Little Grassbird

During a recent bird survey of McNeilly Park wetlands in Drouin, we got some sightings of the seldom seen Little Grassbird, Megalurus gramineus.

This little bird of the reed beds tends to remain concealed for most of the year. This day, a pair seemed to be busy constructing a nest as they flew in and out of the one patch of reeds, sometimes carrying a tiny feather in their bills.

The most reliable indication of this cryptic bird is its two or three-note, melancholic whistle as it advertises its patch of territory within the reeds (LINK). Although considered sedentary, there may be some dispersal of the birds after breeding but their flight is weak and fluttering. The bird is found in the south-east corner of the continent and Tasmania, sometimes on wetlands far inland.

Little Grassbirds build a deep cup nest of grass and feathers well concealed within the reeds, often only just above the water level. They eat spiders, insects and aquatic molluscs found low down amongst the wetland vegetation.

Other locations in Drouin where we have encountered the Little Grassbird include Gum Scrub Ck wetland between Hopetoun and Buln Buln Rds, around the lake at Crystal Waters estate and Bellbird Park wetlands.