Small bird with a very long blue-gray tail held cocked, found from southwestern Western Australia to the Eyre Peninsula of South Australia, where it prefers coastal heath and drier woodland areas.
Not listed
Endemic to Australia
At a glance
FamilyFairywrens
SizeTiny
RarityUncommon
HabitatSmall bird with a very long blue-gray tail held cocked, found from southwestern Western Australia to the Eyre Peninsula of South Australia, where it prefers coastal heath and drier woodland areas.
Best timeMost reliable in Western Australia from September to November.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Marc Anderson
Range map
Range map
961visible hotspots
7416visible records
3states
Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence
Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.
Species notes
Overview
Nonbreeding male resembles female but has black bill and narrow pale eyering.
Behavior
Breeding male has a bright blue helmet, bluish-black breast, blue patch on back, and chestnut shoulders.
Gallery
Regional timing
South Australia
Western Australia
New South Wales
Commonly confused with
Striated GrasswrenAmytornis striatusFound in mallee woodland and dunes with large spinifex clumps, where it scurries around on the ground and low branches. Upperparts rusty-brown, with a white throat and buff-colored underparts.→White-winged FairywrenMalurus leucopterusA small bird with a long blue tail that is held cocked. Females and nonbreeding males are very plain pale gray, and the patch between the eye and bill (lores) is also pale (compared to Purple-backed Fairywren which has very dark reddish lores). This species is typically found in very open and arid country with sparse bushes, where it often perches on the very top of bushes. Its call is a very fast trill.→Purple-backed FairywrenMalurus assimilisSmall pale tips are sometimes visible on the tail. Over much of the species’s inland range, females are overall grayish birds with pale fronts and long blue tails; however, females of the subspecies found in the sandstone regions of the Kimberley and Arnhem Land have contrasting blue crowns and backs. This species occurs over much of arid inland Australia and is found in open vegetation.→