Eastern Australia from central Queensland to southern Victoria, south-eastern South Australia and south-western Australia from Shark Bay to Israelite Bay. Also Tasmania and Kangaroo Island, SA.
Southern Emu-wren (Stipiturus malachurus) [XC382073]
by Marc Anderson from Arpenteur Nature Reserve, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia, Australia (call, song)
Southern Emu-wren (Stipiturus malachurus) [XC605812]
by Marc Anderson from Ben Boyd National Park -- Green Cape, Australia (uncertain)
Nest
Oval, with a side-entrance near the top, composed of grass, lined with finer grasses, built in a tuft of grass or a low bush.
Eggs (Guide)
2- 4; white, sparingly spotted and blotched with mid red-brown and underlying grey, mainly at the larger end; oval; about 17 x 13 mm. Incubation: about 10 - 12 days; by female.
Young
Altricial, nidicolous. Fledge in 10 - 11 days.
Subspecies
Forms a superspecies with Mallee Emu-wren (Stipiturus mallee) and Rufous-crowned Emu-wren (Stipiturus ruficeps) and has been treated as conspecific with Mallee Emu-wren (Stipiturus mallee). Correct form of subspecies name polionotum unclear, as both "polionotum" and "polionota" quoted in original description; "polionotum" provisionally adopted herein, pending published clarification by original describers.
The following 8 subspecies are recognised:
malachurus (Shaw, 1798) - Coastal south-eastern Australia from Noosa Olain, south and south-west to Otway Peninsula, Vic.
littleri Mathews, 1912 - Mainland Tasmania.
polionotum Schodde & Mason, IJ, 1999 - Western Victoria and south-eastern SA extending north to The Grampians and Ninety-mile Desert.
intermedius Ashby, 1920 - Southern Mount Lofty Ranges, SA.
halmaturinus Parsons, 1920 - Kangaroo Island, SA.
parimeda Schodde & Weatherly, 1981 - Southern tip of Eyre Peninsula, SA.
westernensis Campbell, AJ, 1912 - Coastal and subcoastal south-western WA from Ravensthorpe - Hopetoun in the south-east, north-west to Jurien Bay and locally inland to Broome Hill, Bendering and Newdegate in the south.
hartogi Carter, 1916 - Dirk Hartog Island, WA.
Similar Species
In eastern SA where ranges overlap male with male Mallee Emu-wren (Stipiturus mallee) which has a plain rufous crown and tawny-buff underparts.
Compare Images
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
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BirdLife International Species Factsheet