Usually seen only with a dedicated search.
WA: Rare
At a glance
FamilyFairywrens
SizeTiny
RarityRare
HabitatSmall, long-tailed bird with black mustache and rufous-brown upperparts, found in the deserts of eastern Western Australia and central Australia, where it scampers between large spinifex clumps in sand dune habitat.
Best timeMost reliable in Northern Territory from November to December.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Powys, V.
Range map
Range map
54approx hotspots
101approx records
3states
Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence
Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.
Species notes
Overview
Small, long-tailed bird with black mustache and rufous-brown upperparts, found in the deserts of eastern Western Australia and central Australia, where it scampers between large spinifex clumps in sand dune habitat. Upperparts rufous-brown, with white throat and pale underparts.
Behavior
Formerly considered conspecific with Pilbara Grasswren, and together treated as “Rufous Grasswren”; also formerly lumped with Striated Grasswren.
Gallery
Regional timing
Western Australia
Northern Territory
South Australia
Commonly confused with
Dusky GrasswrenAmytornis purnelliUsually seen on the ground, scrambling around rocks and spinifex clumps. Much more solidly built than fairywrens, and with fine white streaks on head and chest.→White-winged FairywrenMalurus leucopterusA small bird with a long blue tail that is held cocked. Females and nonbreeding males are very plain pale gray, and the patch between the eye and bill (lores) is also pale (compared to Purple-backed Fairywren which has very dark reddish lores). This species is typically found in very open and arid country with sparse bushes, where it often perches on the very top of bushes. Its call is a very fast trill.→Purple-backed FairywrenMalurus assimilisSmall pale tips are sometimes visible on the tail. Over much of the species’s inland range, females are overall grayish birds with pale fronts and long blue tails; however, females of the subspecies found in the sandstone regions of the Kimberley and Arnhem Land have contrasting blue crowns and backs. This species occurs over much of arid inland Australia and is found in open vegetation.→