Upperparts pale brown, with even paler brown underparts.
Vulnerable
Endemic to Australia
At a glance
FamilyFairywrens
SizeTiny
RarityUncommon
HabitatSmall brownish bird with fine white streaking and long cocked tail, found in open shrubland of northern South Australia and northwestern New South Wales (different subspecies).
Best timeMost reliable in South Australia from August to October.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Gregor Smith
Range map
Range map
175visible hotspots
1199visible 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
Much more solidly built than fairywrens, with fine white streaks on head and chest.
Behavior
Forages on the ground, darting between shrubs.
Gallery
Regional timing
South Australia
New South Wales
Western Australia
Northern Territory
Commonly confused with
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.→Western GrasswrenAmytornis textilisUpperparts brownish, with paler buff-brown belly. Much more solidly built than fairywrens, with fine white streaks on head and chest.→