Superb Fairywren

dalah (Bundjalung name)

Malurus cyaneus

Songs & Calls

The Superb Fairy-wren gives a series of high pitched trills, which are given by both sexes. The male often extends these trills into song. Bird call recorded by Richard White.

Local Notes

The Superb Fairywren is one of my favourite birds. Every morning, at breakfast, the little blue-faced bird would hop into our kitchen with its brown female friends and hop under the table to eat the crumbs my little sister, Stevie, and I had dropped. Now, whenever I see them round the garden, it reminds me of this happy memory.

by Marley Tan

Bird Overview

Known for their dazzling breeding plumage and adulterous behaviour, small urban birds like the Superb Fairy-wren are showing concerning signs of decline.

Identification

Adult male Superb Fairy-wrens are brightly coloured, especially during the breeding season. They have rich blue and black plumage above and on the throat. The belly is grey-white and the bill is black.

Females and young birds are mostly brown above with a dull red-orange area around the eye and a brown bill. Immature and non-breeding males have a black bill.

Females have a pale greenish gloss, absent in young birds, on the otherwise brown tail. The legs are brown in both sexes. Males from further inland and in the south-west of the range have more blue on the back and underparts.