PURPLE-CROWNED FAIRY-WREN

Photographed at Mornington Sanctuary, Kimberley, Western Australia, May 2015

614         PURPLE-CROWNED FAIRY-WREN           Malurus coronatus

Australia          (457)

Also known as Lilac-crowned Wren. 14-15.5 cm. Found in pandanus/paperbark thickets with tall changers and other dense low cover, mostly fringing rivers, creeks, lakes; rarely mangroves. Range: nominate race: n. and e. Kimberley (WA) from Drysdale R. e. to Victoria R. (NT); s. to upper Fitzroy, Hann and Margaret Rs. (WA) Ord R. on upper Argyle (WA). Race macgillivrayi: e. NT, from Roper, Towns, Linmen Bight, McArthur Rs. e. to Gregory-lower Leichardt Rs. (nw Q.); s. to Mallapunyah (NT); Lawn Hill NP-Riversleigh-Kimilaroi (Q). Very local, much of its habitat has been decimated by burning and livestock. Nominate race vulnerable.

RED-WINGED FAIRY-WREN

Photographed at Cheyne Beach March 2015

557         RED-WINGED FAIRY-WREN             Malurus elegans

Australia         (398)

Also known as Marsh Wren. Found in thick club and swamp vegetation, often with sword-grass and tea-tree, on margins of streams, freshwater swamps; swamp-woodlands; understory in jarrah-karri forest; moist gullies ranges; nearby eucalypt woodlands; coastal dune vegetation; well-vegetated gardens, orchards. 14-16 cm.

SOUTHERN EMU-WREN

543         SOUTHERN EMU-WREN            Stipiturus malachurus

Australia          (384)

Also known as Button-grass Wren and Stickball. 15-19 cm, incl. tail 9-12 cm. Found in heaths with 'grasstrees', banksias, hakes, rushes, sedges, scrubby thickets, lignum, montane gullies, subalpine grasslands, heathy woodlands; in Tas. button-grass plains, montane moors; in sw. WA dune-vegetation, sand plain-heaths, dry eucalypt, acacia-spinifex. Range: coastal WA from Shark Bay south to SA border; Eyre Pen. (SA) from Adelaide coastal to Vic. border; coastal Vic., NSW to above Brisbane in Q.; all Tas.

NOTE: Up to eleven subspecies have been described with seven being recognised. 

Subspecies westernensis photographed at Cheyenne's Beach, WA, November 2016

Subspecies littleri, photographed on South Coast Track, Tasmania February 2017

RUFOUS FIELDWREN

Photograph at Innes National Park, South Australia March 2015.

534        RUFOUS FIELDWREN            Calamanthus campestris

Australia    (375)

13 cm. Range from sw. Q-far w. NSW-far nw. Vic w. through SA to s. WA, n to NW Cape and Gt sandy Desert, except sw corner. Found in inland/saltmarsh vegetation, saltbush, bluebush, spinifex, holy-poly, low shrubs in depressions in spinifex in gibber plains.

SUPERB FAIRY-WREN

40    SUPERB FAIRY-WREN         Malurus cyaneus

Australia   (40)

Also known as Blue wren, Jenny wren, Superb Blue-wren.  Well loved Australian wren. Found in low cover, golf courses, along scrub beside roadways, forest undergrowth, riverside thickets, woodlands, coastal salt marshes. South-east Queensland, eastern NSW, most of Victoria, se SA, Tasmania.

Subspecies cyaneus, photographed Bruny Island, Tasmania February 2017

Female, subspecies cyaneus

SPLENDID FAIRY-WREN

 33          SPLENDID FAIRY-WREN           Malurus splendens

Australia   (33)

Also known as Banded, Black-backed or Turquoise Fairy-wren. 12-14 cms. 

NOTE:        4 subspecies in Australia

melanotus:             w NSW, e SA, s QLd

splendens:           sw and w WA

musgravi:              SA, s NT, e WA

emmottorum:         central Qld

Subspecies splendens, photographed near Perth, WA, July 2018

Subspecies musgravi, photographed near Whyalla, South Australia, September 2018

VARIEGATED FAIRY-WREN

19      VARIEGATED FAIRY-WREN             Malurus lamberti

Australia       (19)

Also known as Lambert's, Lavender-flanked or Purple-backed fairy-wren. It is 11-14.5 cms. Found across most of mainland Australia except Cape York, around Darwin, most of Victoria and very south of Western Australia.