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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Maluridae
  4. ›
  5. Amytornis
  6. ›
  7. Western Grasswren
Western Grasswren
Photo · (c) Alan Bell, some rights reserved (CC BY)

BirdUp · Species

Western Grasswren

Amytornis textilis(Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)

Updated 21 March 2026

Conservation status: VulnerableOrigin: Endemic
Order
PASSERIFORMES
Family
Maluridae
Genus
Amytornis

At a glance

The Western Grasswren is a small bird, about 14–20 cm long, listed as Vulnerable and endemic to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
14–20 cm
Conservation status
Vulnerable
Origin
Endemic
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Rare
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Western Grasswren look like?

The Western Grasswren is a small bird, about 14–20 cm long and weighing 20–28 g.

The western grasswren, formerly known 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.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
14–20 cm
Weight
19.6–27.6 g

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Western Grasswren?

The Western 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

What does a Western Grasswren eat?

The Western Grasswren feeds on fruit, seeds and terrestrial invertebrates, usually foraging in pairs or flocks.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

6 photos

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Western Grasswren live in Australia?

The Western Grasswren is endemic to Australia, recorded across 21 of Australia’s bioregions, with a core range spanning west and south Australia.

BreedingWest and south Australia

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Non-breeding
  • Vagrant
  • Resident

6 regions recorded