Bird guideTawny Grassbird
⚠️Not listed

At a glance

FamilyGrassbirds and Allies
SizeSmall
RarityCommon
HabitatThe tawny grassbird ( Cincloramphus timoriensis ) is a large songbird that is a member of the family Locustellidae commonly found in grassland and reedbed habitats.
Best timeReported across most months in Queensland, with no narrow seasonal peak.

Sounds

Sound sample
0:000:00
Recorded by Peter Boesman

Range map

Range map

1795visible hotspots
89729visible records
4states
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

It is streaked above and has a distinctive rich brown cap. Its underside is paler and it has a long graduated tail. The term "grassbird" was used by Gould during the mid 19th century to signify a strong correlation to long grass habitats. The tawny grassbird has also been known as tawny sphenoeacus, grassbird, tawny or rufous-capped marshbird, rufous-capped grass-warbler and rufous-capped grassbird.

Behavior

In similar grassland and reedbed habitats, smaller Golden-headed Cisticola has much shorter tail, Little Grassbird is duller in plumage, and Australian Reed-Warbler has plain, unstreaked plumage. Calls often, with loud, grumpy churring calls and a longer call that starts “tick-tick-tick-tick” and ends with an explosive descending trill.

Regional timing

New South Wales
Peak: October to February21,892 records
Queensland
Peak: August to February65,548 records
Northern Territory
Peak: July to November1,526 records
Western Australia
Peak: September to October306 records
Victoria
Peak: January370 records
Australian Capital Territory
Peak: January65 records
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