The dusky grasswren (Amytornis purnelli ) is a species of small passerine bird in the family Maluridae. The species is endemic to Australia but is limited to inland areas of the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia.
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe dusky grasswren is superficially similar in appearance to a number of the other grasswrens in the genus Amytornis, but is the only member of this genus to exclusively inhabit rocky ranges across Central Australia. It has a predominantly brown base colour to its plumage with fine pale streaking over the head breast and mantle. The brown of the plumage is a richer chestnut on the back and pale to almost buff on the belly and vent. The most obvious difference between sexes is the bright rusty-brown spot on the fore-flanks of the adult female and all birds exhibit the characteristic cocked tail posture common to all malurids.
The species is easily identified within its core range by its distinctive vocalisations (see further information below). The mouse-like, strongly terrestrial, habits of the species can make it difficult to observe clearly within its preferred habitat of boulder-strewn rocky hillsides covered with spinifex grasses. But when observed well, the cocked tail, overall brown colouration and strongly terrestrial habits should be sufficient to achieve a positive identification.
Across their entire range, dusky grasswrens adhere to the same habitat type: rocky ranges and outcrops, often preferring tumbled talus or scree, and with areas of thick, long-unburnt spinifex grasses in the genus Triodia. They are not known to use sandplain habitat adjacent to rocky areas which may be one factor giving rise to the patchiness of their occurrence across Central Australia.
The majority of the range of the dusky grasswren is very remote terrain with little or no regular human visitation. As such, its distribution is very poorly known and although its range covers a large area on the map, it may occupy this region very patchily and be absent from much of it. The northernmost records of the species come from the Ashburton Range near Banka Banka in the Northern Territory; the most southerly are in the Musgrave, Mann and Tomkinson Ranges of South Australia. They have been observed as far west as the Schwern-Mural Crescent near Giles in Western Australia and as far east as the Davenport and Murchison Ranges in the Northern Territory. Within this region there are very large areas of unsuitable habitat separating populations.
In the wild dusky grasswrens have been observed feeding on a range of small arthropods and other invertebrates; seeds; and small desert fruits but there are few published accounts of wild feeding observations. In captivity the species has been observed to subsist on a typical aviary feed-out of meat mix, greens and vegetables enriched with a variety of live invertebrate prey including cockroaches and mealworms.
There are no published accounts of dusky grasswren being preyed upon by introduced predators but it is likely that they are eaten by cats and foxes. Other species within Amytornis have been found in the stomach contents of feral cats. Likewise there are no published data on the impacts of fire on this species but there are abundant anecdotal accounts suggesting that it may take decades for birds to return to habitat once it has been burnt. If this is the case, then changing fire management practices and changes to natural fuel loads caused by the encroachment of invasive weeds may need to be considered as possible threatening processes.
None of the IUCN criteria for threat classification are triggered by the dusky grasswren, mainly due to its very large range. Although detailed population and distributional data are lacking, it is assumed to have a stable population across a wide distribution and, as such, is not considered vulnerable to becoming an endangered species.
