Central Australian mountain ranges from north-central Northern Territory (south from Ashburton Range, east to Jervois Range and Harts Range) south to eastern Western Australia (west to Rawlinson and Tomkinson Ranges) and northern South Australia (south to Birksgate and Everard Ranges).
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010) and stable.
Dusky Grasswren (Amytornis purnelli) [XC641818]
by Christopher Watson from Honeymoon Range, Barkly Shire, Northern Territory, Australia (song)
Dusky Grasswren (Amytornis purnelli) [XC642671]
by Christopher Watson from Honeymoon Range, Barkly Shire, Northern Territory, Australia (call, flies)
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; glossy, white-pink, closely spotted and blotched with red-browns; swollen-oval; about 21 x 15 mm.
Young
Probably altricial, nidicolous.
Subspecies
Possibly two subspecies. Probably forms a superspecies with Kalkadoon Grasswren (Amytornis ballarae) which were previously treated as conspecific. Was also previously treated as a subspecies of Thick-billed Grasswren (Amytornis modestus).
Amytornis purnelli (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993; Christidis and Boles 2004) has been split into Dusky Grasswren (Amytornis purnelli) and Kalkadoon Grasswren (Amytornis ballarae) following Christidis and Boles (2008).
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
purnelli (Mathews, 1914) - Central Australian ranges, north to the Ashburton Ranges, west to the Kintore, Rawlinson and Tomkinson Ranges, south to the Birkgate and Everard Ranges, and east to the Harts and Jervois Ranges.
? ? - An undescribed and isolated group in the south-central Kimberley Divide, WA may be a seperate subspecies.
Similar Species
Unlikely to be mistaken within its range but Thick-billed Grasswren (Amytornis modestus) which is lighter, with a stouter bill, and lacks the rufous lores and has buffer 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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BirdLife International Species Factsheet