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Thick-billed Grasswren
(Amytornis modestus)
Size: 15-20 cm
Weight: 16-21 g
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Similar
species |
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Physical description |
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 Click here for a physical description
Thick-billed Grasswrens are grey-brown birds of inland Australia.
Their
cryptic
plumage is
dimorphic, i.e.
males and
females
are slightly different.
Both sexes have a grey-brown front and a darker, greyish-brown
back. The head and mantle are coarsely streaked grey.
The wings and tail are dark greyish-brown.
The only visible difference between the sexes is that
males
have unmarked flanks, whereas
females
have inconspicuous 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 and less streaking than
adults.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Thick-billed
Grasswren at Wikipedia  .
Click here for classification information
The Thick-billed Grasswren is no longer considered to be conspecific
with the
Western Grasswren.
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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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
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The overall distribution of the Thick-billed Grasswren is available
HERE
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Thick-billed 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.Originally, by today's classification, there were 7 races of
Thick-billed Grasswrens. However, two of these are already
extinct.
The remaining 5 races each occupy individual patches in or near
the Lake Eyre basin. For details refer to a field guide.
The range of race
"indulkanna"
is the most widespread of the remaining distribution, encompassing
basically Lake Eyre, SA, and surrounds. There is a second small
population at the border of SA with the NT, about halfway between
Lake Eyre and Alice Springs, NT.
The other races are found in patches to the East of Lake Eyre, most
of which are located in eastern SA. One race remains near Whitecliffs,
in the far north-western corner of NSW.
Thick-billed Grasswrens have a strong preference for low chenopod
shrubland.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
Race "indulkanna"
M. Eaton reports finding Thick-billed Grasswrens, race
"indulkanna",
at the Lake Eyre South Lookout, 50 km W of Marree, SA, in June 2022.
All sighting and photographic information presented on this page
has been kindly contributed by M. Eaton.
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Photos |
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Race "indulkanna"
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ADULT |
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MALE |
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Frontal portrait of a male Thick-billed Grasswren hiding in dense
shrubbery
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Eyre South Lookout, 50 km W of Marree, SA, June 2022]
Lateral view of a male Thick-billed Grasswren in dense
shrubbery
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Eyre South Lookout, 50 km W of Marree, SA, June 2022]
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FEMALE |
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Near-lateral view of a female Thick-billed Grasswren
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Eyre South Lookout, 50 km W of Marree, SA, June 2022]
Lateral view of a female Thick-billed Grasswren
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Eyre South Lookout, 50 km W of Marree, SA, June 2022]
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.
Breeding
Nest
Eggs
Behaviour
Food
Call/s
