Profile
In flight
Songbirds
Superb Fairywren
Malurus cyaneus
- rare
- 42 km/h
- Least Concern
Tiny, electric blue, and absurdly charming. A guaranteed favorite.
- Population
- Global population size not quantified by BirdLife/IUCN; species is widespread and described as common, with a stable population trend
- Habitat
- Open eucalypt woodland, forest edge, heathland, scrub and grassland with at least a little dense shrubby understory or ground cover for shelter; well-adapted to urban parks, gardens, and other green spaces
- Fun fact
- Although Superb Fairywrens live in stable, apparently monogamous family groups with helper birds ("socially monogamous, sexually promiscuous"), the species has one of the highest recorded rates of extra-pair paternity in birds — a large majority of chicks in a nest are often sired by a male from outside the social pair, and males are known to pluck yellow flower petals to display to females during courtship.
- Range
- Endemic to south-eastern Australia — from south-eastern Queensland through eastern New South Wales, Victoria, and south-eastern South Australia (to southern Eyre Peninsula/Kangaroo Island), plus Tasmania, King Island, and Flinders Island
- Diet
- Predominantly insectivorous, foraging mostly on the ground and in low vegetation for ants, grasshoppers, shield bugs, flies, weevils, and larvae (heavy reliance on ants in winter); supplemented with small amounts of seeds, flowers, and fruit
- Size
- 0.14 m
- Wingspan
- 0.18 m
- Lifespan
- 6 years
