Megalurus

Megalurus is a genus of passerine bird in the family Locustellidae. The genus was once placed in the Old World warbler "wastebin" family Sylviidae. The genus contains six species also known as the typical grassbirds. The genus is distributed from northern China and Japan, to India in the west, and Australia in the south, with most species being located wholly or partly in the tropics. The genus is also sometimes considered to include the genus Bowdleria, which holds the fernbirds of New Zealand. The most widespread species, the Tawny Grassbird, ranges from the Philippines to southern New South Wales, whereas the Fly River Grassbird is restricted to swampland in the southern part of New Guinea. One species, the Marsh Grassbird, is partially migratory, moving from northern China and Japan (and southern Siberia) to southern Japan and central China; the other species are sedentary. The natural habitat of the typical grassbirds is, as the name suggests, wet grasslands, swamps and other marshlands. Some species exist away from water in tall grasslands, heathlands, and forest clearings. Some species have adapted to the margins of rice fields and gardens.