White-throated Grasswren

1. Large grasswren with a long, broad tail and a white throat.

2. Black head with white streaks and a bold black stripe framing the throat.

3. Chestnut back and rump; males have a lighter belly, females a darker chestnut belly.

These grasswrens feed mostly on seeds, stems, and insects, foraging on the ground among spinifex and rocks. They breed during and after the wet season, constructing dome-shaped nests hidden in dense spinifex. Family groups, usually consisting of a breeding pair and their recent offspring, work together to raise young. The species is highly sensitive to fire, requiring long-unburnt habitat to survive, and is vulnerable to changes in fire management and predation by feral cats.

White-throated Grasswrens are only found in the sandstone escarpments and rocky outcrops of the western Arnhem Plateau, including parts of Kakadu National Park and surrounding Indigenous Protected Areas. They prefer areas with mature spinifex grass and rocky shelter, avoiding places that have burned recently. Their range is limited, and they are now absent from many sites where they were once common, making them difficult to find in the wild.

The White-throated Grasswren is significant to the Aboriginal peoples of Arnhem Land, especially among Bininj Kunwok speakers, who know the bird as Yirlinkirrkirr or Djirnidjirnirrinjken. It is associated with songlines and stories that connect people to the land.