The white-throated grasswren (Amytornis woodwardi ), also known as Yirlinkirrkirr in the local language, is a species of bird in the family Maluridae. It is endemic to northern Australia, found only in West Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory (NT).
The bird, known as Yirlinkirrkirr in the local Bininj Gunwok language, is of cultural significance to the Nawarddeken people.
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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 white-throated grasswren is only found on and around the Arnhem Land sandstone massif, between Katherine and Maningrida, covering an area of 6,200 km2 (2,400 sq mi)
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland and rocky areas.
Its status is vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List, last assessed in 2016, and in Australia under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, effective November 2014, and in the NT under the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2000.
It is threatened by habitat loss, as it depends on Triodia microstachya (spinifex grass) untouched by fire for at least five years. It is therefore threatened by more frequent bushfires (over 50 in 2021, with climate change playing a role in the increase), leading to inadequate habitat quality and lack of reproductive success. As the bird hops around rather than flies, it is vulnerable to predation by feral cats.
Its total population was estimated at between 5,000 and 10,000 individuals in 1992; no more than 10,000 mature birds in 2011, with numbers continuing to decline through loss of habitat. As of 2022 it has disappeared from many of the locations where it used to be spotted frequently, such as near Gunlom Falls in Kakadu National Park, Plum Tree Creek, the large population near the East Alligator River.
