Other Names (World)
Tasmanian Scrubwren, Brown Scrubwren, Brown Sericornis, Tasmanian Sericornis, Kent Island Scrubwren, Sombre Scrubwren, Sombre Sericornis, Chocolate Wren
Food
Insects, procured on the ground or in shrubs, occasionally seeds.
Voice
A very scrtachy, sharp, 'chzit-chzit' call. Song is a scratchy, squeaky, 'chzeit-chzeit-chzitty-chzitty-chzitty', like a squeaking wheel. A scolding, rasping chatter in alarm.
Nest
Dome-shaped, with a side entrance, composed mainly of dry ferns, lined with feathers, in thick undergrowth.
Eggs (Guide)
2 or 3; grey-white to pale buff, finely speckled with darker spotting, forming a well-defined zone at the larger end; long-oval; about 19 x 14 mm. Incubation: about 17 days; probably by female.
Young
Altricial, nidicolous.
Subspecies
Closely related to, and often treated as conspecific with White-browed Scrubwren (Sericornis frontalis). Bass Strait populations of scrubwrens apparently intermediate between the two, and subspecies tregellasi sometimes included in White-browed Scrubwren (Sericornis frontalis). Also, birds resembling subspecies flindersi of White-browed Scrubwren (Sericornis frontalis) have been recorded in far north-eastern Tasmania, probably reflecting contact with mainland Australia during last glacial epoch. Genetic studies required in order to clarify relationships and help in defining species boundaries.
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
humilis Gould, 1838 - Tasmania and inshore islands.
tregallasi Mathews, 1914 - King Island, Bass Strait.
Similar Species
Scrubtit (Acanthornis magna) which has a white throat and upper breast, white tips to the secondary flight feathers, and from calls only with Brown Thornbill (Acanthiza pusilla) and Tasmanian Thornbill (Acanthiza ewingii).
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
BirdLife International Species Factsheet