The Kalkadoon grasswren (''Amytornis ballarae''), also called the Ballara grasswren, is a species of

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by th ...

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

Maluridae The Australasian wrens are a family, Maluridae, of small, insectivorous passerine birds endemic to Australia and New Guinea. While commonly known as wrens, they are unrelated to the true wrens. The family comprises 32 species (including sixteen ...

. It is

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 else ...

to Australia.

Taxonomy

It was formerly treated as a subspecies of the

dusky grasswren The dusky grasswren (''Amytornis purnelli'') is a species of small passerine bird in the family Maluridae. The species is endemic to Australia but is limited to inland areas of the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia. Desc ...

. The English qualifier ‘ Kalkadoon’ refers to the name of the Aboriginal group that live in the area where it is found. The specific epithet ''ballarae'' refers to the deserted mining town of

Ballara Ballara is the site of a deserted mining town in the locality of Kuridala in north-western Queensland, Australia, in the Selwyn Range between the towns of Mount Isa and Cloncurry. It is within the local government area of Shire of Cloncurry. ...

, in north-western

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

between

Mount Isa Mount Isa ( ) is a city in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, Australia. It came into existence because of the vast mineral deposits found in the area. Mount Isa Mines (MIM) is one of the most productive single mines in world history, base ...

and

Cloncurry Cloncurry is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Cloncurry, Queensland, Australia. In the the locality of Cloncurry had a population of 2,719 people. Cloncurry is the administrative centre of the Shire of Cloncurry. Cloncurry is known a ...

Description

It is similar to the dusky grasswren, though the markings are generally brighter and more defined, e.g. the wing coverts and remiges are grayish with a small rufous patch at the base of the outer remiges, compared with the same parts of the dusky grasswren being a uniformly dull rufous-brown.

Distribution and habitat

The Kalkadoon grasswren has a restricted range, being endemic to spinifex covered hills in the Selwyn Range system of north-west

References

* Schodde, R.; & Mason, I.J. (1999). ''The Directory of Australian Birds: Passerines''. CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne. {{Taxonbar, from=Q1303334 Kalkadoon grasswren Birds of Queensland Endemic birds of Australia North West Queensland Kalkadoon grasswren