Splendid fairy wren птица

Splendid fairywren facts for kids

The splendid fairywren (Malurus splendens) is a passerine bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It is also known simply as the splendid wren or more colloquially in Western Australia as the blue wren. The splendid fairywren is found across much of the Australian continent from central-western New South Wales and southwestern Queensland over to coastal Western Australia. It inhabits predominantly arid and semi-arid regions. Exhibiting a high degree of sexual dimorphism, the male in breeding plumage is a small, long-tailed bird of predominantly bright blue and black colouration. Non-breeding males, females and juveniles are predominantly grey-brown in colour; this gave the early impression that males were polygamous as all dull-coloured birds were taken for females. It comprises several similar all-blue and black subspecies that were originally considered separate species.

Like other fairywrens each partner will mate with other individuals and even assist in raising the young from such trysts. Male wrens pluck pink or purple petals and display them to females as part of a courtship display.

The habitat of the splendid fairywren ranges from forest to dry scrub, generally with ample vegetation for shelter. Unlike the eastern superb fairywren, it has not adapted well to human occupation of the landscape and has disappeared from some urbanised areas. The splendid fairywren mainly eats insects and supplements its diet with seeds.

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Taxonomy and systematics

The splendid fairywren is one of eleven species of the genus Malurus, commonly known as fairywrens, found in Australia and lowland New Guinea. Within the genus it is most closely related to the superb fairywren. These two «blue wrens» are closely related to the purple-crowned fairywren of north-western Australia.

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A guide to Australia’s fairy-wrens

Fairy-wrens are among the most beautiful birds in Australia, but they have quirky personalities too. Here, you can get to know all 10 species.

Superb fairy-wren

Malurus cyaneus

Recognisable by their sky blue-coloured caps, which become iridescent during breeding season, the superb fairy-wren is much loved among Australians. This fairy-wren can be found across south-east Australia and enjoys a shrubby understorey where they move about in small groups. New research has revealed that male fairy-wrens sing to their eggs and their chicks come out recognising their parent’s unique song.

Splendid fairy-wren

Malurus splendens

Splendid fairy-wrens are arguably the most beautiful species of fairy-wren. Besides some brown feathers on their wings and their white bellies, they are almost completely electric blue. They can be found in almost every state and territory except Tasmania. Interestingly, to attract females, males sing their sexual display songs when predators are nearby to show bravado.

Purple-crowned fairy-wren

Malurus coronatus

This fairy-wren has a striking purple crown, making it spectacularly different from every other fairy-wren. There are two subspecies of the purple-crowned fairy-wren, one that lives in the Kimberley region of Western Australia and the other in the Victoria River District of the Northern Territory, and both live in strips of vegetation along creeks. The purple-crowns take only one mate, which they stay close to for most of their lives, while other fairy-wrens are known for their promiscuity.

Red-backed fairy-wren

Malurus melanocephalus

Like the purple-crowned fairy-wren, the red-backed fairy-wren is strikingly different in colour from other fairy-wrens. During the breeding season males have a bright, crimson-red back, brown wings and black tail feathers, making them the only fairy-wren with absolutely no blue plumage. It’s also Australia’s smallest fairy-wren. You’ll often find them in grassy understorey in northern and eastern Australia.

White-winged fairy-wren

Malurus leucopterus

The white-winged fairy-wren, similar to the splendid fairy-wren, has intense blue colouring, and white wings. They can be found across all Australian states and territories, except for Tasmania. One subspecies located on Dirk Hartog Island, rather than being bright blue, is black with white wings.

Lovely fairy-wren

Malurus amabilis

The lovely fairy-wren looks very similar to a superb fairy-wren, but it has a very short tail in comparison. It is one of four chestnut-winged fairy-wrens, which includes the variegated, blue-breasted and red-winged fairy-wren. It’s endemic to north-eastern Queensland and is recognised as the most arboreal (living in trees) species of fairy-wren, however it never ventures too far into the rainforest, preferring the shrubby areas on the outskirts.

Related: Scientists call on public to count fairy-wrens

Variegated fairy-wren

This fairy-wren has a very long blue tail, but otherwise is difficult to differentiate from the splendid and lovely fairy-wren. It can be found across all Australian states and territories, except for Tasmania. Rather than living among grasses, this fairy-wren is considered to be quite shy, preferring the thickets of shrubs that provide more protection. They also don’t wander too far or for too long outside this habitat. Adding to their shy demeanour, they’re also known to be less vocal than other fairy-wrens.

Purple-backed fairy-wren

Malurus assimilis

In 2018, the purple-backed fairy-wren was finally declared a new species, after being incorrectly labelled a variegated fairy-wren prior to the new discovery (they look very similar). You can read about the news here.

Blue-breasted fairy-wren

Malurus pulcherrimus

Found in the south-west of Australia, the blue-breasted fairy-wren was a favourite of famous ornithologist John Gould who gave it the Latin name Malurus pulcherrimus, ‘ pulcherrimus ’ meaning “very pretty”. This fairy-wren is the closest relative of the red-winged fairy-wren. Like the variegated fairy-wren, this fairy-wren is quite shy in nature, found never too far from its shrubby habitat.

Red-winged fairy-wren

Malurus elegans

The red-winged fairy-wren is recognised for having the lightest blue helmet, and deep chestnut-coloured wings. It’s also recognised as having the longest tail out of the chestnut-winged fairy-wrens, adding to its recognisability. It’s restricted to small patches located in the south of Western Australia, where they prefer to live in karri forests. Here, they are known for being the only fairy-wrens with all-black bills.

Related: Photographing the secret lives of splendid fairy-wrens

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Splendid Fairy-wren

The nest of the Splendid Fairy-wren is so small that the female’s long tail is bent during incubation.

Identification

The breeding plumage of the male Splendid Fairy-wren is predominantly blue, varying from cobalt-blue in the east of its range to violet-blue in the west.It has black bands at the base of the tail (absent in the violet-blue birds), across the breast and from the beak, through the eyes to join a band across the back of its neck. Its crown and cheek patches are paler blue. Wings and long tail are brown with a blue wash. His beak is black and his legs and feet are brown-grey. In non-breeding plumage, called eclipse, he is very similar to the female, being pale brown above and buff to white underneath although he retains the blue wash on wings and tail. The female does not have the blue wash on her wings, but does have a reddish-tan line from beak to eye that extends into a ring around her eye. Her beak is reddish-tan.

Habitat

Splendid Fairy-wrens live in arid to semi-arid areas, in mostly dense shrublands or woodlands of acacia, and mallee eucalypt with dense shrubs.

Distribution

These birds are widely distributed across Australia in two areas. One area is from about Shark Bay south through Western Australia, through South Australia, except the coast, to about the Flinders Ranges and the southern and central parts of Northern Territory. The eastern area include South Australia from the Flinders Ranges, the far north-western tip of Victoria, New South Wales east to about Moree and Balranald and south central Queensland.

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Splendid Fairy-wren

There is no false modesty attached to the Splendid Fairy-wren — it lives up to its name. Male birds in breeding plumage shimmer in electric shades of violet-blue, turquoise and pale-blue, relieved only by a few bands of inky black feathers. However, it is not all glitz and glamour because, as in most species of fairy-wrens, males in non-breeding plumage and females are mostly drab brown, although their long tail feathers are dull-blue. The species lives in arid and semi-arid Australia, where it inhabits shrublands and shrubby woodlands.

Identification

The breeding plumage of the male Splendid Fairy-wren is predominantly blue, varying from cobalt-blue in the east of its range to violet-blue in the west. It has black bands at the base of the tail (absent in the violet-blue birds), across the breast and from the beak, through the eyes to join a band across the back of its neck. Its crown and cheek patches are paler blue. The wings and long tail are brown with a blue wash. His beak is black and his legs and feet are brown-grey. In non-breeding plumage, called eclipse, he is very similar to the female, being pale brown above and buff to white underneath although he retains the blue wash on wings and tail. The female does not have the blue wash on her wings but does have a reddish-tan line from the beak to the eye, that extends into a ring around her eye. Her beak is reddish-tan.

Songs and Calls

A rapid series of slightly metallic, high-pitched pips that blend into an “undulating” call. Bird call recorded by: Marc Anderson

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