GREY-TAILED TATTLER

Photographed at Monkey Mia, Western Australia April 2015

579          GREY-TAILED TATTLER           Heteroscelus brevipes

Australia          (422)

24-27 cm. Found on estuaries, tidal mudflats, mangroves; wave-washed rocks and reefs; shallow river-margins, coastal or inland. Breeds in c and e Siberia; regular summer visitor to coastal n. Aust. from about Shark Bay (WA) to Sydney; less common on s. coast but regular Corner Inlet and Westernport (Vic). Casual inland, uncommon in Tas.

RED-COLLARED LORIKEET

Photographed Windjana Gorge, Western Australia, May 2015

578            RED-COLLARED LORIKEET                Trichoglossus rubritorquis

Australia             (421)

Was a sub-species of Rainbow Lorikeet but now recognised as a species in its own right. Found in wooded habitats in northern Australia (north-eastern WA, northern NT, and far nw Q). Curiously at end of the dry season many display symptoms of apparent drunkedness, but the cause of this is unknown.

WESTERN GRASSWREN

Photographed at Monkey Mia, Western Australia April 2015

577             WESTERN GRASSWREN              Amytornis textilis

Australia        (420)

15-20 cm. Found in sandy lowlands; depressions in gibber plains with dense low saltbush, bluebush, cotton bush, nitre bush; clumps of swamp changers on watercourses; flood debris; near Shark Bay (WA) sand plain vegetation with acacia shrubs 1-3 m tall over grasses, herbs. The nominate race is only found around coastal sand plains on cw. coast WA, NW Cape-Peron Pen., Shark Bay; subspecies modestus in lowlands of s. NT and Macdonell Ras., to Everard Ras.-Coober Pedy-Williams Creek-w. side of Flinders Ras. (SA); possibly extinct e.SA/NSW. Race myall s. inland SA, Nullarbor Plain-GawlerRas.-Iron Knob.

Note: This was originally listed as the Thick-billed Grasswren but has been split and the population in Monkey Mia (WA) and ne Eyre Pen. (SA) are known as the Western Grasswren, though two different sub-species. The nominate race mentioned above remains known as the Thick-billed Grasswren.

Subspecies myall photographed at Whyalla Conservation Area, February 2016