill is grey, with a darker grey tip, while legs and feet are dark-grey. Juveniles are similar to adults, but with paler colours. In particular, they do not have rufous markings on the lores or moustachial stripes yet. Their legs are the colour of skin.

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 various races of what is considered by many to be one species, Amytornis striatus, are treated as different species, for which separate distribution maps are provided.

The overall distribution of Amytornis striatus "striatus", the Striated Grasswren, is available HERE .

The overall distribution of Amytornis striatus "rowleyi", the Rusty Grasswren, is available HERE .

The overall distribution of Amytornis striatus "oweni", the Sandhill Grasswren, is available HERE .

The overall distribution of Amytornis striatus "whitei", the Pilbara Grasswren, is available HERE .

Striated 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.Nominate race "striatus" of the Striated Grasswren is found in only three small patches. One is located in cental western NSW, the others are in the north-western corner of VIC and in far-eastern SA, near the border with VIC and NSW. Race "oweni", which is bar far the most widespread, populates the base of Eyre peninsula in SA and a large swath of the semi-arid to arid interior ranging from central WA via the south-western quarter of the NT and the north-western corner of SA to the NT/QLD border near Birdsville, QLD. The range of race "rowleyi" is restricted to a small area in central western QLD spanning from Winton, QLD, to Opalton, QLD, and about 50 km to the East and 100 km to the South of Opalton. Race "whitei" has a range extending northward of a line connecting Coral Bay, WA, and Telfer, WA, encompassing the lower parts of the three major rivers in the Pilbara in north-western WA (Ashburton River, Fortesque River, de Grey River), but avoiding a narrow coastal margin from the North-west Cape to Eighty-Mile-Beach.

Striated Grasswrens have a strong preference for semi-arid habitats dominated by tall tussocks of Triodia ("Spinifex") grass. In some cases the grass can be mixed with shrubs or small trees. Races "whitei" and "rowleyi" occur on rocky slopes and ridges. Race "striatus" prefers sandy environments.

Race "rowleyi"