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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
HabitatDense shrubs, grassy margins, scrub, hedgerows, and low cover near open feeding patches.
Best timeMost reliable in Victoria from August to October.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Andrew Galbraith
Range map
Range map
747visible hotspots
12277visible records
3states
SparseModerateDense hotspot
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