Striated Fieldwren Calamanthus fuliginosus Scientific name definitions

12·5–14 cm; 20 g. A small, heavily streaked acanthizid with short, stout bill, and long, slightly graduated tail usually held cocked. Male nominate race has forehead tan-coloured, merging into olive on top of head and neck, with coarse dark streaks; lores off-white, occasionally tinged brown, brownish facial patch, prominent off-white supercilium, thin whitish arc around bottom of eye; upperparts olive, moderately streaked dark, uppertail-coverts moderately streaked yellowish-brown and black; tail brownish-olive, thin black subterminal band and narrow dull grey tip; secondary upperwing-coverts tipped whitish (forming narrow wingbar in fresh plumage), flight-feathers with pale fringes (forming pale wingpanel), whitish tips of tertials; variably pale buff to pale yellowish below, slightly paler on lower belly and vent, and with coarse narrow black streaks except on centre of belly; iris dark reddish-brown, sometimes off-white or pale yellow; bill grey-black, pinkish-brown base of lower mandible; legs dirty pink. Female differs slightly from male in having supercilium strongly suffused yellowish-brown and merging to pale buff, chin and throat pale buff (may be paler than underparts), black streaks below finer, especially on chin and throat. Juvenile is similar to adult, but streaking of underparts more diffuse. Races differ minimally in plumage and size, nominate having longer bill and legs than others: <em>bourneorum</em> is slightly smaller than nominate, with fine black streaking on upperparts, tail tip whitish-grey to white; <em>albiloris</em> is similar to previous but more heavily streaked black on upperparts, more finely on underparts, shorter bill and legs, minor colour differences; <em>diemenensis</em> is heavily streaked black above and below , lacks lemon-yellow cast on underparts, tail tip dull grey.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Low dense vegetation, including heath, shrublands , tussock grass, saltmarsh, samphire and sedges, often near wetlands, coastal lagoons, streams and swamps, also in clearings in softwood plantations. In Tasmania occurs also in both dry and wet eucalypt (Eucalyptus) forest, occasionally in subalpine forest. Sea-level to c. 1000 m on mainland; higher in Tasmania, where recorded to snow-line.

Resident; some local wandering in New South Wales, with records from near Sydney, 160 km NE of nearest known populations.

Mainly arthropods, also seeds. Arthropods taken include beetles (of families Carabidae, Chrysomelidae, Curculionidae, Dytiscidae, Elateridae, Staphylinidae, Tenebrionidae), lygaeid bugs (Hemiptera), ichneumons (Ichneumonidae) and lepidopterans; gastropods of genus Bithymia also noted; bread also taken. Seen singly or in pairs or family groups. Forages on ground and among low shrubs and vegetation.

Cheerful, loud, whistled musical rattly phrase , “whit whit chee whit whit pee chew” and variants, repeated persistently from atop shrub or low bush, less obvious outside breeding season. Sharp twittering and a “tang” note similar to that of White-fronted Chat (Epthianura albifrons) also reported.

Season May–Mar; may have up to three broods in favourable year. Nests as simple pair, which may occupy territory of several hectares throughout year. Compact, roughly spherical nest, with side entrance near top, made of coarse grass, sometimes with leaves, seaweed, moss and rootlets, lined with fine grass, fur and feathers, placed on ground, well hidden under grass tussock or dense bush. Clutch 3–4 eggs, usually 3, light brown to purplish-brown or reddish-brown, indistinctly marked with darker spots and blotches on larger end; incubation seemingly by female, no information on duration of incubation and nestling periods; sits very tight on nest, reluctant to fly. Nests parasitized by Fan-tailed Cuckoo (Cacomantis flabelliformis), Pallid Cuckoo (Heteroscenes pallidus), Black-eared Cuckoo (Chalcites osculans) and Horsfield’s Bronze-cuckoo (Chalcites basalis). Nest contents preyed on by blue-tongue lizard (Tiliqua scincoides), probably also by snakes; nests can be vulnerable to flooding and trampling by stock.

Not globally threatened. Considered to be generally uncommon; listed as “Vulnerable” in New South Wales. Has suffered habitat loss through land clearance and degradation; survives in roadside strips and remnants. Recorded in a number of national parks and reserves.