17

Chestnut-rumped Heathwren (Hylacola pyrrhopygia) Alternate name(s): "Heath-wren"*, "Chestnut-rumped Ground-wren", "Chestnut-tailed Ground-wren", "Scrub-warbler"*, "Chestnut-rumped Hylacola" Size: 13-14 cm; wing span 16-19 cm Body mass: 15-20 g

Australia: Family Group 17 Family Group 17 Table Spotted Pardalote Forty-spotted Pardalote Red-browed Pardalote Striated Pardalote Large-billed Scrubwren Atherton Scrubwren White-browed Scrubwren Spotted Scrubwren Tasmanian Scrubwren Yellow-throated Scrubwren Pilotbird Rock Warbler Chestnut-rumped Heathwren Shy Heathwren Striated Fieldwren Rufous Fieldwren Fernwren Scrubtit Speckled Warbler Redthroat Western Gerygone Brown Gerygone Mangrove Gerygone Dusky Gerygone Large-billed Gerygone Green-backed Gerygone Fairy Gerygone White-throated Gerygone Weebill Yellow Thornbill Striated Thornbill Buff-rumped Thornbill Yellow-rumped Thornbill Western Thornbill Slender-billed Thornbill Chestnut-rumped Thornbill Brown Thornbill Inland Thornbill Slaty-backed Thornbill Tasmanian Thornbill Mountain Thornbill Southern Whiteface Chestnut-breasted Whiteface Banded Whiteface 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 Chestnut-rumped Heathwrens are small bushland birds. They have a dark olive-brown back, including the tail, which has a grey terminal band. The rump is reddish-brown. The front is heavily streaked buff and brown on white. The flanks and vent are olive. Both sexes have a prominent white eyebrow. Female Chestnut-rumped Heathwrens tend to have more buff colours and less striation than males. The irises of both sexes are brownish-grey, the bill, legs and feet are grey. Juveniles have duller colours than adults and no frontal striation.

Taxonomy, classification See Chestnut-rumped Heathwren 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 global distribution of the Chestnut-rumped Heathwren is available HERE . Chestnut-rumped Heathwrens are endemic to Australia. The three races of Chestnut-rumped Heathwrens are found only in the south-eastern part of the Australian continent. Nominate race "pyrrhopygia" is the most widespread by far, with a range extending along the Great Dividing Range from about the SA/VIC border to the NSW/QLD border. They are not normally found in the area of Canberra, ACT, and also not along the North Coast of NSW. Race "pedleri" lives only in the southern Flinders Ranges in SA. Race "parkeri" is found only in the Mount Lofty Ranges near Adelaide, SA. Chestnut-rumped Heathwrens can usually be found in heath or dense undergrowth of open woodland, also at high altitude.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "pyrrhopygia" A juvenile Chestnut-rumped Heathwren, race "pyrrhopygia", was first spotted by us in October 2008 in Deriah Aboriginal Area, 30 km East of Narrabri, in dense underbrush under whitebox eucalypts. In the years since, Chestnut-rumped Heathwrens, race "pyrrhopygia", are found by us semi-regularly in both Deriah Aboriginal Areaand the adjacent Mt. Kaputar NP. In July 2012 a Chestnut-rumped Heathwren, race "pyrrhopygia", was found on a private property 20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, on the northern edge of the Pilliga scrub. M. Eaton reports finding a Chestnut-rumped Heathwren, race "pyrrhopygia", at Girraween NP, near Stanthorpe, QLD, in February 2020. M. Fleming spotted a Chestnut-rumped Heathwren, race "pyrrhopygia", in Warrumbungle NP, near Coonabarabran, NSW, in August 2021.

Photos

Race "pyrrhopygia"

ADULT

MALE

Frontal view of a male Chestnut-rumped Heathwren; males have a whitish, striated breast and white supercilium
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, February 2017]

Frontal view of a male Chestnut-rumped Heathwren; males have a whitish, striated breast and white supercilium
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, February 2017]

Near-frontal view of a male Chestnut-rumped Heathwren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Girraween NP, QLD, February 2021]

Near-frontal view of a male Chestnut-rumped Heathwren
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, February 2017]

Near-frontal view of a male Chestnut-rumped Heathwren issuing its call (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Girraween NP, QLD, February 2021]

Near-lateral view of a male Chestnut-rumped Heathwren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Girraween NP, QLD, February 2021]

Lateral view of a male Chestnut-rumped Heathwren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Girraween NP, QLD, February 2021]

Lateral view of a male Chestnut-rumped Heathwren with its tail cocked (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Girraween NP, QLD, February 2021]

Near-dorsal view of a male Chestnut-rumped Heathwren looking back at the observer; with its tail cocked, this bird gives a clear view of its name-giving chestnut rump (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Girraween NP, QLD, February 2021]

FEMALE

Full-frontal view of a female Chestnut-rumped Heathwren launching itself into the air
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, February 2017]

Lateral view of a female Chestnut-rumped Heathwren foraging in dense underbrush; females have creamy breast plumage with less prominent striation than males
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, October 2011]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Distant lateral view of a juvenile Chestnut-rumped Heathwren
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, July 2013]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Sedentary

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair

Birds in general will try to be hidden from view while studying a human observer. Small, shy bird species, such as e.g. Chestnut-rumped Heathwrens, are particularly good at this.

Partially obscured near-lateral view of a male(?) Chestnut-rumped Heathwren (photo courtesy of M. Fleming)
[Girraween NP, QLD, February 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.

Being a bit larger than Fairy-wrens, Chestnut-rumped Heathwrens have a more voluminous voice and also an audibly stronger wingbeat.

crhwren_20140327.m4a	pyrrhopygia (NW NSW)	Territorial call	© MD
crhwren_20140313_4.m4a	pyrrhopygia (NW NSW)	Warning call (human)	© MD
crhwren_20140313.m4a	pyrrhopygia (NW NSW)	Warning call (human)	© MD

More Chestnut-rumped Heathwren 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.