Usually seen only with a dedicated search.
WA: Rare
At a glance
FamilyFairywrens
SizeTiny
RarityRare
HabitatSmall, long-tailed bird with black mustache and rufous-brown upperparts, found in the deserts of eastern Western Australia and central Australia, where it scampers between large spinifex clumps in sand dune habitat.
Best timeMost reliable in Northern Territory from November to December.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Powys, V.
Range map
Range map
50visible hotspots
97visible 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
Small, long-tailed bird with black mustache and rufous-brown upperparts, found in the deserts of eastern Western Australia and central Australia, where it scampers between large spinifex clumps in sand dune habitat. Upperparts rufous-brown, with white throat and pale underparts.
Behavior
Formerly considered conspecific with Pilbara Grasswren, and together treated as “Rufous Grasswren”; also formerly lumped with Striated Grasswren.
Gallery
Regional timing
South Australia
Northern Territory
Western Australia
Commonly confused with
Striated GrasswrenAmytornis striatusFound in mallee woodland and dunes with large spinifex clumps, where it scurries around on the ground and low branches. Upperparts rusty-brown, with a white throat and buff-colored underparts.→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.→