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17

White-browed Scrubwren (Sericornis frontalis) Alternate name(s): "Buff-breasted Scrubwren", "Brown Scrubwren*", "Spotted Scrubwren" Aboriginal name(s): Race "laevigaster": "gubiriyam" [ngadjon]; "binkimom", "kikal" (WA) Size: 11-13 cm Weight: 8-13 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 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 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 White-browed Scrubwrens are small bushland birds. Details of their plumage depend on race. In general, they have a dark grey-brown back with black shoulder patches, brown tail with a dark-grey subterminal band and a lighter (creamy to brown, race "maculatus" speckled) front. Their common characteristics are a broad, prominent black eye stripe with two narrower white or grey stripes above and below. The irises are yellow. The bill is dark-grey, the legs and feet are pinkish-grey. Female White-browed Scrubwrens tend to be greyer than males across all races. The bill of all races and sexes is dark-grey, the legs and feet are pinkish-grey. Juveniles have duller colours, but otherwise resemble females.

Taxonomy, classification See White-browed Scrubwren at Wikipedia . Click here for classification information Some sources list the Tasmanian Scrubwren, Sericornis humilis, as a race of the White-browed Scrubwren. We follow the approach by Pizzey & Knight, who list the Tasmanian Scrubwren as a separate species.

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 White-browed Scrubwren is available HERE . White-browed Scrubwrens are endemic to Australia. There are twelve races of White-browed Scrubwrens in Australia; for details see a field guide. They populate the eastern coastal fringe, the Great Dividing Range and the Southern Alps of the continent and the South coast, with small gaps in their distribution on the eastern side of Eyre peninsula and the eastern part of the Nullarbor. In the West they are found along the South coast of WA, from the WA/SA border all the way around the south-western tip and along the West coast, to about the Gascoyne River in WA. White-browed Scrubwrens are found in dense undergrowth of various types of vegetation, from the underbrush of eucalypt forest inland to heath, dense wet forest and saltmarshes. They can also appear in dense underbrush in urban parks and gardens.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "frontalis" R. Plumtree reports spotting White-browed Scrubwrens, nominate race "frontalis", regularly in the area of Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC. I. Duncan reports spotting White-browed Scrubwrens, race "frontalis", at the Melbourne Botanical Gardens in July 2012. In December 2015 we spotted White-browed Scrubwrens, nominate race "frontalis", right on the north-western border of their range, at Goulburn River NP, to the North of which race "tweedi" is found (see below). Together with V. Collins, we also found them at the Burrendong Arboretum in June 2021. Race "tweedi" In January and August of 2006 we first spotted White-browed Scrubwrens, race "tweedi", at Sawn Rocks, Mt. Kaputar NP, near Narrabri, NSW, where they can be found reliably. Since then we have spotted White-browed Scrubwrens, race "tweedi", in various locations on the western fringe of the Great Dividing Range, e.g. in Deriah Aboriginal Area, 30 km East of Narrabri, and near Barraba, NSW. We have not seen a White-browed Scrubwren, race "tweedi", at the places where we live(d) near Narrabri, NSW, in open farmland (neither 20 km South of Narrabri, nor at Eulah Creek, 20 km East of town). However, White-browed Scrubwrens were found by us in the Narrabri township in August 2010. C. Hayne reports that White-browed Scrubwrens, race "tweedi", are also common in the area of Moree, NSW. White-browed Scrubwrens, race "tweedi", are abundant in the rainforests on the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range, where we have seen them, e.g., at Dorrigo NP and Washpool NP, in north-eastern NSW, and on into south-eastern QLD, e.g. in Lamington NP. M. Mearns reports spotting White-browed Scrubwrens, races "tweedi" and "laevigaster", at Bunya Mountains NP, QLD, in December 2015. M. Windeyer reports finding a family clan of 6 White-browed Scrubwrens, race "tweedi", in Warrumbungle NP, near Coonabarabran, NSW, in May 2020. Race "laevigaster" White-browed Scrubwrens, race "laevigaster", have been spotted by us and various contributors in various locations in southern and central QLD. They were found as far West as Bunya Mountains NP and Carnarvon NP. M. Mearns reports spotting White-browed Scrubwrens, races "tweedi" and "laevigaster", at Bunya Mountains NP, QLD, in December 2015. Various contributors report spotting White-browed Scrubwrens, races "tweedi" and "laevigaster", regularly at O'Reilly's Plateau, Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD. A. Campbell reports spotting White-browed Scrubwrens, race "laevigaster", semi-regularly at Mount McEuen, QLD. M. Eaton found White-browed Scrubwrens, race "laevigaster", at Brunswick Heads, QLD, in January 2019 and at D'Aguilar NP, near Mount Mee, QLD, in December 2019. They were also found at Eungella NP, near Mackay, QLD, in July 2021. Race "maculatus" J. Greaves reports spotting White-browed Scrubwrens, race "maculatus", at Cheynes Beach, Albany, WA, in January 2015 and again in June 2020, at Manjimup, WA, in March 2015, and at Ocean Reef, Perth, WA, in December 2016. C. Pears finds White-browed Scrubwrens, race "maculatus", regularly at Quindalup, WA. Race "ashbyi" J. Greaves reports spotting a White-browed Scrubwren, race "ashbyi", at Seal Bay, Kangaroo Island, SA, in March 2016.

Photos

Race "frontalis"

ADULT

MALE

Frontal view of a male(?) White-browed Scrubwren
[Munghorn Gap NR, NSW, December 2015]

Close-up lateral view of a male(?) White-browed Scrubwren (photo courtesy of I. Duncan)
[Melbourne Botanical Gardens, VIC, July 2012]

FEMALE

Frontal view of a female White-browed Scrubwren foraging on the ground (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Near Swifts Creek, East Gippsland, VIC, September 2014]

Near-frontal view of a female White-browed Scrubwren (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Near Swifts Creek, East Gippsland, VIC, September 2014]

Lateral view of a female White-browed Scrubwren (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Near Swifts Creek, East Gippsland, VIC, September 2014]

Lateral view of a female White-browed Scrubwren foraging on the ground (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Near Swifts Creek, East Gippsland, VIC, September 2014]

Lateral view of a female(?) White-browed Scrubwren
[Drip Gorge, Goulburn River NP, NSW, December 2015]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Adult female White-browed Scrubwren with two juvenile birds (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Near Swifts Creek, East Gippsland, VIC, October 2014]

Close-up lateral view of one juvenile White-browed Scrubwren (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Near Swifts Creek, East Gippsland, VIC, October 2014]

Adult female(?) White-browed Scrubwren, right, with a fledgling bird, left (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[St. Alban's, NSW, August 2013]

Race "tweedi"

ADULT

MALE

Close-up full-frontal view of a male White-browed Scrubwren
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, August 2015]

Frontal view of a male White-browed Scrubwren; note the prominent white supercilium
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, January 2023]

Close-up near-frontal view of a male White-browed Scrubwren
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, August 2015]

Near-frontal view of a male White-browed Scrubwren (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[O'Reilly's Plateau, Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD, November 2013]

Near-frontal view of a male White-browed Scrubwren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[O'Reilly's Plateau, Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD, January 2020]

Close-up near-frontal view of a male White-browed Scrubwren looking sideways
[Narrabri, NSW, September 2022]

Close-up lateral view of a male White-browed Scrubwren
[Boonoo Boonoo NP, NSW, May 2014]

Lateral view of a male White-browed Scrubwren
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, 2006]

FEMALE

Close-up near-lateral view of a female White-browed Scrubwren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lamington NP, QLD, February 2018]

Close-up lateral view of a female White-browed Scrubwren; note the faint supercilium
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, January 2023]

Close-up lateral view of a female White-browed Scrubwren
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, January 2023]

Dorsal view of a female(?) White-browed Scrubwren in dense rainforest
[Dorrigo NP, NSW, January 2011]

Sex unknown

White-browed Scrubwren seen from above
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, 2006]

Dorsal view of a White-browed Scrubwren seen preening
[Warrabah NP, NSW, April 2014]

Dorsal view of a White-browed Scrubwren seen preening
[Warrabah NP, NSW, April 2014]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-frontal view of a juvenile White-browed Scrubwren (photo courtesy of R. Druce)
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, May 2012]

Near-lateral view of a juvenile White-browed Scrubwren (photo courtesy of M. Windeyer)
[Warrumbungle NP, NSW, May 2020]

Lateral view of a juvenile White-browed Scrubwren
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, 2006]

Lateral view of a juvenile White-browed Scrubwren (photo courtesy of R. Druce)
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, May 2012]

Race "laevigaster"

ADULT

MALE

Frontal view of a male White-browed Scrubwren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Gardens, Maleny, QLD, August 2019]

Frontal view of a male White-browed Scrubwren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[D'Aguilar National Park, near Mount Mee, QLD, December 2019]

Frontal view from above of a male White-browed Scrubwren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Gardens, Maleny, QLD, October 2021]

Near-frontal view of a male White-browed Scrubwren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Gardens, Maleny, QLD, October 2021]

Near-frontal view of a male White-browed Scrubwren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Gardens, Maleny, QLD, October 2021]

Near-frontal view of a male White-browed Scrubwren (photo courtesy of A. Campbell)
[Mount McEuen, QLD, November 2016]

Near-frontal view of a male White-browed Scrubwren issuing its call (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Gardens, Maleny, QLD, August 2019]

Near-frontal view of a male White-browed Scrubwren issuing its call (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Gardens, Maleny, QLD, October 2021]

Near-frontal view from above onto a White-browed Scrubwren (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[O'Reilly's Plateau, Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD, August 2013]

Near-lateral view of a male White-browed Scrubwren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Gardens, Maleny, QLD, October 2021]

Near-lateral view of a male White-browed Scrubwren issuing its call (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Gardens, Maleny, QLD, October 2021]

Near-lateral view of a male White-browed Scrubwren
[Washpool NP, NSW, October 2007]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a male White-browed Scrubwren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Gardens, Maleny, QLD, August 2019]

Lateral view of a male White-browed Scrubwren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[D'Aguilar National Park, near Mount Mee, QLD, December 2019]

Lateral view of a male White-browed Scrubwren carrying food for its chicks (photo courtesy of A. Campbell)
[Mount McEuen, QLD, July 2017]

Lateral view of a male White-browed Scrubwren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Eungella NP, near Mackay, QLD, July 2021]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a male White-browed Scrubwren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Gardens, Maleny, QLD, August 2019]

FEMALE

Lateral view of a female White-browed Scrubwren; note the grey side of the head (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD, August 2013]

Near-dorsal view of a female White-browed Scrubwren wagging its rear
[Washpool NP, NSW, October 2007]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

One of two White-browed Scrubwren chicks that fell out of a rolled-up piece of shade cloth that their parents had chosen as nest (photo courtesy of A. Campbell)
[Mount McEuen, QLD, July 2017]

Both fledgling White-browed Scrubwren chicks recovered from falling out of their nest and scrambled to safety (photo courtesy of A. Campbell)
[Mount McEuen, QLD, July 2017]

Fledgling White-browed Scrubwren chick being fed with a spider (photo courtesy of A. Campbell)
[Mount McEuen, QLD, July 2017]

Race "maculatus"

This race is also called the "Spotted Scrubwren".

ADULT

MALE

Frontal view of a male White-browed Scrubwren; note the spotted breast characterising this bird as race "maculatus"
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Cheynes Beach, Albany, WA, June 2020]

Lateral view of a male White-browed Scrubwren (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Cheynes Beach, Albany, WA, January 2015]

Dorsal view of a male White-browed Scrubwren (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Cheynes Beach, Albany, WA, January 2015]

FEMALE

Lateral view of a female White-browed Scrubwren; note that this bird is greyer than the male shown above (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Ocean Reef, Perth, WA, December 2016]

Race "ashbyi"

ADULT

Lateral view of a White-browed Scrubwren (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Seal Bay, Kangaroo Island, SA, March 2016]

View onto the cap and back of a White-browed Scrubwren (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Seal Bay, Kangaroo Island, SA, March 2016]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Aug - Dec

Eggs: 2 - 3

Incubation period: ?

Fledging age: ?

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Dome

Material: Bark, grass, moss, lined with feathers & fur

Height above ground: 0 - 2 m?

Look into a White-browed Scrubwren nest with a chick inside (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Wetland, Lytton, QLD, September 2018]

Overview of a heap of leaf litter with a White-browed Scrubwren nest inside
[Near Narrabri, NSW, September 2018]

Heap of leaf litter with a White-browed Scrubwren nest inside
[Near Narrabri, NSW, September 2018]

Heap of leaf litter with a White-browed Scrubwren at the nest entrance
[Near Narrabri, NSW, September 2018]

White-browed Scrubwren nest in a shopping bag hanging in a shed (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Near Swifts Creek, East Gippsland, VIC, September 2014]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 20 x 16 mm

Colour: Off-white, with light- to mid-brown speckles

Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Sedentary

Elementary unit: Pair/family clan

Similar to some other bird species, White-browed Scrubwrens can become quite tame. The bird shown below was photographed inside a house.

White-browed Scrubwren inside a house (photo courtesy of R. Druce)

White-browed Scrubwren hunting for insects around a rockpool
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, April 2013]

Food, Diet

Yellow-throated Scrubwrens forage through leaf litter or tree bark for small insects.

At Dorrigo National Park we observed White-browed Scrubwrens that followed larger birds working through leaf litter (such as Superb Lyrebirds and Australian Brush-Turkeys) and then opportunistically picked their prey out of the dugouts.

Near-frontal view of a White-browed Scrubwren with food for its dependent young
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, January 2023]

Dorsal view of a male White-browed Scrubwren after a successful hunt in a creek bed
[Near Barraba, NSW, October 2006]

White-browed Scrubwren pulling what looks like a larva out of a crevice between rocks in a creek bed
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, April 2013]

Near-dorsal view of a female White-browed Scrubwren with its catch, a spider
[Drip Gorge, Goulburn River NP, NSW, December 2015]

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.

wbrscrw_20220630.m4a	frontalis (Ctl W NSW)	Alarm calls(?) (humans)	© MD
wbrscrw_20230825.mp3	tweedi (NW NSW)	Contact calls? (+ Noisy Friarbird)	© MD
wbrscrw_20160730.m4a	tweedi (NW NSW)	"Whirring call" (Q&A) (+ Silvereye)	© MD
wbrscrw_20141107.mp3	tweedi (NW NSW)	Warning call (human)	© MD
wbrscrw_20180905.m4a	tweedi (NW NSW)	Annoyed call	© MD
wbrscrw_20220918.mp3	tweedi (NW NSW)	Various (male)	© MD
wbrscrw_20220601.m4a	tweedi (NW NSW)	Various (family with juveniles)	© MD
wbrscrw_20150620.mp3	tweedi (N NSW)	Various	© MD
wbrscrw_20170402.mp3	tweedi (NW NSW)	?	© MD
wbrscrw_20180131.m4a	tweedi (NW NSW)	?	© MD
wbrscrw_20140124_2.mp3	tweedi (NW NSW)	?	© MD
wbrscrw_me_20211030.m4a	laevigaster (SE QLD)	?	© ME

More White-browed Scrubwren 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: Wed, 13 September 2023, 2:19 +00:00