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White-browed ScrubwrenAlternate name(s): "Buff-breasted Scrubwren", "Brown Scrubwren*", "Spotted Scrubwren" ![]() "binkimom", "kikal" (WA) Size: 11-13 cm Weight: 8-13 g |
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Similar |
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See
White-browed Scrubwren at Wikipedia ![]() |
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Photos |
Race "frontalis"
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ADULT |
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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]
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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]
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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"
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ADULT |
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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]
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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]
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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"
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ADULT |
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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]
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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]
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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".
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ADULT |
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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]
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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"
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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]
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Breeding information |
Breeding season: Aug - Dec | Eggs: 2 - 3 | Incubation period: ? | Fledging age: ? |
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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]
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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 |
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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]
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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]
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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
.