July 22nd, 2011

Sydney fairy-wren identification

IS THERE anyone who doesn’t adore fairy-wrens? The stunning breeding plumage of the males during the warmer months brings plenty of colour into every nature outing and the hives of activity which are the extended family groups of these birds brings plenty of life to the bush and, for the lucky few, their urban gardens. Adding to their charisma is the charm of those perky cocked tails as these tiny gems of the Aussie bush bounce around the understorey.

For many in the Sydney region, however, there is a dark side to these colourful little birds, a source of deep and enduring frustration that leaves bird watchers with a sense of worthlessness in their trade and embarrassed downward glances as they describe circles in the dust of trails with their feet every time they encounter these birds . . . for the uninitiated, the females are simply very difficult to identify, as are the males when not in breeding plumage.

Fairy-wrens are small, insectivorous birds which carry their tails “cocked”, or erect and are generally found in small matriarchal family groups. Although restricted to Australia and New Guinea, there isn’t one part of the Australian continent which doesn’t have at least one species present. Genetic studies have revealed that they’re distant relations of the corvids, the crow group, as are all old, endemic Australian passerines. Some species are among our most heavily studied birds and whilst some have adapted well to the presence of humans others are on the back foot and some are headed for the back door unless better management practices are put in place. In terms of the latter, I refer mostly to the Purple-crowned Fairy-wren, which is seeing its range shrunk considerably by the activities of the “pastoral” industry and thoughtless 4 wheel drive enthusiasts (more on this in a future post).

Two species can be found in the Sydney region and, whilst we all celebrate their presence, many birders struggle with identifying the species of the female birds year round and the males during winter when they’re in eclipse (non-breeding) plumage. The two species in question are the Variegated Fairy-wren Malurus lamberti and the Superb Fairy-wren M. cyaneus.

A simple diagnosis

The key to understanding the differences between these two species is actually very easy and that is that if you were to remove the tail of any fairy-wren in locations where these birds both occur and lie it along the bird’s back, if it appears to be barely longer than the bird’s body, it’s a Superb Fairy-wren and if it is significantly longer, it’s a Variegated Fairy-wren.

Now, because we don’t always get a good look at the whole bird, it’s often a good idea to have more than one diagnostic tool handy so tail colour can help us too. If the tail is brown, you have a Superb Fairy-wren but we need to be cautious here, as some male Superb Fairy-wrens can show a considerable amount of blue in their tail even in eclipse plumage, especially in certain qualities of light, so we have to return to the tail length in those cases to make the call.

Determining the sexes

Separating the sexes is simple enough, the females have rufous lores, a rufous eye ring and pinkish bills, the males during summer are in their very festive breeding plumage. In the winter, the males have no eye rings, but black bills. The male Variegated Fairy-wren has a thick, black “moustache” (see image) whilst the male Superb Fairy-wren has a smaller and thinner black “moustache”.

Printable ID Guides for download

I have created printable A4 guides to identifying these birds, which are available here:

• Breeding plumage fairy-wren ID [1.7 MB]
• Non-breeding plumage fairy-wren ID [1.7 MB]

You should now feel confident that next time you get out into the bush that you’re going to be a new birder: one who can make those strident fairy-wren ID calls that will no doubt impress all your birding buddies who are looking at their feet whilst drawing circles with them in the dirt.

Until next time . . . Happy birding!

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