The Kalkadoon grasswren (''Amytornis ballarae''), also called the Ballara grasswren, is a species of

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped') which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines generally have an anisodactyl arrangement of their ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

in the family

Maluridae The Australasian wrens are a family, Maluridae, of small, insectivorous passerine birds endemic to Australia and New Guinea. While commonly known as wrens, they are unrelated to the true wrens. The family comprises 32 species (including sixteen ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Taxonomy

It was formerly treated as a subspecies of the

dusky grasswren The dusky grasswren (''Amytornis purnelli'') is a species of small passerine bird in the family Maluridae. The species is endemic to Australia but is limited to inland areas of the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia. Des ...

. The English qualifier ‘ Kalkadoon’ refers to the name of the Aboriginal group that live in the area where it is found. The

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

''ballarae'' refers to the deserted mining town of Ballara, in north-western

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

between

Mount Isa Mount Isa ( ) is a city in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, Australia. It came into existence because of the vast mineral deposits found in the area. Mount Isa Mines (MIM) is one of the most productive mines in world history, based on co ...

and

Cloncurry Cloncurry is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Cloncurry, Queensland, Australia. It is informally known by local people as The Curry. Cloncurry is the administrative centre of the Shire of Cloncurry. Cloncurry is known as the ''Friendl ...

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

References

* Schodde, R.; & Mason, I.J. (1999). ''The Directory of Australian Birds: Passerines''. CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne. {{Taxonbar, from=Q1303334

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. Taxonomy It was formerly treated as a subspecies of the dusky grasswren. T ...

Birds of Queensland Endemic birds of Australia North West Queensland