Bird guideWhite-winged Fairywren

As part of a courtship display , the male wren plucks petals from flowers and displays them to female birds.

⚠️Not listed
🌿Endemic to Australia
🍃Indigenous: Yundiyundi

At a glance

FamilyFairywrens
SizeTiny
RarityCommon
HabitatBreeding males are usually brilliant sapphire blue with bright white wing patches.
Best timeMost reliable in New South Wales from September to October.

Sounds

Sound sample
0:000:00
Recorded by Rob Nicholson

Range map

Range map

3982visible hotspots
39295visible records
5states
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

A 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.

Behavior

Breeding males are usually brilliant sapphire blue with bright white wing patches.

Regional timing

Western Australia
Peak: July to September6,116 records
Queensland
Peak: June to September7,535 records
New South Wales
Peak: September to October9,784 records
South Australia
Peak: July to October7,934 records
Northern Territory
Peak: July to November3,414 records
Victoria
Peak: September to December4,205 records

Commonly confused with

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