Plain, brownish songbird of reedbeds, dense vegetation, and long grass near wetlands. Plain brown above, and pale below, with long, slender bill, flat crown, long tail, and rather long legs. Little and Tawny grassbirds in similar habitats have streaked plumage, shorter bills. Song harsh and loud, with combinations of staccato "chucks" and rolling phrases, very distinctive. Inhabits freshwater wetlands in eastern half of Australia, mostly coastal wetlands of western Australia.