White-throated Grasswren

About the White-throated Grasswren

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 white-throated grasswren is the largest member of the Australian grasswrens (Amytornis spp.), with a wing length of 70–80 mm. It has a similar pattern of coloration to the smaller Carpentarian grasswren (A. dorytheae), which occurs on sandstones hundreds of kilometers to the east of the Arnhem Plateau. White-throated grasswrens have a typically dark plumage with a striking white 'bib' from below the chin to the middle of the belly. Females tend to have dark reddish brown flanks and lower belly, whereas males have lighter rufous brown belly and flanks. White-throated grasswrens have soft, high-pitched contact calls that sound very similar to the co-occurring purple-backed (lavender-flanked) fairywren (Malurus assimilis dulcis), but also produce a complex song of trills and warbles.

The white-throated grasswren is only found on and around the Arnhem Land sandstone massif, between Katherine and Maningrida... Wikipedia →