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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Locustellidae
  4. ›
  5. Poodytes
  6. ›
  7. Little Grassbird
Little Grassbird
Photo · (c) Thomas Jaeger, some rights reserved (CC BY)

BirdUp · Species

Little Grassbird

Poodytes gramineus(Gould, 1845)

Updated 11 June 2026

Conservation status: Least ConcernOrigin: Native
Order
PASSERIFORMES
Family
Locustellidae
Genus
Poodytes

At a glance

The Little Grassbird is a tiny bird, about 12–15 cm long, listed as Least Concern and native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
12–15 cm
Conservation status
Least Concern
Origin
Native
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Very common
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Voice
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Little Grassbird look like?

The Little Grassbird is a tiny bird, about 12–15 cm long and weighing 7–16 g.

The little grassbird is a species of Old World warbler in the family Locustellidae. It is found in Australia and in West Papua, Indonesia. These sexually monomorphic birds are found in reed beds, rushes, lignum swamps and salt marshes of Southeastern Australia.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
12–15 cm
Weight
7–15.5 g

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Little Grassbird?

The Little Grassbird 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

Donald Davesne · Tower Hill VIC 3283, Australia

Call

Jeremy James · Bairnsdale VIC 3875, Australia

Call

Thomas Jaeger · Melbourne VIC, Australia

Call

Thomas Jaeger · Melbourne VIC, Australia

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

What does a Little Grassbird eat?

The Little Grassbird feeds on terrestrial invertebrates, usually foraging in pairs or alone.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

6 photos

The BirdUp app

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Little Grassbird live in Australia?

The Little Grassbird is native to Australia, recorded across 66 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingPaniai Lake, west New Guinea and Australia (except west-central, north)

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Resident

8 regions recorded