The first records of the Eyrean Grasswren Amytornis goyderi from New South Wales

Abstract

This paper describes the first known records of the Eyrean Grasswren Amytornis goyderi from New South Wales (NSW). These observations were made on 3 April 2016 just inside the border adjacent to South Australia and were clearly on the margins of the species’ range. The habitats noted at the time of the observations were of plant species found throughout the Strzelecki Desert, but did not include Sandhill Canegrass Zygochloa paradoxa (often quoted as a key habitat for the species), which was absent from the immediate vicinity. It is suggested that the low numbers of Eyrean Grasswrens in the Strzelecki Desert in NSW might be a consequence of overgrazing by livestock and Red Kangaroos Osphranter rufus , the latter influenced by the culling of Dingoes Canis dingo , as well as the increased predation on smaller birds and mammals by Red Foxes Vulpes vulpes .