the thick-billed grasswren ( amytornis modestus ) is a species of bird in the maluridae family .

it is endemic to australia .

its natural habitat is mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation .

thick - billed grasswren

) . on some new south wales records of the grey grasswren and thick - billed grasswren .
. . . thick - billed grasswren , mt lyndhurst , s . a .
6 . survey areas adjoining the known current distribution of the thick - billed grasswren .
vi ) survey areas adjoining the known current distribution of the thick - billed grasswren .
thick - billed grasswren ( amytornis textilis ) the following are photographs of thick - billed grasswrens at monkey mia in october 1995 and june 1999 . more
mooned by thick - billed grasswren ( ssp . indulkana ) . # lifegoals # wildoz urltoken
5 . evidence that the status of the thick - billed grasswren has not declined since 1998 .
5 . monitor the number , distribution and sizes of all known thick - billed grasswren populations .
v ) monitor the number , distribution and sizes of all known thick - billed grasswren populations .
mcallan iaw ( 1987 ) early records of the thick - billed grasswren amytornis textilis and striated grasswren amytornis striatus . australian birds 21 , 33 - 34 .
thick - billed grasswren ( amytornis ( amytornis ) modestus ) occurrence records from continental australia suitable for species distribution modelling .
scientific name : amytornis textilis textilis common name : thick - billed grasswren ( western ) previously , the western subspecies of the thick - billed grasswren textilis , and the gawler ranges subspecies myall were often combined , sometimes with the dusky grasswren a . purnelli , as one species . the western subspecies a . textilis is distinct from the eastern subspecies of the thick - billed grasswren modestus , which was considered as a full species ( the thick - billed grasswren a . modestus ) ( higgins et al . 2001 ) .
chris watson on twitter :
mooned by thick - billed grasswren ( ssp . indulkana ) . # lifegoals # wildoz…
mcallan iaw ( 2000 ) on some new south wales records of the grey grasswren and the thick - billed grasswren . australian bird watcher 18 , 244 - 246 .
the range and habitat characteristics of the thick - billed grasswren ( amytornis textilis ) in the shark bay region , western australia .
thick - billed grasswren , race textilis , feeding on ground . francois peron homestead , francois peron national park , western australia .
garstone , r . ( 1990 ) extension of the range of the thick - billed grasswren . western australian bird notes 53 , 5 .
thick - billed grasswren - profile ( nsw department of environment , climate change and water ( nsw deccw ) , 2005y ) [ internet ] .
thick - billed grasswren - threatened species information ( nsw national parks and wildlife service ( nsw npws ) , 2010 ) [ information sheet ] .
the western subspecies of the thick - billed grasswren is usually seen in pairs or small groups , and sometimes occurs singly ( brooker 1988 ) .
the western subspecies of the thick - billed grasswren occurs in semi - arid shrubland on coastal dunes , plains and drainage lines ( higgins et al . 2001 ) . the western subspecies of the thick - billed grasswren occurs in four types of shrubland ( higgins et al . 2001 ) :
brooker , b . ( 1998b ) evidence of long laying intervals by the thick - billed grasswren amytornis textilis . emu 98 , 82 - 83 .
mcallen , i . a . w . ( 1987 ) . early records of the thick - billed grasswren amytornis textilis and striated grasswren amytornis striatus . australian birds . 21 : 33 - - 43 .
the eastern subspecies of the thick - billed grasswren is usually seen in pairs or small groups , but sometimes occurs singly ( blakers et al . 1984 ) .
brooker , b . ( in press ) the range and habitat characteristics of the thick - billed grasswren amytornis textilis in the shark bay region . wildlife research .
brooker , b . ( 1999 ) . thick - billed grasswren ( amytornis textilis textilis ) interim recovery plan . department of conservation and land management , wanneroo .
the thick - billed grasswren ( eastern subspecies ) amytornis textilis modestus ( north , 1902 ) recovery plan ( nsw national parks & wildlife service 2002o ) , and the action plan for australian birds ( garnett & crowley 2000 ) both provide guides to threat abatement and management strategies for the thick - billed grasswren ( eastern ) .
figure 1 . present and former localities of the thick - billed grasswren in western australia . solid shading denotes the present distribution of the grasswren on peron peninsula and nearby pastoral stations . the dashed line denotes former distribution .
threatened species of the northern territory - thick - billed grasswren ( eastern subspecies ) amytornis modestus modestus ( ward , s . , 2012 ) [ information sheet ] .
there was an unconfirmed record of the eastern subspecies of the thick - billed grasswren in 1994 at finke river , in the southern northern territory ( brandle 1998 ) .
the thick - billed grasswren is classified as least concern . does not qualify for a more at risk category . widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category .
a survey of the range and habitat characteristics of the thick - billed grasswren in the shark bay region was conducted in october 1998 , with world heritage program commonwealth funding ( brooker in press ) . thick - billed grasswrens were recorded at 60 ( 28 % ) of the 212 sites surveyed . habitat characteristics of the sites in which thick - billed grasswrens were recorded are outlined in the section 1 . 3 .
6 . the thick - billed grasswren subspecies a . t . modestus and a . t . myall are each nationally listed as vulnerable on the environment protection and biodiversity conservation act 1999 .
recovery actions for the thick - billed grasswren are presented below . costs have been calculated in 1999 dollars . cost estimates are provided for the three years of the plan ' s implementation .
and thick - billed grasswrens ( schodde 1982 ) , but perhaps not for short - tailed ? however , given what we later encountered with eyrean , perhaps it is a behavior present in all species ? portion of painting ( right ) by richard weatherly from schodde ( 1982 ) # 3 thick - billed grasswren amytornis textilis thick - billed grasswren , of the short - tailed eastern race modestus , was found at this well - known gully with saltbush ( atriplex ) understory near lyndhurst ( photo above ) . more
brooker , b . ( 2000 ) . the range and habitat characteristics of the thick - billed grasswren amytornis textilis in the shark bay region . wildlife research . 27 : 245 - 256 .
the thick - billed grasswren amytornis textilis is one of eight species of grasswren that occur in the semi - arid and arid regions of australia . three subspecies of the thick - billed grasswren are recognised : a . textilis textilis from western australia , a . textilis myall from the gawler range in south australia and a . textilis modestus from inland eastern australia ( schodde 1982 ) . this recovery plan focuses on the western subspecies , a . textilis textilis .
threatened species of the northern territory - thick - billed grasswren ( north - western subspecies ) amytornis modestus indulkana ( pavey , c . & s . ward , 2012b ) [ information sheet ] .
black , a . ( 2011 ) . subspecies of the thick - billed grasswren amytornis modestus . transactions of the royal society of south australia 135 ( 1 ) : 26 - 38 [ reinstated ]
iii ) liaise with other land managers to bring about desirable habitat management in areas where thick - billed grasswrens are known to occur .
the population size of the eastern subspecies of the thick - billed grasswren is estimated to be 20 000 breeding birds ( garnett & crowley 2000 ) , but the reliability or method for this estimate is not known .
the development and implementation of agreed strategies for the management of thick - billed grasswren habitat with relevant land managers ( ie . calm , pastoralists , leaseholders , shire of shark bay and main roads western australia ) ,
brooker , m . g . ( 1988 ) some aspects of the biology and conservation of the thick - billed grasswren amytornis textilis in the shark bay area , western australia . corella 12 , 101 - 108 .
in addition , the recovery team will determine whether reintroduction of the thick - billed grasswren into other areas is necessary and / or appropriate . if so , the habitats visited in this survey , and potential sites on stations recently acquired by calm , will be assessed for the possible reintroduction of thick - billed grasswrens , using known information on their habitat requirements .
finally , this study shows that thick - billed grasswrens are cooperative breeders , with up to two helpers observed feeding at 50 % of video - monitored nests . using ddrad - seq genetic analysis we established that helpers were related to the attending pair . we did not find evidence for extra - pair paternity in offspring of five thick - billed grasswren groups .
vanderwal , j . ( 2013 ) . thick - billed grasswren ( amytornis ( amytornis ) modestus ) - occurrence records filtered for species distribution modelling . centre for tropical biodiversity & climate change , james cook university . [ data files ] urltoken grasswren ( amytornis ( amytornis ) modestus ) / occurrences
detectability the eastern subspecies of the thick - billed grasswren is usually furtive and difficult to observe , but it sometimes climbs briefly to a vantage point before disappearing into cover . its call is soft , and so high pitched that it can be difficult to hear , especially in windy conditions . the eastern subspecies of the thick - billed grasswren would probably respond to broadcast ( playback ) of its territorial call ( higgins et al . 2001 ) .
this plan should be cited as follows ; npws ( 2002 ) . thick - billed grasswren ( eastern subspecies ) amytornis textilis modestus ( north , 1902 ) recovery plan . nsw national parks and wildlife service , hurstville nsw .
thick - billed grasswren ( western sub - species ) ( amytornis textilis textilis ) - interim recovery plan - plan no . 55 - 2000 - 2002 ( cale , b . , 2000a ) [ state recovery plan ] .
develop a standard monitoring method for the thick - billed grasswren to determine the sizes and distributions of known populations . in 2001 resurvey those areas visited in 1998 , so that the recovery or decline of each population can be monitored .
brooker , m . g . ( 1988 ) . some aspects of the biology and conservation of the thick - billed grasswren amytornis textilis in the shark bay area , western australia . corella . 12 : 101 - - 8 .
black ab , baxter ci ( 2003 ) observations of thick - billed grasswrens on the north olary plains . south australian ornithologist 34 , 70 - 74 .
2 . a survey of the range and habitat characteristics of the thick - billed grasswren in the shark bay region was conducted in october 1998 . methods used and results of this survey will provide a baseline for further monitoring of this subspecies .
distribution and habitats of the thick - billed grasswren , amytornis textilis , subspecies myall andrew black , graham carpenter and lynn pedler . pp . 161 - 177 . abstract . the thick - billed grasswren amytornis textilis , subspecies myall , occurs in semi - arid south australia , between whyalla and the gawler ranges . its distribution is largely unchanged since its discovery in august 1902 . its present status in the yellabinna region , where it was recorded once in 1909 , is unknown . more
the action plan for australian birds ( garnett & crowley 2000 ) , and two state interim recovery plans ( brooker 1999 & cale 2000 ) provide guides to threat abatement and management strategies for the western subspecies of the thick - billed grasswren .
historical descriptions of the habitat of the thick - billed grasswren are scanty , but it appeared to show a preference for areas with dense cover . the thick - billed grasswren was found in areas of ' thick bush ' or ' thickets ' near kalgoorlie ( north 1910 ) ; dense saltbush near lake violet ( whitlock 1910 ) ; in ' marlock ' or low mallee scrub east of broomehill ( carter 1924 ) ; and in ' large clumps of bushes which had extremely dense masses of foliage mixed with interlacing twigs ' on dirk hartog island ( carter 1917 ) .
under the iucn red list of threatened species , the carpentarian grasswren and the white - throated grasswren are listed as vulnerable to extinction ; the black grasswren and short - tailed species are near threatened ; and the remainder are of least concern .
on peron peninsula , the western subspecies of the thick - billed grasswren breeds between july and october ( brooker 2000 ) . breeding is most successful in years of good rainfall when climbing plants are more plentiful ( brooker 1998 , 1999 , 2000 ) .
thick - billed grasswrens are sedentary , shy and elusive birds that spend most of their time on the ground . the plumage of the thick - billed grasswren is highly cryptic with its surroundings , being brown with fine streaks of black and white . adult females tend to be smaller in size than males , and differ from males in having a chestnut patch on their flank , just under each wing ( schodde 1982 ) .
npws ( 2002 ) . thick - billed grasswren ( eastern subspecies ) amytornis textilis modestus ( north , 1902 ) recovery plan . nsw national parks and wildlife service , hurstville nsw . the plan is available for download from this site ( pdf 188 kb )
describes the macdonnell ranges subspecies of the thick - billed grasswren , amytornis modestus modestus ; its conservation status ; appearance ; distribution ; ecology ; threatening processes and conservation management . a list of relevant references is provided . ( pdf file , 135 . 33 kb )
the thick - billed grasswren lays a clutch of one to four eggs , with clutches of three being most common ( brooker 1998a ) . at two nests thick - billed grasswrens were observed to lay the eggs of their clutch at 40 - 48 hour intervals ( brooker 1998b ) . the incubation period ranges from 15 - 17 days and the nestling period from 10 - 14 days ( brooker 1998a ) . both the male and female incubate the eggs and feed the young ( whitlock 1910 , brooker 1988 , brooker 1998a ) . based on observations of 36 thick - billed grasswren nests over three years , the mean hatching success was 84 % , defined as the percentage of eggs which hatched of those laid in a full clutch and excluding those nests predated during incubation ( brooker 1998a ) . despite this low hatching success , the thick - billed grasswren showed a high breeding success , with 61 % of all nests producing at least one fledgling ( brooker 1998a ) .
the thick - billed grasswren is a thick - set , finely streaked , pale fawn grasswren with a heavy bill . it can be told apart from other grasswrens by a combination of the stout bill and drab uniform brownish plumage with coarsely white - streaked head and upperparts and faintly streaked underparts . location and habitat - distribution formerly occurred in central and western nsw , near “mount arrowsmith” station , mossgiel , and along the lower namoi river . more
the long - term objective is to increase the probability of survival of the thick - billed grasswren , so that it can eventually be removed from the threatened species list . over the time frame of three years , specific objectives of this interim recovery plan are to :
little is known of the dispersal behaviour of thick - billed grasswrens after fledging , partly because of the difficulty in re - sighting known individuals . juveniles remain with their parents for at least four months after fledging ( brooker 1998a ) . a one - year - old male thick - billed grasswren dispersed 400 m from its natal nest , but returned to within 100 m of his natal site the following year and successfully bred there ( brooker 1998a ) .
the western subspecies of the thick - billed grasswren is associated with arid shrubland containing recumbent acacias and low shrubs 0 - 1 m high , and shrub clumps that have high foliage density . in this acacia sandplain habitat , the mean percentage cover of perennial vegetation less than 2 m high was 3 . 8 % where thick - billed grasswrens were present , and 13 . 3 % where they were absent . the mean percentage cover of perennial vegetation 0 - 1 m high was 34 . 4 % where thick - billed grasswrens were present , and 23 . 2 % where they were absent . the mean foliage density , mean number of plant species , and mean number of ' nest plant ' species were also higher in shrub clumps where thick - billed grasswrens were present compared with clumps where they were absent ( brooker 2000 ) .
npws ( 2002o ) . thick - billed grasswren ( eastern subspecies ) amytornis textilis modestus ( north , 1902 ) recovery plan . nsw national parks and wildlife service , hurstville nsw . available from : urltoken . in effect under the epbc act from 13 - oct - 2003 .
visited witchelina station to try and find the thick - billed grasswren . a needle in a haystack task until we were shown the areas in which they live . after some brief running away views we were lucky to see this male for about 20 minutes late in the afternoon .
thick - billed grasswrens are considered good indicators of environmental health as they have been shown to be sensitive to overgrazing by domestic and feral animals , introduced predators and poorly managed fire regimes .
current status : the western subspecies of the thick - billed grasswren is listed as ' rare or likely to become extinct ' pursuant to the wa wildlife conservation act 1950 . it currently meets iucn ( 1994 ) red list category ' vulnerable ' under criterion d2 as it has a restricted distribution of
thick - billed grasswren ( eastern subspecies ) ( amytornis textilis modestus ) ( north , 1902 ) recovery plan = nsw national parks and wildlife service , july 2002 isbn 0 7313 65143 contents > previous > next 2 description - * 2 . 1 taxonomy * 2 . 2 general 2 . more
a western grasswren on hamelin station reserve . photo ben parkhurst . in the north , the carpentarian grasswren inhabits the hilly parts of north - western queensland and eastern northern territory ; the white - throated grasswren lives in north - western arnhem land ; dusky grasswrens are found in the arid interior ( nt , wa and sa ) and the black grasswren lives in the kimberley region of western australia .
in south australia , the thick - billed grasswren is thought to no longer occur at mungeranie on the birdsville track , in northeastern south australia ( garnett & crowley 2000 ) , and it was not recorded from the southern lake frome basin in surveys conducted between 1995 and 1997 ( playfair & robinson 1997 ) .
this dataset includes observations of thick - billed grasswren ( amytornis ( amytornis ) modestus ) that are sourced from the atlas of living australia ( ala ) database . rather than raw observations , these have been filtered such that they are assumed to be suitable for species distribution modelling exercises . the cleaning process included :
the eastern subspecies of the thick - billed grasswren is omnivorous . it eats seeds , fruits , insects and other invertebrates ( higgins et al . 2001 ; rowley & russell 1997 ; whitlock 1924 ) . the diet of thick - billed grasswrens in general includes seeds of grasses and other plants such as acacia spp . , species of asteraceae , brassicaceae , cucurbitaceae , geraniaceae and malvaceae . they also eat chilopods ( centipedes ) and insects including coleoptera ( beetles ) , hemiptera ( bugs ) , hymenoptera ( ants and wasps ) , isoptera ( termites ) and orthoptera ( grasshoppers and crickets ) ( higgins et al . 2001 ) . the eastern subspecies of the thick - billed grasswren forages mainly on the ground , under and around the bases of shrubs , and sometimes in open areas ( rowley & russell 1997 ; schodde 1982 ) .
other inland grasswrens include the grey grasswren found near the queensland / nsw and queensland / south australia borders . the eyrean grasswren lives in the canegrass on dunes in the eastern and southern simpson and strzelecki deserts across south australia , queensland and the northern territory . the kalkadoon grasswren lives in north - western queensland .
slender , a . l . , louter , m . , gardner , m . g . , kleindorfer , s . ( 2018 ) plant community predicts the distribution and occurrence of thick - billed grasswren subspecies ( amytornis modestus ) in a region of parapatry . australian journal of zoology . accepted 31 jan 2018 .
south australia boasts a number of grasswrens , including the short - tailed grasswrens found in the flinders , gammon and gawler ranges , and the thick - billed grasswrens that inhabit saltbush country of the south australian rangelands .
eleven thick - billed grasswrens ( eastern ) were observed at five sites during a fauna survey on the mount eba and millers creek stations , south australia . the survey was conducted along the proposed route of a 37 . 2 km operations wellfield infrastructure corridor running from the prominent hill mine lease area to a wellfield area located to the southeast ( moseby 2007 ) . the final fauna survey report indicates only one sighting of a thick - billed grasswren along a transect running almost due east of a proposed well site ( ebs 2007 ) .
the breeding biology of the thick - billed grasswren was studied at two sites near monkey mia on peron peninsula by m . g . brooker from 1985 - 1987 ( brooker 1988 ) and by b . m . brooker from 1994 - 1996 ( brooker 1998a ) . this research forms the basis of the following section .
the most recent taxonomic study considers textilis , myall and modestus as subspecies of the thick - billed grasswren ( schodde & mason 1999 ) . the now extinct sub - population from the eastern nullarbor plain , once thought to be the gawler ranges subspecies myall , is now considered to have been the western subspecies textilis ( schodde & mason 1999 ) .
figure 2 . the location of the 212 survey sites on peron peninsula and nearby pastoral leases . grasswren presence is denoted with black circles , while grasswren absence is denoted with open circles . overlander roadhouse is indicated with an open triangle .
curry , p . j . ( 1986a ) habitat characteristics of the thick - billed grasswren amytornis textilis in grazed shrubland in western australia . in : rangelands : a resource under siege . pp . 566 - 570 . ( eds ) p . j . joss , p . w . lynch and o . b . williams . australian academy of science , canberra .
the clutch size of the thick - billed grasswren is usually two eggs , less often one or three ( higgins et al . 2001 ; rowley & russell 1997 ; schodde 1982 ) . the eggs are laid in a fairly solid , partly domed or fully domed nest , with thick walls of dry grass , twigs of saltbush , and narrow strips of bark , and usually lined with fine grass , stems and downy plant material , but occasionally also fur and parrot feathers ( higgins et al . 2001 ) .
curry , p . j . ( 1986 ) . habitat characteristics of the thick - billed grasswren amytornis textilis in grazed shrublands in western australia . in : joff , p . j . , p . w . lynch & o . b . williams , eds . rangelands : a resource under siege . page ( s ) 566 - - 570 . australian academy of sciences , canberra .
thick - billed grasswrens are thickset , dull brown grasswrens with dark stout bills . the underparts are pale grey - buff , with fine streaking from the chin to the breast , and on the back . female grasswrens have chestnut flanks ( pizzey & knight 1999 ) .
cale , b . ( 2000 ) . non - current thick - billed grasswren ( western sub - species ) ( amytornis textilis textilis ) - interim recovery plan - plan no . 55 - 2000 - 2002 . wa calm . available from : urltoken . in effect under the epbc act from 09 - mar - 2001 . ceased to be in effect under the epbc act from 09 - may - 2007 .
australian grasswrens are small birds with a big reputation . the 11 species of the amytornis ( grasswren ) genus are somewhat of a mystery .
in the northern territory , the thick - billed grasswren was formerly recorded in the finke river drainage basin , from mereenie bluff and the upper reaches of hugh river , south to the lower reaches of the finke river , and at laurie ' s creek and mcminn ' s creek , but there have been no confirmed records in these regions since 1936 ( higgins et al . 2001 ; parker 1972 ; storr 1977 ) .
thick - billed grasswrens are sedentary birds that occur in pairs and sometimes groups of three . territories are maintained throughout the year . at a study site 5 km west of monkey mia , their territories ranged in size from 1 . 2 to 2 . 0 ha , with an average of 1 . 5 ha ( brooker 1998a ) . estimates of the density of thick - billed grasswrens vary from 2 - 3 adults per hectare at monkey mia ( brooker 1988 ) to 0 . 8 adults per hectare at a site 5 km west of monkey mia ( brooker 1998a ) .
black ab , longmore nw ( 2009 ) notes on grasswren eggs in len harvey’s collection , museum victoria . aust . field ornithology 26 , in press
in the shark bay region thick - billed grasswrens breed from july to october , with the length of the breeding season largely dependent on winter rainfall ( brooker 1998a ) . most nesting activity occurs in august and september ( whitlock 1910 , schodde 1982 , brooker 1988 , brooker 1998a ) . thick - billed grasswrens build a deep , cup - shaped nest with varying degrees of hood over the cup . nests consist of strips of bark and dry grass , being lined with fine dry grass and occasionally ptilotus flowers or emu feathers . the female alone builds the nest ( schodde 1982 , rowley & russell 1997 ) .
a ) maintain habitat of known and new populations , on pastoral properties in shark bay and further inland . in liaison with relevant land managers , develop appropriate management strategies on their lands to protect known thick - billed grasswren populations and habitat . this may take the form of an informal agreement through to a formal written agreement with calm ( e . g . calm act section 16a agreement or covenant ) . the main issues to work through with land managers include
active nests of the eastern subspecies of the thick - billed grasswren have been recorded from late june to september ( higgins et al . 2001 ; rowley & russell 1997 ; schodde 1982 ; whitlock 1924 ) . breeding is also said to occur between january and april in response to sufficient rainfall ( rowley & russell 1997 ; schodde 1982 ) , and it is suggested that this may allow pairs to raise a second brood in the one year ( schodde 1982 ) .
the nest of the thick - billed grasswren is usually placed within 1 m of the ground , in the centre of a low shrub such as saltbush atriplex spp . , bluebush maireana spp . or canegrass zygochloa spp . , including sandhill canegrass z . paradoxa growing on sand dunes ( higgins et al . 2001 ; parker 1972 ; rowley & russell 1997 ; schodde 1982 ; whitlock 1924 ) . it is also reported to nest in flood debris ( whitlock 1924 ) .
martin , k . c . , and mckean , j . l . ( 1986 ) . a study of the distribution and status of the endangered carpentarian grasswren
you can see grasswrens flit around many bush heritage reserves and partnership properties . there are black grasswrens on wunambul gamberra country , white - throated grasswrens on warddeken country , eyrean grasswrens on ethabuka in queensland , and in south australia there are thick - billed grasswrens on bon bon and western grasswrens are on boolcoomatta as well as hamelin station in wa .
thick - billed grasswrens are birds of arid environments , where they live in saltbush and bluebush shrublands . within this habitat , they are found along drainage lines in run - on areas . suitable habitat is mostly found in the northern part of south australia , but extends into the southern part of the northern territory , where a small population occurs near charlotte waters .
in south australia , the eastern subspecies of the thick - billed grasswren is widespread from the lake frome basin , west to the eastern lake torrens basin , northwest to near leigh creek and marree , and along the southern and western fringes of the lake eyre basin ( including the davenport ranges and near william creek ) , and west to the coober pedy region ( badman 1979 ; brandle 1998 ; gee et al . 1996 ; higgins et al . 2001 ) . it has also been recently recorded at two sites northwest of lake eyre ( brandle 1998 ) .
the western grasswren is limited to the shark bay region of western australia ( it once occurred across a much larger area of the state ) and in south australia it occurs on the eyre peninsula in chenopod shrubland . finally , the striated grasswren has the most widespread – albeit fragmented – range of the grasswrens , including arid and semi - arid inland areas of all continental states and territories .
to date , there have been no detailed studies of the thick - billed grasswren diet . their diet is known to consist of seeds ( from grasses , herbs and occasionally acacias ) , insects and occasionally fruits ( hall 1910 ; hill 1913 ; lea 1915 ; carter 1917 ; whitlock 1924 ; lea & gray 1935 ; barker & vestjens 1991 ) . insect food mostly consists of small beetles , bugs , grasshoppers , ants and termites ( gould 1865 ; keartland 1904 ; hall 1910 ; hill 1913 ; lea 1915 ; whitlock 1924 ; lea & gray 1935 ; barker & vestjens 1991 ; chapman 1996 ) .
recovery plan not required , this subspecies occurs in a small area and is a new south wales endemic . new south wales are developing a species level management plan for thick - billed grasswrens under their ' saving our species ' program . the conservation advice for the subspecies should provide sufficient direction to implement priority actions and mitigate against key threats while further strategies are being developed at the state level ( 27 / 10 / 2014 ) .
establish a recovery team of individuals with relevant knowledge or land management roles . this recovery team will coordinate the surveying and management of the thick - billed grasswren as outlined in this interim recovery plan . likely members of the team include land managers and relevant individuals from organisations such as calm midwest region , the shark bay shire , calmscience division , csiro wildlife and ecology , birds australia and main roads western australia . the recovery team will be based in the shark bay region with input from those individuals located in perth . although travel expenses will be sought for the first recovery team meeting , for subsequent meetings it will be expected that members will cover these costs .
thick - billed grasswrens glean most of their prey from litter and sand ( brooker 1998a ) . they consume a wide variety of invertebrates ( including termites , bugs , beetles , ants , centipedes , grasshoppers , caterpillars , spiders ) , seeds of grasses and various dicotyledons and small berries ( carter 1917 , barker & vestjens 1990 , brooker 1998a ) . the subspecies does not appear to be highly specialised in its dietary requirements ( brooker 1998a ) .
boca ( 2000 ) . ‘a field guide to australian birdsong . cd 5 . tawny frogmouth to kalkadoon grasswren . ’ 2nd edn . ( ed . h plowright . ) ( bird observers club of australia : melbourne . )
a western grasswren on hamelin station reserve . photo ben parkhurst . their call is soft , high - pitched and hard to hear . what’s more , some species are becoming increasingly rare . little wonder they fascinate bird enthusiasts across australia .
all species have short , rounded wings so they can ' t undertake long flights . instead they hop , run , bound or bounce between bushes and tussocks of grass . the white - throated grasswren is said to ‘hop and scuttle rat - like between rocks and clumps of vegetation’ ! 1
a western grasswren on hamelin station reserve . photo ben parkhurst . as their name suggests , many of these grasswrens live in and eat grass . grasswrens are omnivorous : they eat seeds , fruits , insects and other invertebrates . they forage on the ground for their fare , never far from a clump of grass or a shrub , where they can quickly bound away to safety .
grasswrens are generally small birds ( though larger and more robust than fairy - wrens ) . the eyrean grasswren is the smallest of the species , measuring between 14cm and 16 . 5cm long . their colours vary : their plumage can be rufous , brown , black , grey and white . streaked patterns are common , helping them to camouflage in their habitat – both birdwatchers and predators find them difficult to spot !
the social organisation of this species is not well known , although there is some information from the study of marked individuals at monkey mia , wa ( brooker 1988 ) . birds occur singly , in pairs , or in small groups of up to six ( gould 1865 ; whitlock 1910 , 1924 ; carter 1917 , 1924 ; brooker 1988 ; rowley & russell 1997 , npws wildlife atlas ) . schodde ( 1982a ) suggests that family groups do not stay together for long after the breeding season . unlike other members of the genus , such as the grey grasswren , individuals do not appear to band together in groups during the non - breeding season , but this requires confirmation ( schodde 1882a ) .
html public
- / / w3c / / dtd xhtml 1 . 0 transitional / / en
urltoken
for information to assist regulatory considerations , refer to policy statements and guidelines , the conservation advice , the listing advice and / or the recovery plan .
recovery plan required , this species had a recovery plan in force at the time the legislation provided for the minister to decide whether or not to have a recovery plan ( 19 / 2 / 2007 ) .
department of the environment , water , heritage and the arts ( dewha ) ( 2008 ) .
survey guidelines for australia ' s threatened birds . epbc act survey guidelines 6 . 2
( department of the environment , water , heritage and the arts ( dewha ) , 2010 ) [ admin guideline ] .
review of the threatened species conservation act schedules 2007 - 2009 ( nsw scientific committee ( nsw sc ) , 2009b ) [ state species management plan ] .
listed as least concern ( global status : iucn red list of threatened species : 2017 . 1 list )
black , a . b . , joseph , l . , pedler , l . p . & carpenter , g . a . 2010 . a taxonomic framework for interpreting evolution within the amytornis textilis - modestus complex of grasswrens . the emu 110 : 358 - 363
the distribution shown is generalised from the departments species of national environmental significance dataset . this is an indicative distribution map of the present distribution of the species based on best available knowledge . some species information is withheld in line with sensitive species polices . see map caveat for more information .
northern territory : listed as endangered under the name amytornis modestus indulkanna and extinct under the name amytornis modestus modestus under the territory parks and wildlife conservation act 1976 .
however , in south australia the sub - species continues to occur in areas degraded by sheep and rabbits ( garnett & crowley 2000 ) .
badman , f . j . ( 1979 ) . birds of the southern and western lake eyre drainage . south australian ornithologist . 28 : 29 - 81 .
blakers , m . , s . j . j . f . davies & p . n . reilly ( 1984 ) . the atlas of australian birds . melbourne , victoria : melbourne university press .
brandle , r . ( ed . ) ( 1998 ) . a biological survey of the stony deserts , south australia 1994 - 1997 . adelaide , south australia : department for environment , heritage & aboriginal affairs and national parks foundation of south australia .
chapman , g . s . ( 1996 ) . the grasswrens : a brief pictorial . wingspan . 6 : 20 - 27 .
environmental and biodiversity services ( ebs ) ( 2007 ) . prominent hill operations wellfield fauna survey ( final version 3 ) , july 2007 . report prepared for enesar consulting pty ltd on behalf of oxiana limited .
garnett , s . t . & g . m . crowley ( 2000 ) . the action plan for australian birds 2000 . canberra , act : environment australia and birds australia . available from : urltoken .
gee , p . , i . gee & j . read ( 1996 ) . an annotated bird list from the davenport range , south australia . south australian ornithologist . 32 : 76 - - 81 .
higgins , p . j . , j . m . peter & w . k . steele ( eds ) ( 2001 ) . handbook of australian , new zealand and antarctic birds . volume five - tyrant - flycatchers to chats . melbourne : oxford university press .
magrath , m . j . l . , m . a . weston , p . olsen & m . antos ( 2004 ) . draft survey standards for birds : species accounts . melbourne , victoria : report for the department of the environment and heritage by birds australia .
moseby , k . ( 2007 ) . operations wellfield infrastructure corridor : fauna survey and impact assessment . prominent hill project may 2007 . report prepared by ecological horizons pty ltd for oxiana pty ltd .
parker , s . a . ( 1972 ) . remarks on the distribution and taxonomy of the grass wrens amytornis textilis , modestus and purnelli . emu . 72 : 157 - 166 .
pizzey , g . & f . knight ( 1999 ) . the graham pizzey and frank knight field guide to the birds of australia . pymble , sydney : angus and robertson .
playfair , r . m . & a . c . robinson ( 1997 ) . a biological survey of the north olary plain , 1995 - 1997 . sa dept environment & natural resources , adelaide .
rowley , i . & e . russell ( 1997 ) . fairy - wrens and grasswrens . oxford university press , oxford , uk .
schodde , r . ( 1982 ) . the fairy - wrens . a monograph of the maluridae . lansdowne editions , melbourne .
schodde , r . & i . j . mason ( 1999 ) . the directory of australian birds : passerines . melbourne , victoria : csiro .
storr , g . m . ( 1977 ) . birds of the northern territory . special publications of the western australian museum . 7 : 1 - 130 .
whitlock , f . l . ( 1924 ) . journey to central australia in search of the night parrot . emu . 23 : 248 - - 281 .
australian biological resources study , ed . ( 2013 ) . australian faunal directory . australian biological resources study . available from : urltoken .
commonwealth of australia ( 2000 ) . declaration under s178 , s181 , and s183 of the environment protection and biodiversity conservation act 1999 - list of threatened species , list of threatened ecological communities and list of threatening processes . f2005b02653 . canberra : federal register of legislative instruments . available from : urltoken . in effect under the epbc act from 16 - jul - 2000 .
department of the environment and heritage ( deh ) ( 2006p ) . threat abatement plan for reduction in impacts of tramp ants on biodiversity in australia and its territories . available from : urltoken . in effect under the epbc act from 10 - aug - 2006 . ceased to be in effect under the epbc act from 01 - oct - 2016 .
department of the environment , water , heritage and the arts ( dewha ) ( 2008adh ) . threat abatement plan for competition and land degradation by rabbits . canberra , act : department of the environment , water , heritage and the arts . available from : urltoken . in effect under the epbc act from 01 - oct - 2008 .
epbc act email updates can be received via the communities for communities newsletter and the epbc act newsletter .
citation : department of the environment ( 2018 ) . amytornis modestus in species profile and threats database , department of the environment , canberra . available from : urltoken . accessed tue , 10 jul 2018 06 : 53 : 35 + 1000 .
barrera et al . 2010 , carantón - ayala and certuche - cubillos 2010 , cadena & stiles 2010 . sacc 479
c . aeruginosus ( currently treated as a ssp of c . rubiginosus ) is sister to c . auricularis ; rubiginosus is sister to c . atricollis ( moore et al 2010 )
xingu scale - backed antbird , including subspecies vidua and nigrigula is split from scale - backed antbird ( isler and whitney 2011 ) ; sacc proposal badly needed . shorter english name preferred ? ?
king 1997 ; drovetski et al 2004 ; alstrom et al 2011 , obc ; cf dickinson 2003 , hbw 11 w comments .
treat this virtually unknown holdover from sibley & monroe as ssp of black - eared ground thrush g . cameronensis as do other major lists ( p gregory comm ) .
most of the information on the species biology contained within this recovery plan is based on information collated by j . m . peter , w . k . steele , m . a . weston , k . al - dabbagh , r . n . astley , j . r . starks , a . williamson and a . m . dunn of birds australia under contract for the nsw npws .
© nsw national parks and wildlife service , july 2002 . this work is copyright . apart from any use as permitted under the copyright act 1968 , no part may be reproduced without prior written permission from npws . nsw national parks and wildlife service 43 bridge street ( po box 1967 ) hurstville nsw 2220 tel : 02 95856444 urltoken
for further information contact : threatened species unit , western directorate . nsw national parks and wildlife service p . o . box 2111 dubbo nsw 2830 tel ( 02 ) 6883 5330
this species has a very large range , and hence does not approach the thresholds for vulnerable under the range size criterion ( extent of occurrence < 20 , 000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size , habitat extent / quality , or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation ) . despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing , the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for vulnerable under the population trend criterion ( > 30 % decline over ten years or three generations ) . the population size may be moderately small to large , but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for vulnerable under the population size criterion ( < 10 , 000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be > 10 % in ten years or three generations , or with a specified population structure ) . for these reasons the species is evaluated as least concern .
recommended citation birdlife international ( 2018 ) species factsheet : amytornis modestus . downloaded from urltoken on 09 / 07 / 2018 . recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species : birdlife international ( 2018 ) iucn red list for birds . downloaded from urltoken on 09 / 07 / 2018 .
barrett gw , silcocks af , cunningham r , oliver dl , weston ma , baker j ( 2007 ) comparison of atlas data to determine the conservation status of bird species in new south wales , with an emphasis on woodland - dependent species . australian zoologist 34 , 37 - 77 .
black a ( 2008 ) recent observations of grasswrens . birds sa newsletter 206 , 5 .
garnett s , crowley g ( eds ) ( 2000 ) ‘the action plan for australian birds 2000 . ’ ( environment australia : canberra )
higgins pj , peter jm , steele wk ( eds ) ( 2001 ) ‘handbook of australian , new zealand and antarctic birds ( vol . 5 ) . ’ ( oxford university press : melbourne )
iucn ( 2008 ) ‘guidelines for using the iucn red list categories and criteria . version 7 . 0 . ’ ( standards and petitions working group of the iucn species survival commission biodiversity assessments sub - committee : switzerland )
home | biography | resources | photo library | top shots | contact copyright © 2005 - 2016 graeme chapman . all rights reserved .
contact / alarm / song sequences ? of a female in bushes next to a large dry riverbed . see here : urltoken
sonogram images © xeno - canto foundation . sonogram images share the same license terms as the recording they depict .
myavibase allows you to create and manage your own lifelists , and produce useful reports to help you plan your next birding excursion .
there are more than 12 , 000 regional checklists in avibase , offered in 9 different taxonomies , including synonyms more than 175 languages . each checklist can be viewed with photos shared by the birding community , and also printed as pdf checklists for field use .
there are a few ways by which you can help the development of this page , such as joining the flickr group for photos or providing translations of the site in addition languages .
amytornis modestus modestus : extinct ( last reported 1936 ) . formerly central australia ( southern northern territor
amytornis modestus inexpectatus : extinct ; last reported 1898 . formerly southwestern and north central new south wales
howard and moore 4th edition ( incl . corrigenda vol . 1 - 2 ) :
you must be logged in to view your sighting details . to register to myavibase click here .
avibase has been visited 263 , 295 , 037 times since 24 june 2003 . © denis lepage | privacy policy
andrew b . black a e , leo joseph b , lynn p . pedler c and graham a . carpenter d
a ornithology section , south australian museum , north terrace , adelaide , sa 5000 , australia .
b australian national wildlife collection , csiro sustainable ecosystems , gpo box 284 , canberra , act 2601 , australia .
) . the ‘immarna’ grasswrens of r . c . chandler : locality , habitat , identity and taxonomic implications .
black , a . , carpenter , g . , and pedler , l . ( 2009
evolution and biogeography of the australian grasswrens , amytornis ( aves : maluridae ) : biochemical perspectives .
christidis , l . , and boles , w . e . ( 2008 ) . ‘systematics and taxonomy of australian birds . ’ ( csiro publishing : melbourne . )
christidis , l . , horton , p . , and norman , j . a . ( 2008
christidis , l . , rheindt , f . e . , boles , w . e . , and norman , j . a . ( 2010
plumage patterns are good indicators of taxonomic diversity but not of phylogenetic affinities in australian grasswrens amytornis ( aves : maluridae ) .
higgins , p . j . , peter , j . m . , and steele , w . k . ( eds ) ( 2001 ) . ‘handbook of australian , new zealand and antarctic birds . vol . 5 : tyrant - flycatchers to chats . ’ ( oxford university press : melbourne . )
remarks on the distribution and taxonomy of the grass wrens amytornis textilis , modestus and purnelli .
schodde , r . , and mason , i . j . ( 1999 ) . ‘the directory of australian birds . passerines’ . ( csiro publishing : melbourne . )
smithe , f . b . ( 1975 ) . ‘naturalist’s color guide . ’ ( the american museum of natural history : new york . )
winker , k . and haig , s . m . ( eds ) ( 2010 ) . ‘avian subspecies . ’ ornithological monographs 67 ( supplement to
with the complete digital archive of emu now online , we have selected some of the most interesting and significant papers for readers to access freely .
a csiro ecosystems sciences , australian tropical science precinct , pmb po aitkenvale , qld 4814 , australia .
b biodiversity conservation , department of natural resources environment and the arts , po box 496 , palmerston , nt 0831 , australia .
) . comparison of fire patterns and fire frequency in two tropical savanna bioregions .
garnett , s . t . , and crowley , g . m . ( 2000 ) . ‘action plan for australian birds 2000 . ’ ( environment australia : canberra . )
harrington , g . , perry , j . , forsyth , b . , and venables , b . ( 2009
iucn ( 2001 ) . ‘iucn red list categories . ’ iucn species survival commission . ( iucn : gland , switzerland . )
jenness , j . s . ( 2006 ) . topographic position index ( tpi _ jen . avx ) extension for arcview 3 . x . version 1 . 3a . jenness enterprises . flagstaff , az . available at
. report to the conservation commission of the northern territory . limosa biological consultants , darwin .
mcmahon , j . p . , hutchinson , m . f . , nix , h . a . , and ord , k . d . ( 1995 ) ‘anuclim 431 user’s guide , version 1 . ’ ( australian national university : canberra . )
) in the northern territory . masters of tropical environment management thesis , charles darwin university , darwin .
phillips , s . j . , anderson , r . p . , and schapire , r . e . ( 2006
price , o . , russell - smith , j . , and edwards , a . ( 2003
) . fine - scale patchiness of different fire intensities in sandstone heath vegetation in northern australia .
fine - scale patchiness of different fire intensities in sandstone heath vegetation in northern australia .
raymond , o . l . , and retter , a . j . ( eds ) ( 2010 ) . surface geology of australia , 1 : 1 000 000 scale , 2010 edition . geoscience australia , canberra . available at
schodde , r . ( 1982 ) . ‘the fairy - wrens : a monograph of the maluridae . ’ ( lansdowne editions : melbourne . )
yates , c . p . , edwards , a . c . , and russell - smith , j . ( 2008
) . big fires and their ecological impacts in australian savannas : size and frequency matters .
big fires and their ecological impacts in australian savannas : size and frequency matters .
for full functionality of researchgate it is necessary to enable javascript . here are the instructions how to enable javascript in your web browser .
. . . the white eyes ( zosterops spp . ) of southern africa provide an opportunity to examine the phenotypic and genotypic composition of populations that have come into contact across biome boundaries in a geographi - cally understudied region . four distinct forms of white eyes ( oatley , bowie & crowe , 2011 ) are found in south - ern africa and have been the subject of rich taxonomic debate ( e . g . moreau , 1957 ; clancey , 1967 ) . . . .
. . . waterways within the grassland biome as well as farmsteads are predicted to facilitate the movement of birds , resulting in the meeting of parental taxa out - side of their usual habitat . z . pallidus is adapted to the watercourses of the arid succulent and nama karoo , whereas z . v . capensis is found in the fynbos and thicket biomes ( moreau , 1957 ; skead , 1967 ; oatley et al . , 2011 ) . a combination of a different habitat type and climatic conditions experienced within the hybrid zone may result in hybrid birds exhibiting greater fit - ness than birds from either parental population . . . .
. . . there was little variation in biometric measures across the zosterops zone of contact ( data not shown ) , a result consistent with pre - vious biometric analyses ( e . g . oatley et al . , 2011 ) . for plumage , the parental taxa ( z . . . .
phenotypic and genotypic variation across a stable white - eye ( zosterops sp . ) hybrid zone in central south africa
. . . the importance of eco - geographical phenotypic variants is further underlined by similar findings in several other white - eye groups ( cf . moreau 1957 ; mil a et al . 2010 ; melo et al . 2011 ; oatley et al . 2011 oatley et al . , 2012 ) , which likewise showed that morphological characters such as tarsus and head length and body mass are strongly correlated with the distribution of ecosystems . these smallscale differentiation processes may possibly explain some of the past taxonomic confusion in this genus . . . .
. . . all primer pairs were used for cross - taxon pcr - amplification tests on the three plumage forms of white - eyes that occur in southern africa : z . pallidus , z . virens virens and z . v . capensis ( oatley et al . 2011 ) . all primer pairs were successfully pcr - amplified across the three taxa ( table 2 ) , and were polymorphic in all three taxa ( table 2 ) . . . .