The tawny grassbird is a large songbird that is a member of the family Locustellidae commonly found in grassland and reedbed habitats. It is streaked above and has a distinctive rich brown cap. Its underside is paler and it has a long graduated tail. They call often with "loud, grumpy churring calls and a longer call that starts tick-tick-tick-tick and ends with an explosive descending trill".
Region
Australasia and Wallacea
Typical Environment
Occurs widely in northern and eastern Australia, New Guinea, and parts of Wallacea including Timor, favoring extensive reedbeds, sedgelands, and tall grasslands near freshwater. It also occupies rank grass along drainage lines, coastal heaths, and anthropogenic habitats like rice paddies and sugarcane. Birds keep close to cover, emerging to sing from prominent perches. Local densities can be high where continuous tall grass is available, but they are scarce where wetlands are fragmented.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1800 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Often heard before it is seen, the tawny grassbird gives a distinctive series of ticking notes that accelerates into a harsh, descending trill from exposed grass stems. It is a skilled skulker, threading through dense grasses and reeds with a long, graduated tail that it flicks frequently. In some areas it benefits from rank grass and sugarcane fields, though widespread drainage of wetlands can reduce local populations.
Temperament
secretive and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low over vegetation
Social Behavior
Typically found singly or in pairs, maintaining territories in dense grass or reeds. Nests are built low in vegetation from grasses; both parents care for the young. Breeding in Australia usually occurs in spring–summer, with males performing song displays from elevated stems.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Calls include loud, grumpy churring and sharp ticking notes. The song often starts with a rapid tick-tick-tick that accelerates and ends in an explosive, descending trill, delivered from exposed perches.
