Habitat
Sandy lowlands, depressions in gibber plains with dense low saltbush, bluebush, cottonbush and nitrebush. Also clumps of canegrass on watercourses.
Western Grasswren (Amytornis textilis) [XC440165]
by id from Whyalla Barson, The Corporation of the City of Whyalla, South Australia, Australia (call, song, contact calls)
Western Grasswren (Amytornis textilis) [XC107871]
by Mark Carter from Monkey Mia, Shark Bay, Australia (song)
Nest
Domed, occasionally cup-shaped, composed of bark, grass and plant stems, lined with finer materials, placed in the center of a low bush.
Eggs (Guide)
2 - 3; dull cream-white, closely speckled and blotched all over with red-browns and greys; swollen-oval; about 21 x 15 mm. Incubation: said to be 15 - 17 days; both sexes.
Young
Altricial, nidicolous. Fledge in about 10 - 12 days.
Subspecies
Sometimes been treated as conspecific with Dusky Grasswren (Amytornis purnelli).
The following 5 subspecies are recognised:
textilis (Dumont, 1824) - Central-western WA, formerly from Dirk Hartog Island and Shark Bay, south-east through Wiluna and the Wheatbelt to the eastern fringes of the Great Victoria Desert and the Nullarbor Plain.
carteri! (Mathews, 1917) - Dirk Hartog I, Western Australia.
giganturus! (Milligan, 1901) - Central-western Western Australia.
myall (Mathews, 1916) - Northern Eyre Peninsula, north-west towards the eastern edge of the Nullarbor Plain.
Similar Species
Eyrean Grasswren (Amytornis goyderi) which has lighter underparts, Striated Grasswren (Amytornis striatus) which has a prominent black moustachial stripe, and Dusky Grasswren (Amytornis purnelli) which is darker, slimmer billed and has rufous lores and buff-grey underparts.
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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