Nest
Partly domed, composed of bark-fiber and dried blades of grass, built on a foundation of bark, in or under the shelter of a spinifex tussock, close to the ground.
Eggs (Guide)
Usually 2, sometimes 3; white, sparingly speckled and blotched with red-browns and greys, sometimes more at the larger end; swollen-oval; about 20 x 15 mm. Incubation: 13 - 14 days; by female.
Young
Altricial, nidicolous. Fledge in 11 - 12 days.
Subspecies
Forms a superspecies with Short-tailed Grasswren (Amytornis merrotsyi) which were previously treated as conspecific. A proposed subspecies oweni (Sandhill Grasswren, central Western Australia) considered to fall within range of variation of nominate subspecies striatus.
Amytornis striatus (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) has been split into Striated Grasswren (Amytornis striatus) and Short-tailed Grasswren (Amytornis merrotsyi) following Christidis (1999).
The following 4 subspecies are recognised:
striatus (Gould, 1840) - Central and lower Murray - Darling Basin of New South Wales, Vic., and SA, northern Eyre Peninsula, SA to the sandy deserts of western-central Australia, west to Wiluna - Sandstone and the eastern fringes of Pilbara, WA.
whitei Mathews, 1910 - The Pilbara Region, WA. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Pilbara Grasswren (Amytornis whitei).
rowleyi Schodde & Mason, IJ, 1999 - Central uplands of the upper Cooper - Diamantina Basin, Qld. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Rusty Grasswren (Amytornis rowleyi).
oweni Mathews, 1911 - Central western Australia, from western Australia to south-western northern Territory and south central South Australia. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Sandhill Grasswren (Amytornis oweni).
Similar Species
Short-tailed Grasswren (Amytornis merrotsyi) which has a shorter tail and Eyrean Grasswren (Amytornis goyderi) which has a stouter bill, a less distinctive moustachial stripe and lighter, non-streaked breast.
References
See References.
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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