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Tawny Grassbird (Megalurus timoriensis) Alternate name(s): "Tawny Marshbird", "Rufous-capped Grassbird", "Rufous-capped Grass Warbler" Size: 17-19 cm Body mass: 13-25 g

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Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Tawny Grassbirds are among the largest reed birds in Australia. Their plumage is cryptic. Their front, from throat to undertail coverts, is creamy, the cap is reddish-brown with some darker streaking. The back is brown, with prominent dark-grey streaking, mostly on the wings. The flanks and sides have a buff wash. The brown tail is conspicuously long. The eyes have dark-brown irises. The relatively long, almost straight bill has a grey upper mandible, the lower mandible is horn-coloured. The legs and feet are grey. Twitcher's tip Compared with other reed birds, Tawny Grassbirds are the tallest that have striation in their plumage.

Taxonomy, classification See Tawny Grassbird 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 Tawny Grassbird is available HERE . The range of the Tawny Grassbird exentds from the Philippines in the North, via eastern Indonesia, Timor Leste and New Guinea to Australia. In Australia there is one race of Tawny Grassbirds, "alisteri", which is endemic. They are found along the North and East coast of Australia, including the Top End of the NT to about Katherine, ranging from about Broome, WA, in the West to Sydney, NSW, in the South-East, and also in the near-coastal ranges, up to a few hundred km inland. They are not found much farther inland than the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range. Tawny Grassbirds live in swamps or reeds, e.g. in estuaries of rivers. Where to look? How to find this species? Tawny Grassbirds can be numerous in suitable habitats one year and absent the next. We usually find them, in inland NSW, in areas where tall weeds, such as e.g. "Purpletops" (a species of verbena) take over. Although Tawny Grassbirds call only during certain periods of the day, the best way to find them is to know their calls and then to wait for one to appear at the top of the vegetation to have a look around.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "alisteri" A Tawny Grassbird, race "alisteri", was first spotted by us at Old Bar, NSW, in the estuary of the Manning River, in September 2011. Since then we have consistently found them on, and they have been reported by various contributors from, the (near-)coastal fringe of NSW and QLD, in particular in the area from Old Bar, NSW, to the Sunshine Coast, QLD. Subsequently they have also been found by us in other locations along the NSW coast, e.g. MacPherson Road swamp in Tuggerah, NSW. C. Hayne reports that Tawny Grassbirds, race "alisteri", are occasionally seen in various locations near Moree, NSW, mostly to the West and North-West of town, but in December 2012 also in the township. Since 2012 they have become quite common in the Gwydir Wetlands, where a single bird was spotted and photographed in June 2013. At Narrabri Lake a Tawny Grassbird, race "alisteri", was first spotted by us in August 2013. M. Mearns reports spotting Tawny Grassbirds, race "alisteri", on Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, in January 2016. M. Windeyer reports spotting a Tawny Grassbird, race "alisteri", at Frog Hollow, Gilgandra, NSW, in January 2017. M. Eaton reports spotting Tawny Grassbirds, race "alisteri", occasionally in south-eastern QLD, near both fresh water and saline water. B. Hensen reports finding Tawny Grassbirds, race "alisteri", occasionally at Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW. P. Brown reports spotting Tawny Grassbirds, race "alisteri", along Channel Island Road, Darwin, NT, in July 2018. From August/September 2021 on, well into 2022, we found Tawny Grassbirds, race "alisteri", in the Upper Bullawa Creek section of Mt. Kaputar NP, near Narrabri, NSW. J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours reports finding a Tawny Grassbird, race "alisteri", along Boar Pocket Road, Tinaroo, QLD, in January 2019, and at Hasties Swamp, Atherton, QLD, in November 2020.

Photos

Race "alisteri"

ADULT

MALE

Lateral view of a male Tawny Grassbird in display flight (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW, October 2013]

Sex unknown

Close-up full-frontal view of a Tawny Grassbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Priors Pocket Road, Moggill, QLD, February 2023]

Close-up frontal view of a Tawny Grassbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Priors Pocket Road, Moggill, QLD, February 2023]

Close-up frontal view of a Tawny Grassbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Priors Pocket Road, Moggill, QLD, October 2021]

Frontal view of a Tawny Grassbird looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Priors Pocket Road, Moggill, QLD, January 2021]

Frontal view of a Tawny Grassbird issuing its call (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Priors Pocket Road, Moggill, QLD, January 2021]

Near-frontal view of a Tawny Grassbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Wynnum Wetlands, Brisbane, QLD, August 2017]

Close-up near-frontal view of a Tawny Grassbird issuing its call (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Priors Pocket Road, Moggill, QLD, February 2023]

Close-up near-frontal view of a Tawny Grassbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Priors Pocket Road, Moggill, QLD, February 2023]

Close-up near-frontal view of a Tawny Grassbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Priors Pocket Road, Moggill, QLD, February 2023]

Close-up near-lateral view of a moulting Tawny Grassbird looking backwards
(photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Hasties Swamp, Atherton, QLD, November 2020]

Near-lateral view of a Tawny Grassbird on a fence post with its tail fanned
(photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Boar Pocket Road, Tinaroo, QLD, January 2019]

Close-up lateral view of a Tawny Grassbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Priors Pocket Road, Moggill, QLD, February 2023]

Lateral view of a Tawny Grassbird issuing its call (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, September 2021]

Close-up lateral view of a Tawny Grassbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[The Spit, Gold Coast, QLD, January 2020]

Lateral view of a Tawny Grassbird on a fence post (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Boar Pocket Road, Tinaroo, QLD, January 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a Tawny Grassbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Wynnum Wetlands, Brisbane, QLD, August 2017]

Near-dorsal view of a Tawny Grassbird looking for food (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Channel Island Road, Darwin, NT, July 2018]

Near-dorsal view of a Tawny Grassbird (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2016]

Dorsal view of a Tawny Grassbird (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW, February 2015]

Dorsal view of a Tawny Grassbird with its tail fanned (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW, February 2015]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Sedentary/dispersive

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair

Lateral view of a Tawny Grassbird in a sea of tall weeds
[Near Narrabri, NSW, May 2022]

Food, Diet

Close-up frontal view of a Tawny Grassbird with its prey, a moth (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Priors Pocket Road, Moggill, QLD, March 2023]

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.

twngras_20241229_4.m4a	alisteri (NW NSW)	Territorial song (male at dawn)	© MD
twngras_20241229_5.m4a	alisteri (NW NSW)	Territorial song (male at dawn)	© MD
twngras_pb_20200520.m4a	alisteri (Darwin, NT)	Warning calls	© PB
twngras_20210828.m4a	alisteri (NW NSW)	Warning calls	© MD
twngras_20210828_2.m4a	alisteri (NW NSW)	Warning calls + departure	© MD
twngras_pb_20200520_2.m4a	alisteri (Darwin, NT)	Alarm call	© PB
twngras_me_20200421.m4a	alisteri (SE QLD)	Alarm calls	© ME
twngras_20210822_3.m4a	alisteri (NW NSW)	Alarm calls	© MD
twngras_20241229_2.m4a	alisteri (NW NSW)	Various (male at dawn)	© MD
twngras_20241229_3.m4a	alisteri (NW NSW)	Various (male at dawn)	© MD
twngras_20210822_5.m4a	alisteri (NW NSW)	Various (+ Bar-shouldered Dove)	© MD
twngras_20210822_2.m4a	alisteri (NW NSW)	Various (+ others in bkgd)	© MD
twngras_20210822_4.m4a	alisteri (NW NSW)	Various (+ others in bkgd)	© MD
twngras_20210822_6.m4a	alisteri (NW NSW)	Various (+ others in bkgd)	© MD
twngras_20210822.m4a	alisteri (NW NSW)	Various (+ others in bkgd; long sequence)	© MD
twngras_pb_20200301.m4a	alisteri (Darwin, NT)	Various (+ Red-collared Lorikeet)	© PB

More Tawny Grassbird 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.

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