Small, long-tailed bird with black mustache and rufous-brown upperparts, found only in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, where it scampers between large spinifex clumps in dry open habitats.
Not listed
At a glance
FamilyFairywrens
SizeTiny
RarityRare
HabitatIts range overlaps only with Dusky Grasswren, which is darker and prefers rocky habitats.
Best timeMost reliable in Western Australia from June.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Mark Carter
Range map
Range map
100visible hotspots
384visible records
2states
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
Usually seen only with a dedicated search. Upperparts rufous-brown, with white throat and pale underparts.
Gallery
Regional timing
Western Australia
Northern Territory
Commonly confused with
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.→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.→