Small bird of open mallee and heathland in southwestern Australia and southern South Australia.
VIC: Vulnerable
Endemic to Australia
Indigenous: Western Ground-Wren, Red-Rumped Ground-Wren, Mallee Wren, Shy Scrub-Warbler, Mallee Heathwren, Cautious Ground-Wren, Shy Ground-Wren
At a glance
FamilyThornbills and Allies
SizeSmall
RarityCommon
HabitatCalamanthus cautus Hylacola cautus Sericornis cautus The shy heathwren ( Hylacola cauta ) is a species of small bird in the family Acanthizidae , endemic to Australia .
Best timeMost reliable in Victoria from August to October.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Andrew Galbraith
Range map
Range map
747visible hotspots
12282visible 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
Forages quietly on the ground. Compare Chestnut-rumped Heathwren, which has a smaller pale wing spot, no black in wing, and paler legs. Despite the name, this species is not particularly shy.
Behavior
Medium gray-brown above, whitish below, with distinct pale supercilium, red-brown rump, large white spot in the primaries (surrounded by black), dark chest streaking, and long, cocked tail.
Gallery
Regional timing
New South Wales
South Australia
Victoria
Western Australia
Commonly confused with
Chestnut-rumped HeathwrenHylacola pyrrhopygiaCompare Shy Heathwren, which has a white wing spot, more black in wing, and darker legs.→White-browed ScrubwrenSericornis frontalisHas a dark face with a clear white eyebrow and chin stripe. Primarily olive-brown with a black-and-white shoulder patch and paler front. Chin is white with varying levels of black streaking depending on the location. This species is widespread across eastern coastal Australia, but is absent in the northern areas. Western edge of its expected distribution is the Mt Lofty Ranges east of Adelaide. Found in a wide range of habitats but typically only present where there is reasonably thick undergrowth.→