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Message: <blockquote data-quote="sicklebill" data-source="post: 3684858" data-attributes="member: 33954">May be worth flagging up a couple of Australian new species contenders, no doubt already covered ages back but worth a reminder: The most intriguing is the Dusky-type Grasswren from the S Kimberley, photographed at Pinnacle Creek on Mt Pierre Station in April 1991 by the late Charles Sandbrink. The pic was widely circulated and published in what was then Wingspan (RAOU), but the excellent new "Grasswrens Australian Outback Identities" by Andrew Black and Peter Gower has a good account of the sighting and a nice shot of the bird. It looks very dark and appears to have whitish tail tips, and it's a huge long distance away from any other Dusky-type grasswren, and is suggested to be along the lines of the Kalkadoon/Dusky split. It has been looked for twice, most recently in July 2010 by experienced field workers for the Australian National Wildlife Collection, but given the elusive nature of grasswrens not locating it is not surprising, it's bound to be out there somewhere.The other one is the taxon of what may or may not be Spotted Quail-thrush, which is known from the Ravenshoe area, hundreds of km from the next known population and again in a group where isolated  forms may have great taxonomic significance. I have been appallingly slack and not gone to look for it, which I should and will, but the finder has largely kept it under wraps for various reasons, one of which is a fear of museum collectors coming in to get specimen series of it.Oh yes, based on the new book comments I think things are looking good for the split of Opalton (Rusty) Grasswren and Pilbara Grasswren.</blockquote>

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