The wrens of Dirk Hartog Island National Park

Identification guide Male Male Male

Dirk Hartog rufous fieldwren White-browed scrubwren Thick-billed grasswren Calamanthus campestris hartogi Sericornis frontalis balstoni Amytornis textilis WA status: Vulnerable WA status: Secure WA status: In need of monitoring Size: 11–14cm in length (including tail). Size: 11–13cm in length (including tail). Size: 17–19cm in length (including tail). Male: upperparts greyish olive coarsely streaked with Male: greyish brown with black lores (feathers between Male: dull reddish brown, finely streaked with white on blackish brown. A white stripe extends over the eye. The bill and eye), and a white line above the eye. the head, back and breast. tail is reddish brown tipped white. Underparts mostly Female: similar to male but with brown lores. Female: similar to males but has chestnut flanks. white streaked with blackish brown. Voice: distinctive call, a high pitched ‘tseer-tseer-tseer’ Voice: a series of high-pitched whistles and trills. Female: differs from male in being slightly duller, with and ‘seet-you, seet-you’. the streaks paler and narrower. Breeding: from late June to early September. Breeding: June to August. Voice: a loud spirited song usually uttered from the top Nest: cup or part dome with hood reduced or absent. of a bush. Nest: untidy dome of grass, bark, leaves and flower heads This species was formerly found on Dirk Hartog Island, lined with feathers and with a circular side entrance. Breeding: June to August. but is now believed to be locally extinct. Surveys are Common on the island usually in pairs and small continuing. It is still locally common on the Peron Nest: dome shaped with a circular side entrance. parties in dense shrubland. Inquisitive and commonly Peninsula. This species is the most commonly encountered wren on approaches birdwatchers. the island. Found in most habitats including heaths, low scrubs and samphire flats.

Ilustrations and text courtesy of Western Australian Museum Front cover photo: thick-billed grasswren. Photo – Babs and Bert Wells/DPaW 20140440-0414-500 Information current at May 2014 Male Male Male Female Female Female

The wrens of Dirk Hartog Island comprise six species: two Black and white fairy-wren Variegated fairy-wren Southern emu-wren fairy-wrens, an emu-wren, a grasswren, scrubwren and a fieldwren. Malurus leucopterus leucopterus Malurus lamberti Stipiturus malachurus hartogi They are a group of small, thin-billed, mainly WA status: Vulnerable WA status: Secure WA status: Vulnerable insectivorous birds that live on or near the Size: 11–13cm in length (including tail). Size: 12–14cm in length (including tail). Size: 16–18cm in length (including tail). ground in shrubs, heaths and thickets. Breeding male: mostly glossy black, except for the Breeding male: head and back bright blue; shoulders Male: tiny greyish brown bird, with a pale blue breast They are called ‘wrens’ because their cocked or upright wings, which are largely white, dull blue tail. chestnut; wings brown; tail dull blue. and stripe over eye and a very long filamentous tail that tails give them the appearance or resemblance to the resembles emu feathers. true wrens of the Americas, Europe and northern Asia. Non-breeding male: similar to female except for a Non-breeding male: tail dull blue and rest of upperparts blackish bill and slightly brighter dull blue tail. are brown and the underparts are white. Female: similar to male but lacks blue colouring. The conservation of these birds is ongoing. This guide should help avian enthusiasts and conservationists alike Adult female: mostly greyish brown with a greyish- Female: differs from non-breeding male in having a Voice: territorial call is a high-pitched descending trill. understand the fragile nature of these species on Dirk white eye ring and light brown bill. brown instead of a black bill and a reddish brown eye- Breeding: July to August ring. Hartog Island and how the identification of these birds Juvenile: like female. Nest: small dome placed low down in a bush in dense will help save them for future generations to enjoy. Breeding: July to August. Juvenile: like female but duller. heath. Voice: Prolonged, undulating reel, like a sewing machine. Breeding: late July to early September. Moderately common on the island though very difficult to detect. Usually in pairs or small parties and favouring Nest: small compact dome with a side entrance made of Nest: small coarsely made dome with a side entrance low shrubs and spinifex heaths. Contacts wind-blown seagrass, insect cocoons and flower heads, near the top. If you have seen a thick-billed grasswren on bound together with spider web and built near the Voice: territorial song is a high-pitched whirring, reel and Dirk Hartog Island, please contact the Department of ground in dense bushes. a sharp ‘tseep’ contact call. Parks and Wildlife office in Denham and provide details This subspecies is endemic to the island and is common This species is common, occurring throughout the island of the location, date and any photos taken. in heaths and chenopod (saltbush) flats and spinifex favouring all kinds of shrubland and heath including Phone: (08) 9948 2226 throughout the island. It is closely related to the blue melaleuca, acacia (wattles) and saltbush flats. Often Address: Knight Terrace, Denham WA 6537 plumaged, white-winged fairy-wren Malurus leucopterus encountered in small groups. Email: [email protected] leuconotus found on the mainland.