White-throated grasswren

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White-throated grasswren
Amytornis woodwardi 1906 (cropped).jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Maluridae
Genus: Amytornis
Species:
A. woodwardi
Binomial name
Amytornis woodwardi
Hartert, 1905
White-throated Grasswren.png
Distribution of 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).

Contents

Habitat

The white-throated grasswren is only found on and around the Arnhem Land sandstone massif, between Katherine and Maningrida, [1] covering an area of 6,200 km2 (2,400 sq mi) [2]

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland and rocky areas. [1]

Conservation status

Its status is endangered on the IUCN Red List, last assessed in 2022, 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 . [3]

It is threatened by habitat loss, as it depends on Triodia microstachya (spinifex grass) untouched by fire for at least five years. [3] It is therefore threatened by more frequent bushfires (over 50 in 2021, with climate change playing a role in the increase [4] ), leading to inadequate habitat quality and lack of reproductive success. [1] As the bird hops around rather than flies, it is vulnerable to predation by feral cats. [3]

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. [1] 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. [4]

Conservation strategies

The white-throated grasswren is one of 20 species targeted in the Australian Government's 20 birds by 2020 document, produced as part of its Threatened Species Strategy in 2015. [5]

As of 2022 Wardekken Indigenous rangers have been working on a project to help conserve the species with non-profit organisation Territory Natural Resource Management, funded by the federal government. One of the strategies used is Indigenous "patchwork" burning methods, which reduces the fuel load that helps to drive bushfires. They managed to spot some in June 2022, by using pre-recorded bird calls to attract the birds. [4]

Taxonomy

The species was identified by Ernst Hartert in 1905. It is in the family Maluridae. [3]

Cultural importance

The bird, known as Yirlinkirrkirr in the local Bininj Gunwok language, is of cultural significance to the Nawarddeken people. [4]

Related Research Articles

Conservation status Indication of the chance of a species extinction, regardless of authority used

The conservation status of a group of organisms indicates whether the group still exists and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing conservation status: not simply the number of individuals remaining, but the overall increase or decrease in the population over time, breeding success rates, and known threats. Various systems of conservation status exist and are in use at international, multi-country, national and local levels as well as for consumer use.

Grey grasswren Species of bird

The grey grasswren is a passerine bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It is found on arid inland floodplains of Australia where it is endemic. The grey grasswren is a rarely seen elusive bird that was first sighted in 1921 but not taxonomically described until 1968. Its greyish coloration and very long tail distinguish it from all other grasswrens. While some recent research has been conducted, there still remain many gaps in the knowledge about the ecology of this cryptic bird.

Grasswren Genus of birds

Grasswrens (Amytornis) are a genus of birds in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae.

Carpentarian grasswren Species of bird

The Carpentarian grasswren is a species of bird in the family Maluridae. It is endemic to Australia.

Eyrean grasswren Species of bird

The Eyrean grasswren is a small grasswren from the Passerine family Maluridae. This is a cryptically plumaged and uncommon bird endemic to arid regions of Central Australia. The species was discovered by F.W. Andrews in 1874 around the Macumba River at Lake Eyre, and named after the South Australian Surveyor General George Woodroffe Goyder.

Black grasswren Species of bird

The black grasswren, known as dalal to the Wunambal people, is a species of bird in the family Maluridae. It is endemic to Western Australia.

Short-tailed grasswren Species of bird

The short-tailed grasswren is a species of bird in the family Maluridae. It is endemic to Australia. Its natural habitats are temperate shrubland and rocky areas.

Dusky grasswren Species of bird

The dusky grasswren 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.

Striated grasswren Species of bird

The striated grasswren is a small, cryptically coloured ground-dwelling species of wren-like bird in the family Maluridae, endemic to Australia. It occupies a large discontinuous range across arid and semi-arid areas of western, central and southern Australia where it is associated with spinifex (Triodia) grass.

Thick-billed grasswren Species of bird

The thick-billed grasswren is a species of bird in the family Maluridae. It is endemic to Australia. Its natural habitat is Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation.

White-shouldered fairywren Species of bird

The white-shouldered fairywren is a species of bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It is found in New Guinea.

Emperor fairywren Species of bird

The emperor fairywren is a species of bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It is found in New Guinea in its natural habitat of subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is the largest species of fairywren. It is highly sexually dimorphic. Males have a blue and black plumage, with the females having blue and black plumage only on their heads, with the rest of the body being coloured a rusty brown and having a black tail tipped with white. There are 3 recognized subspecies of the emperor fairywren, one from north and northwestern New Guinea, one from Biak Island, and one from south New Guinea and the Aru Islands.

Red-backed fairywren Passerine bird in the Australasian wren family

The red-backed fairywren is a species of passerine bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It is endemic to Australia and can be found near rivers and coastal areas along the northern and eastern coastlines from the Kimberley in the northwest to the Hunter Region in New South Wales. The male adopts a striking breeding plumage, with a black head, upperparts and tail, and a brightly coloured red back and brown wings. The female has brownish upperparts and paler underparts. The male in eclipse plumage and the juvenile resemble the female. Some males remain in non-breeding plumage while breeding. Two subspecies are recognised; the nominate M. m.melanocephalus of eastern Australia has a longer tail and orange back, and the short-tailed M. m. cruentatus from northern Australia has a redder back.

Southern emu-wren Species of bird

The southern emu-wren is a species of bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It is endemic to Australia. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, and Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, and swamplands.

Mallee emu-wren Species of bird

The mallee emu-wren is a species of bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It is endemic to Australia.

Kalkadoon grasswren Species of bird

The Kalkadoon grasswren, also called the Ballara grasswren, is a species of passerine bird in the family Maluridae. It is endemic to Australia.

Leslie Christidis, also simply known as Les Christidis, is an Australian ornithologist. His main research field is the evolution and systematics of birds. He has been director of Southern Cross University National Marine Science Centre since 2009. He was assistant director at Sydney's Australian Museum from 2004 to 2009.

Arnhem Plateau Bioregion in the Northern Territory, Australia

The Arnhem Plateau, an interim Australian bioregion, is located in the Northern Territory of Australia, comprising an area of 2,306,023 hectares of the raised and heavily dissected sandstone plateau that characterises central Arnhem Land in the Top End of the Northern Territory.

Western grasswren Species of bird

The western grasswren, also referred to as the thick-billed grasswren and, formerly, as the textile wren, is a species of bird in the family Maluridae. It is endemic to Australia. It was formerly lumped as the nominate subspecies of the thick-billed grasswren.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 BirdLife International (2022). "Amytornis woodwardi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2022: e.T22703783A211092297. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  2. "White-throated Grasswren (Amytornis woodwardi)". BirdLife species factsheet. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Amytornis woodwardi - White-throated Grasswren, Yirlinkirrkirr". SPRAT database . Australian Government. Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment . Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Bardon, Jane (21 June 2022). "Indigenous rangers and scientists working to conserve endangered white-throated grasswren in Arnhem Land". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  5. "Threatened Species Strategy Action Plan 2015-16 - 20 birds by 2020". Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment . 3 October 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2022. PDF