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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Acanthizidae
  4. ›
  5. Sericornis
  6. ›
  7. Atherton Scrubwren
Atherton Scrubwren
Photo · (c) Julien Renoult, some rights reserved (CC BY)

BirdUp · Species

Atherton Scrubwren

Sericornis keriMathews, 1920

Updated 11 June 2026

Origin: Endemic
Order
PASSERIFORMES
Family
Acanthizidae
Genus
Sericornis

At a glance

The Atherton Scrubwren is a tiny bird, about 12–14 cm long, endemic to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
12–14 cm
Origin
Endemic
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Endemic
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Voice
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does an Atherton Scrubwren look like?

The Atherton Scrubwren is a tiny bird, about 12–14 cm long and weighing 9–15 g.

The Atherton scrubwren is a bird species. Placed in the family Pardalotidae in the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, this has met with opposition and indeed is now known to be wrong; they rather belong to the independent family Acanthizidae.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
12–14 cm
Weight
8.9–14.5 g

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see an Atherton Scrubwren?

The Atherton Scrubwren is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

04 · Voice

What it sounds like

Call

jimchurches · Wondecla QLD 4887, Australia

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

What does an Atherton Scrubwren eat?

The Atherton Scrubwren feeds on terrestrial invertebrates, usually foraging in pairs or alone.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

3 photos

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Atherton Scrubwren live in Australia?

The Atherton Scrubwren is endemic to Australia, recorded across 3 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingMontane Atherton Tablelands, south-east Cape York Pen., north-east QLD (north-east Australia)

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Resident

1 region recorded