Australian Field Ornithology 2017, 34, 12–17 http://dx.doi.org/10.20938/afo34012017 The range and habitat of the Kalkadoon Grasswren Amytornis ballarae Graham Harrington1,2*, Adam McKeown1 and Brian Venables3 1CSIRO Land & Water, PO Box 780, Atherton QLD 4883, Australia 2BirdLife Northern Queensland, PO Box 680, Malanda QLD 4885, Australia 3527 McCormack Street, Edge Hill QLD 4870, Australia. Email:
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[email protected] Abstract. In this paper we discuss the results of the first comprehensive survey of the range and habitat of the Kalkadoon Grasswren Amytornis ballarae. This grasswren is of particular interest because (1) It is not classed as a Restricted Range Species by BirdLife International although we show that it occupies <50 000 km2; (2) This species lives in a fire- prone environment, and the habitat is unsuitable for at least 3 years after fire. The movement and fate of the birds in these circumstances is unknown; (3) It is sympatric with the Carpentarian Grasswren A. dorotheae over part of its range, raising questions about competition between the species; and (4) The spatial and behavioural separation from the closely related Dusky Grasswren A. purnelli is not well defined. In 2008 and 2009, we visited 195 locations in firescars of known age within the known range of the Kalkadoon Grasswren and played calls of Kalkadoon and Carpentarian Grasswrens at 6–10 sites in each, totalling 1491 survey sites. We encountered 81 groups of Kalkadoon Grasswrens. They showed a marked preference for metamorphosed sandstone and marble. They were almost always found on rocky hills, but if on flat areas they were within 300 m of hills.