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 lightweigh ...

in the family Acanthizidae,

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 elsew ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

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 character ...

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 loc