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A small bird with a very long blue tail that is held cocked.
Not listed
Endemic to Australia
Indigenous: Ninin, Wididjirr'wididjirr, A-Wirdijirrwirdijirr, Yundiyundi, Wurramagu, Narangem, Jitjjiwk
At a glance
FamilyFairywrens
SizeSmall
RarityCommon
HabitatDense shrubs, grassy margins, scrub, hedgerows, and low cover near open feeding patches.
Best timeMost reliable in New South Wales from August to January.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Marc Anderson
Range map
Range map
8003visible hotspots
153318visible 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
The tail is very long with small pale tips sometimes visible. Females are grayish birds with pale fronts, long blue tails, and very dark red patch between the eye and the bill (lores). This species is found in coastal New South Wales and Southeast Queensland, where it prefers wet and dense vegetation. In southeast Queensland it is believed occur mainly east of the Great Dividing Range, so take care when in this area to distinguish from Purple-backed Fairywren when close to the divide.
Behavior
Breeding male has a bright pale-blue helmet, black breast, royal-blue back and chestnut shoulders.
Gallery