Current view: Data table and detailed info
Taxonomic source(s)
Christidis, L. and Boles, W.E. 2008. Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Australia.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A., Fishpool, L.D.C., Boesman, P. and Kirwan, G.M. 2016. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 2: Passerines. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Red List history
Migratory status |
not a migrant |
Forest dependency |
does not normally occur in forest |
Land-mass type |
Australia
|
Average mass |
- |
Population justification: Based on population densities at eight sites, Noske (1992) estimated the population at 50,000 individuals (14,000–182,000), while Woinarski (1992) estimated a much lower total of 5,000–10,000 individuals. Given the fire history of the species's range (it is dependent on large unburnt spinifex patches), Garnett et al. (2010) thought the population had declined to no more than 10,000 mature individuals; these estimations of distribution and abundance based on fire history afterwards proved accurate (Woinarski et al. 2012, NESP TSRH 2019). Based on more recent surveys and an evaluation of fire patterns, the population is re-estimated at 900-2,000 mature individuals (Einoder et al. 2021), with a best estimate of 1,100 following NESP TSRH (2019). Fire is thought to have substantially fragmented the range with what was once a formerly panmictic population now probably divided into more than 10 subpopulations, each with no more than 100 mature individuals (Einoder et al. 2021).
Trend justification:
The species is inferred to be declining based on declining reporting rates, although there are some uncertainties with the trend. In Birdata (BirdLife Australia 2020), there were 24 records from 2000–2009 and three from 2010–2019. Of all complete eBird checklists (eBird 2021) from accessible suitable habitat in western Arnhem Land, 24% of the 80 before 2000 included the species, but only 18% of 89 for 2000–2009 and 3.3% of 271 for 2010–2019 (Einoder et al. 2021). In Kakadu, numbers in systematic replicated surveys at the same locations declined from a mean of 0.08 individuals/quadrat in 2001–2004 (recorded in 6/142 quadrats) to zero in 2010, although subsequent targeted searches in 2011 found 30 birds at 11 sites at 4/16 locations searched (93 hours, 139 km, Mahney et al. 2011). In Djelk IPA, no birds were found in the vicinity of a 1996 record; while one female Elder at Kolorbidadah outstation recognised the bird but had not seen it for at least 20 years. No one spending time in the rock country camping, hunting and fishing recognised the bird at all and birdwatchers now see the bird only rarely. The primary threat to this species is large-scale and frequent fire which is likely to be exacerbated by ongoing climate change (Garnett et al. 2013, Einoder et al. 2021).
Country/territory distribution
Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: White-throated Grasswren Amytornis woodwardi. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/white-throated-grasswren-amytornis-woodwardi on 23/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 23/12/2024.