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A small bird with a very long blue tail that is held cocked.
Not listed
At a glance
FamilyFairywrens
SizeTiny
RarityCommon
HabitatDense shrubs, grassy margins, scrub, hedgerows, and low cover near open feeding patches.
Best timeMost reliable in Queensland from June to September.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Louis Masarei
Range map
Range map
4603visible hotspots
49382visible records
5states
SparseModerateDense hotspot
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
Small 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.
Behavior
Breeding male has a bright pale-blue helmet, black breast, purple back, and chestnut shoulders.
Gallery