The striated fieldwren (''Calamanthus fuliginosus'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

in the family

Acanthizidae The Acanthizidae—known as Australian warblers—are a family of passerine birds which includes gerygones, the thornbills '' Acanthiza'', and the scrubwrens of ''Sericornis''. The Acanthizidae family consists of small to medium passerine birds, ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 found els ...

to Australia.

Description

The striated fieldwren is a small bird, 140mm in size. It is light brown and olive-colored, with a white stomach, and black streaks all over. Its tail is cocked and whitish with black and brown streaks. The striated fieldwren’s front is buff with dark gray and brown streaks; their wings are also brown and gray but with darker and bolder streaks. The bird’s flight feathers, however, do not have streaks. Instead, they have fine light gray edges. A whitish line over the eye can also be found on the striated fieldwren. Striated fieldwrens can be difficult to spot as they forage quietly in thick

vegetation Vegetation is an assemblage of plant species and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic charact ...

or on the ground. If approached, the bird’s tail will elevate and sometimes move side to side, while continuing its song until it feels trapped, then it will fly away and relocate.

Sounds and vocal behavior

During the springtime, the striated fieldwren is easier to spot as they perch up in vegetation, and the male fieldwrens will sing. Striated fieldwrens have a unique sound that can be described as a song, sounding strong and whirring. Their song is generally heard from the tops of bushes causing them to be confused with other species of birds. It is a very familiar sound to hear in the months of winter and spring; however, there is a short period of time that the "sweet little strain" is not able to be heard. The striated fieldwren songs can be heard in different variations throughout the year; however, their chirp is less heard outside of breeding season. The striated fieldwren has a loud song, that has been described as ''whit whit chee whit whit pee chew''.

Habitat and distribution

Striated fieldwrens are more easily observed in the springtime even though they can camouflage themselves in the vegetation. The small olive-brown bird inhabits locations of dense

heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler ...

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

, and

salt marsh A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is domin ...

. Striated fieldwrens are commonly found in the coastal areas of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. The striated fieldwren is now known as a vulnerable species, as their habitats have been lost to land clearance and

degradation Degradation may refer to: Science * Degradation (geology), lowering of a fluvial surface by erosion * Degradation (telecommunications), of an electronic signal * Biodegradation of organic substances by living organisms * Environmental degradatio ...

. Due to habitat intervention, their presence is commonly recorded in national parks and reserves. They have been known to locally move in

. Striated fieldwrens can be found alone, in pairs, or in family groups in the low bushes and shrubs of these areas.

Diet and breeding

Their location is also important to their breeding habits. Striated fieldwrens nest in pairs and form a compact, roughly spherical nest, made up of the coarse grass,

seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of ''Rhodophyta'' (red), ''Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ke ...

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta ('' sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and ...

, and leaves of the area. Their nests are hidden under dense brush and grass, in areas usually vulnerable to flooding or trampling livestock. Their location is also heavily influenced by their diet. They are known to eat and

forage Forage is a plant material (mainly plant leaves and stems) eaten by grazing livestock. Historically, the term ''forage'' has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also us ...

arthropods Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and cuticle made of chitin, oft ...

, and seeds known to the area. Fieldwren's eat specific arthropods including

beetles Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, Elytron, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, wit ...

of the families

Chrysomelidae The insects of the beetle family Chrysomelidae are commonly known as leaf beetles, and include over 37,000 (and probably at least 50,000) species in more than 2,500 genera, making up one of the largest and most commonly encountered of all beetle ...

, Curculionidae,

Dytiscidae The Dytiscidae – based on the Greek ''dytikos'' (δυτικός), "able to dive" – are the predaceous diving beetles, a family of water beetles. They occur in virtually any freshwater habitat around the world, but a few species live ...

, and more.

References

striated fieldwren The striated fieldwren (''Calamanthus fuliginosus'') is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae, Endemism, endemic to Australia. Description The striated fieldwren is a small bird, 140mm in size. It is light brown and olive-colored, with ...

Birds of South Australia Birds of Tasmania Endemic birds of Australia

Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Acanthizidae-stub