From Opus

Photo by fthsm
Photo taken: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, July 2008

Megalurus gramineus

[edit] Identification

Grey-brown head with a pale eyebrow, chin and throat and the crown and cheeks are streaked dark grey. The upper body is brown-grey, streaked dark grey, the dark wing feathers are edged with white and the paler grey underbody is also streaked. Young birds are more uniform grey with finer streaking.

[edit] Distribution

Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea.

[edit] Taxonomy

Four subspecies are recognized: papuensis, gramineus, goulburni, and thomasi.

[edit] Habitat

Swamps and marshes including samphire in saltmarsh.

[edit] Behaviour

Diet includes insects and other small arthropods.

It builds a deep cup nest of reeds and coarse grasses, lined with feathers, hidden in thick reedy vegetation.

[edit] References

1. Clements, James F. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2007. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019

• List of references

[edit] External Links

• View more images of this species on the ABID