Campbell thought that it was an intermediate form between the southern and rufous-crowned emu-wren and described as Stipiturus mallee.

[6] 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 of eucalyptus scrub.

[8] The adult male mallee emu-wren has olive-brown upperparts with dark streaks, and a pale rufous unstreaked crown, and grey-brown wings.

The spinifex grass often grows to 1 metre (3 feet 3 inches) in height and provides the optimal habitat for the mallee emu-wren.

[9] Formerly classified as a vulnerable species by the IUCN, recent research shows that its numbers are decreasing more and more rapidly.

The mallee emu-wren is listed as nationally endangered under the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

[10] Their dispersion is heavily connected to the prevalence of hummocks formed by grass-like plants of the genus Triodia.

The nest is a dome-shaped structure built of grasses generally located deep within a clump of spinifex.

The current analysis of bioclimatic data supports the theory that a 1 degree Celsius change (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit change) in the average temperature would result in a greater than 90% contraction of the mallee emu-wren's population dispersion.

[13] This poses a major issue for the survival of the mallee emu-wren because current data shows that since 1997 the Murray Region has had consecutive annual average temperatures that exceed the statistical average yearly temperatures.

Information on the role and impact of fire in habitats occupied by mallee emu-wren has been summarised (Silveira 1993).

An updated Flora and Fauna Guarantee Action Statement have been drafted for the species in Victoria (DSE 2007).

Bushfires in the Ngarkat Conservation Park in 2014 rendered the mallee emu-wren "functionally extinct" in South Australia, but initial reintroductions of captive-bred birds from Victoria have shown signs of success.