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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Maluridae
  4. ›
  5. Amytornis
  6. ›
  7. Short-tailed Grasswren
Short-tailed Grasswren
Photo · (c) Steve Doyle, some rights reserved (CC BY)

BirdUp · Species

Short-tailed Grasswren

Amytornis merrotsyiMellor, 1913

Updated 21 March 2026

Conservation status: Least ConcernOrigin: Endemic
Order
PASSERIFORMES
Family
Maluridae
Genus
Amytornis

At a glance

The Short-tailed Grasswren is a small bird, about 15–16 cm long, listed as Least Concern and endemic to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
15–16 cm
Conservation status
Least Concern
Origin
Endemic
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Endemic
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Behaviour

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Short-tailed Grasswren look like?

The Short-tailed Grasswren is a small bird, about 15–16 cm long and weighing 19–24 g.

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.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
15–16 cm
Weight
19–23.5 g

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Short-tailed Grasswren?

The Short-tailed Grasswren 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

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Short-tailed Grasswren live in Australia?

The Short-tailed Grasswren is endemic to Australia, recorded across 3 of Australia’s bioregions, with a core range spanning south-central Australia.

BreedingSouth-central Australia

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Resident
  • Vagrant

2 regions recorded