Little Grassbird

It is an olive-brown/ brown-grey bird, measuring 13 to 15 cm, with a pale eyebrow and dark grey streaks in the throat, crown and cheeks. The upper body is brown-grey, streaked dark grey and the lighter grey underparts are also streaky. The wing feathers are dark with white edges. Adult male and female grassbirds are indistinguishable to the naked eye; however, males are larger for all parameters aside from the bill. The Slater Field Guide notes that the voice is a "plaintive three noted monotone, tee-ti-teee." The Australian Bird Guide notes that the bird is more often heard rather than seen, particularly in the breeding season where it gives "a sequence of 2-3 plaintive piping whistles p-pee-pee repeated incessantly." The tawny grassbird (Cincloramphus timoriensis) is slightly larger and more rufous, particularly its crown. The striated fieldwren (Calamanthus fuliginosus) is quite similar, differing in its yellow underparts, and distinctive white eyebrows.

The little grassbird is found across Eastern Australia and Tasmania, inland to Central Australia and South-Western Australia. It is also found in West Papua, Indonesia. It lives in dense wetland vegetation, sedges, reeds and rank grass. It also uses shrubs such as lignum, saltmarsh and low mangroves. After rains the little grassbird will move into temporary wetlands. The occurrence of the little grassbird in West Papua is not common or widespread. Ebird identifies two locations only and the Atlas of Australian birds (1984) states only one specimen is known.

The little Grassbird eats insects and other small arthropods, usually remaining in the dense cover of grasses and swamp vegetation.