Mallee Emu-wren

The mallee emu-wren (Stipiturus mallee) is a species of bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It is endemic to Australia. Its natural habitat is temperate grassland. It is threatened because of habitat loss. == Taxonomy and systematics == The mallee emu-wren is one of three species of the genus Stipiturus, commonly known as emu-wrens. Within the genus, the mallee emu-wren and the rufous crowned emu-wren are sister species. It was first described in 1908 by Archibald James Campbell on the basis of a male specimen sent to him by C.H. McLennan from the Mallee district. Campbell thought that it was an intermediate form between the southern and rufous-crowned emu-wren and described as Stipiturus mallee. It was later treated as a subspecies of both the southern and rufous-crowned emu-wren, and as a separate species, though biochemical data supports its placement as a separate species. The species is monotypic, with no recognised subspecies. The common name of the genus is derived from the resemblance of their tails to the feathers of an emu. The scientific name of the genus comes from the Latin stipitus (stem) and Greek oura (tail), while the specific epithet comes from the aboriginal name for a type…