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16

Western Grasswren (Amytornis textilis) Alternate name(s): "Large-tailed Grass-wren", "Thick-billed Grasswren", "Textile Wren" Aboriginal name(s): Race "textilis": "nyernde", "djira" Size: 15-20 cm Weight: 22-27 g (male); 20-25 g (female)

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-wingeded 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 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 Western Grasswrens are grey-brown birds with long tails. Their cryptic plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are slightly different. Both sexes have a dull-brown front and a darker, greyish-brown back. The head, chest 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.

Taxonomy, classification See Western Grasswren at Wikipedia . Click here for classification information The Western Grasswren is no longer considered to be conspecific with the Thick-billed Grasswren.

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 Western Grasswren is available HERE . Western 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.Western Grasswrens are only found in two areas. Nominate race "textilis" populates an area mostly around the base of Shark Bay and out to Francois Peron NP, with a single report also from Coral Bay, WA, in April 2022. From the north-eastern base of Eyre Peninsula at Whyalla, SA, north-westward one finds race "myall". Western Grasswrens, race "textilis", have a strong preference for dense, low shrubs, in particular acacias. Race "myall" prefers low chenopod shrubland and open woodland.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "myall" M. Eaton reports finding Western Grasswrens, race "myall", at the Whyalla Conservation Park, Whyalla, SA, in June 2022 and again in October 2022. All sighting, photographic and audio information presented on this page has been kindly contributed by M. Eaton.

Photos

Race "myall"

ADULT

MALE

Near-frontal view of a male Western Grasswren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Whyalla Conservation Park, Whyalla, SA, June 2022]

Lateral view of a male Western Grasswren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Whyalla Conservation Park, Whyalla, SA, October 2022]

Lateral view of a male Western Grasswren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Whyalla Conservation Park, Whyalla, SA, June 2022]

Overview of a male Western Grasswren in its habitat (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Whyalla Conservation Park, Whyalla, SA, June 2022]

Lateral view of a male Western Grasswren looking away from the observer (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Whyalla Conservation Park, Whyalla, SA, June 2022]

Near-dorsal view of a male Western Grasswren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Whyalla Conservation Park, Whyalla, SA, June 2022]

Dorsal view of a male Western Grasswren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Whyalla Conservation Park, Whyalla, SA, June 2022]

FEMALE

Lateral view of a female Western Grasswren; note the rufous flank spot (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Whyalla Conservation Park, Whyalla, SA, June 2022]

PAIR

Lateral view of a pair of Western Grasswrens, female on the left (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Whyalla Conservation Park, Whyalla, SA, June 2022]

Near-lateral/lateral view of 3 Western Grasswrens, female on the left (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Whyalla Conservation Park, Whyalla, SA, June 2022]

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.

wegrwrn_me_20221025.mp3	myall (S SA)	Contact calls(?) (+ Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater)	© ME
wegrwrn_me_20220605.m4a	myall (S SA)	Contact calls(?)	© ME
wegrwrn_me_20220605_2.m4a	myall (S SA)	Contact calls(?)	© ME

More Western 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.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Sun, 13 November 2022, 2:50 +00:00