| Grasswren | |
|---|---|
_on_branch_from_front.jpg) | |
| Striated grasswren (Amytornis striatus) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Maluridae |
| Genus: | Amytornis Stejneger, 1885 |
| Type species | |
| Malurus textilis | |
| Species | |
see text | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Grasswrens are birds in thegenusAmytornis, part of theAustralasian wren family,Maluridae.
The genus nameAmytornis was coined in 1885 by the Norwegian born zoologistLeonhard Stejneger as a replacement forAmytis that had been introduced in 1831 by the French naturalistRené Lesson.[1][2][3] The nameAmytis was pre-occupied as it had been used in 1822 by the French zoologistMarie Jules César Savigny for a group ofannelid worms.[3][4] As Lesson had listed two species in his new genus but had not specified atype, the type was designated by the English zoologistGeorge Gray in 1841 asMalurus textilisQuoy andGaimard, thewestern grasswren.[5] The replacement nameAmytornis combines the genusAmytis that had been introduced by Lesson with theAncient Greek ορνις/ornis, ορνιθος/ornithos meaning "bird".[6]Amytis was the daughter of theMedian kingAstyages, and the wife ofCyrus II.[7]
Amytornis is the only genus classified within the subfamily Amytornithinae, and form a separate clade to the related fairy-wrens and emu-wrens within the family Maluridae. The genus contains 14 species, many of which are poorly known due to their secretive nature and remote and inaccessible habitat.
The genus contains the following 14 species:[8]
| Image | Common name | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | Grey grasswren | Amytornis barbatus | New South Wales/Queensland |
| Black grasswren | Amytornis housei | Western Australia. | |
| White-throated grasswren | Amytornis woodwardi | Northern Territory. | |
.jpg) | Carpentarian grasswren | Amytornis dorotheae | Northern Territory/northwest Queensland. |
.jpg) | Short-tailed grasswren | Amytornis merrotsyi | South Australia |
| Pilbara grasswren | Amytornis whitei | westWestern Australia | |
 | Sandhill grasswren | Amytornis oweni | centralWestern Australia to centralQueensland and northwestSouth Australia |
| Opalton grasswren | Amytornis rowleyi | Queensland, Australia | |
 | Striated grasswren | Amytornis striatus | South Australia and Victoria |
 | Eyrean grasswren | Amytornis goyderi | Central Australia |
 | Western grasswren | Amytornis textilis | northwest Western Australia and South Australia |
.jpg) | Thick-billed grasswren | Amytornis modestus | New South Wales and South Australia |
 | Dusky grasswren | Amytornis purnelli | Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia. |
.jpg) | Kalkadoon grasswren | Amytornis ballarae | western Queensland |
Grasswrens are the largest members of the Australasian wren family, ranging from 15 g (0.53 oz) for theEyrean grasswren to the 35 g (1.2 oz)white-throated grasswren. They generally have long tails and legs and short wings and are adapted for life foraging on the ground. The bill is typically shorter and narrower than the fairy-wrens and emu-wrens, which reflects the larger part that seeds play in their diet. The plumage of the grasswrens is cryptic, usually red, buff and brown patterned with white and black.[9]
Grasswrens areendemic to Australia. They inhabit remote arid or semi-arid regions of the continent in the interior and north. Species typically occupy small ranges as well. Most species of grasswrens inhabit habitat dominated byspinifex. They are often found in hilly areas dominated by rocks, which provides them with prey as well as shelter, particularly thermal shelter from extremes of heat or cold.[9]
