Splendid Fairywren

1. Breeding males have bright blue and black plumage with a black eye-stripe and chest band.

2. Females show a reddish-tan line from the beak through the eye and a reddish-tan bill.

3. Non-breeding males are brownish with blue in the wings and tail and a black bill.

Splendid Fairy-wrens live in cooperative groups, usually consisting of a breeding pair and several helpers, often offspring from previous seasons. They are socially monogamous but over a third of young sired by males outside the group`.` The female builds a domed nest in dense shrubs and incubates the eggs, while all group members help feed the chicks. Their diet is mainly insects, foraged from both the ground and shrubs. Habitat loss from land clearing and frequent fires threatens their populations by reducing the dense undergrowth they need for nesting and shelter.

Splendid Fairy-wrens inhabit dense shrublands and woodland understory across inland and southwestern Australia. They prefer areas with dense acacia (especially Mulga) and mallee eucalypt habitats with spinifex undergrowth. In the southwest, they are found in healthy understory of eucalypt woodland and coastal scrub. Look for small groups foraging in low shrubs and on the ground, especially in the early morning. Their call is a rapid, metallic reel, louder and harsher than other fairy-wrens

The Splendid Fairy-wren comprises several subspecies adapted to different Australian environments, from southwestern woodlands to arid inland shrublands.