Kalkadoon grasswren

The Kalkadoon grasswren (Amytornis ballarae), also called the Ballara grasswren, is a species of passerine bird in the family Maluridae. It is endemic to Australia.

Kalkadoon grasswren
A. ballarae in Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Maluridae
Genus: Amytornis
Species:
A. ballarae
Binomial name
Amytornis ballarae
Condon, 1969

Taxonomy

It was formerly treated as a subspecies of the dusky grasswren. The English qualifier ‘Kalkadoon’ refers to the name of the Aboriginal group that live in the area where it is found. The specific epithet ballarae refers to the deserted mining town of Ballara, in north-western Queensland between Mount Isa and Cloncurry.

Description

It is similar to the dusky grasswren, though the markings are generally brighter and more defined, e.g. the wing coverts and remiges are grayish with a small rufous patch at the base of the outer remiges, compared with the same parts of the dusky grasswren being a uniformly dull rufous-brown.

Distribution and habitat

The Kalkadoon grasswren has a restricted range, being endemic to spinifex covered hills in the Selwyn Range system of north-west Queensland.

References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Amytornis ballarae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Schodde, R.; & Mason, I.J. (1999). The Directory of Australian Birds: Passerines. CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne. ISBN 0-643-06456-7
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