Malurus cyaneus
Description
Size: 120-150mm
Male in breeding plumage: Sky-blue crown; black nape and upper face; sky-blue cheeks; grey-black back; Throat and breast are blue-black; grey-brown wings; dark tail.
Female: Almost grey-brown all over; orange-brown eye patch.
Non-breeding males are similar to the female but they have a dark tail and lack the orange-brown eye patch.
Call
Individuals keep in contact with a repeated sharp ‘tssst’. At other times a rippling trill decreasing in pitch and volume. A sharp buzzing in alarm.
Distribution
From s-e Qld to Tas, generally within 300km of the coast.
Nesting
Breeds from August to about February but sometimes later after rain, etc. Builds a dome nest of grasses and cobweb, low down in a tussock, dense shrub, field of bracken, etc.
Habits
Within its range, the Superb Fairy-wren can be found in a variety of habitats – sub-alpine woodlands, rainforest, coastal bush, wetland fringes, heathlands and urban parks and gardens. Nearly always found in pairs or small family groups. Family members help rear subsequent offspring and parents can have several broods each season. Common, locally abundant and sedentary.