Megalurus timoriensis
Silhouette: Afsarnayakkan · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
The tawny grassbird (Cincloramphus timoriensis) 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".
The tawny grassbird has 10 identified sub-species found in Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines. The family Locustellidae was named by Bonaparte in 1854 and is derived from the genus name Locustella named by Kemp in 1829. The term "grassbird" was used by Gould during the mid 19th century to signify a strong correlation to long grass habitats. The tawny grassbird has also been known as tawny sphenoeacus, grassbird, tawny or rufous-capped marshbird, rufous-capped grass-warbler and rufous-capped grassbird. Grass-warbler tends to be used in Asia rather than Australia. Genetic studies indicate a close relationship to songlarks.
Ten subspecies are recognised: Wikipedia →
Recording0:26
Australia · 2023
© Martin Rady · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
Recording0:12
Australia · 2026
© Blake · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:18
Australia · 2024
© danicalockett · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Tawny Grassbird sighting in Springbrook National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 134th most-seen of the 136 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Tawny Grassbird in Springbrook National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April to February, the lowest months. That is one of Springbrook National Park's wettest months, with about 190 mm of rain against 45 mm in August.
Among the best
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Tawny Grassbird sightings, Springbrook National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Noosa National Park (Australia, under 5%).
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Tawny Grassbird that you can see in Springbrook National Park (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Lewin's Honeyeater (about 80%), Eastern Whipbird (about 80%) and Pied Currawong (about 70%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tawny Grassbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Springbrook National Park (7 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
