The grey grasswren is a rarely seen elusive bird that was first sighted in 1921 but not taxonomically described until 1968.
SA: Near Threatened
At a glance
FamilyFairywrens
SizeTiny
RarityUncommon
HabitatIt is found on arid inland floodplains of Australia where it is endemic.
Best timeMost reliable in South Australia from July to September.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Louis Masarei
Range map
Range map
31visible hotspots
262visible records
3states
Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence
Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.
Species notes
Overview
In wetter years, it ventures into surrounding habitats. Upperparts pale brown, underparts pale with buff wash on belly; fine black-and-white streaking on the breast and head.
Behavior
In dry years, it stays almost exclusively in habitat dominated by thick Lignum shrub (distinctive tangled floodplain shrub).
Gallery
Regional timing
South Australia
New South Wales
Queensland
Commonly confused with
White-winged FairywrenMalurus leucopterusA small bird with a long blue tail that is held cocked. Females and nonbreeding males are very plain pale gray, and the patch between the eye and bill (lores) is also pale (compared to Purple-backed Fairywren which has very dark reddish lores). This species is typically found in very open and arid country with sparse bushes, where it often perches on the very top of bushes. Its call is a very fast trill.→Purple-backed FairywrenMalurus assimilisSmall pale tips are sometimes visible on the tail. Over much of the species’s inland range, females are overall grayish birds with pale fronts and long blue tails; however, females of the subspecies found in the sandstone regions of the Kimberley and Arnhem Land have contrasting blue crowns and backs. This species occurs over much of arid inland Australia and is found in open vegetation.→