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Splendid Fairy-wren (Malurus splendens) Alternate name(s): "Splendid Wren", "Banded Wren", "Black-backed Blue Wren", "Turquoise Wren" Aboriginal name(s): "miril-yiril-yiri" Collectively, the three species White-winged Fairy-wren, Splendid Fairy-wren and Purple-backed Fairy-wren, are called "miril-yiril-yiri" along the northern edge of the Nullarbor Size: 12-14 cm; wing span: 14-16 cm Body mass: 8-12 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.16-0.22

Australia: Family Group 16 Family Group 16 Table Purple-crowned Fairy-wren White-winged Fairy-wren Splendid Fairy-wren Superb Fairy-wren Variegated Fairy-wren Purple-backed Fairy-wren Blue-breasted Fairy-wren Lovely Fairy-wren Red-winged Fairy-wren Red-backed Fairy-wren Southern Emu-wren Rufous-crowned Emu-wren Carpentarian Grasswren Eyrean Grasswren Striated Grasswren Thick-billed Grasswren Western Grasswren Dusky Grasswren Kalkadoon Grasswren Grey Grasswren Black Grasswren Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Splendid Fairy-wrens are tiny birds with long tails. Like all other Australian fairy-wren species, their plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are different. In addition, males have different breeding and eclipse plumages. Male Splendid Fairy-wrens in breeding plumage have black eye stripes extending to the nape of the neck, a black chest band and a black rump. All other body parts are coloured in various hues of blue to violet-blue. The long, blue tail has outer feathers with a narrow white tip. The bill is black, the legs and feet are dark-grey. Female Splendid Fairy-wrens have a white throat and creamy front, with a greyish-brown head and back, brown wings with blueish wing tips and blue tail. They have brown eye-rings and lores. The bill, legs and feet are orange-brown. Male Splendid Fairy-wrens in eclipse do not have brown lores or eye-rings and a deeper blue in their flight feathers and tail than females. They keep their dark legs and feet, but otherwise they resemble females. Juveniles resemble females, except when very young, when they have shorter tail feathers. Twitcher's tip Male Splendid Fairy-wrens in breeding plumage are the only species of Australian fairy-wrens that are all black and blue.

Taxonomy, classification See Splendid Fairy-wren at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Splendid Fairy-wren is available HERE . NB: Reports on ebird of birds submitted by birdwatchers from the Australian Outback tend to be clustered along roads and public areas such as camp grounds; in such cases their distribution is not a good representation of the overall distribution of the species. Splendid Fairy-wrens are endemic to the Australian continent. They are found mostly inland, in semi-arid environments. The overall distribution of the four races of Splendid Fairy-wrens is complex - see a field guide for details. Nominate race "splendens" is found in WA, along the West coast up to about Exmouth, WA, and along the South coast up to about Eucla, WA. Inland they are found to about Kalgoorlie, WA. Race "musgravi" is present in the southern half of the NT and most of SA, with the exceptions of both the Lake Eyre Basin and the Nullarbor. Race "melanotus" occurs in South-East SA, to the East of Eyre Peninsula, through outback NSW and the lower part of the Murray-Darling Basin, into far South-West QLD. In the subtropical part of inland western QLD race "emmottorum" is found. Between these races there are hybrid zones (occasionally even between races "splendens" and "musgravi" via the Gibson Desert). Splendid Fairy-wrens are usually found in various types of semi-arid habitats, such as e.g. mallee, dense scrub or the underbrush of scrub and woodland.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "splendens" C. Pears reports finding Splendid Fairy-wrens, nominate race "splendens", regularly in Quindalup, WA. C. Pears also spotted Splendid Fairy-wrens, nominate race "splendens", at Bold Park, City Beach, Perth, WA, in May 2021. J. Greaves reports spotting Splendid Fairy-wrens, nominate race "splendens", at Cheynes Beach, Albany, WA, in January 2015, at Manjimup, WA, in March 2015, in Balingup, WA, in May 2016, and at Gnoocardup, WA, in December 2016. C. Minchinson found a Splendid Fairy-wren, nominate race "splendens", at Quindalup, WA, in January 2015. M. Eaton found Splendid Fairy-wrens, nominate race "splendens", at Beeliar North Lake, Cockburn, WA, in April 2019. Race "melanotus" C. Charles reports spotting Splendid Fairy-wrens, race "melanotus", at Mt. Hope, Nombinnie NP, NSW, in September 2010. We spotted Splendid Fairy-wrens, race "melanotus", at Gundabooka NP, 50 km south of Bourke, NSW, in September 2012. B. Hensen reports spotting Splendid Fairy-wrens, race "melanotus", at Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary, near Cunnamulla, QLD, in October 2012. M. Eaton found them at the same location in August 2018. They were found there again by M. Eaton and ourselves in June 2019. M. Eaton also found Splendid Fairy-wrens, race "melanotus", at Kilcowera Station, between Thargomindah and Hungerford, QLD, in June 2020. Race "musgravi" M. Eaton reports spotting Splendid Fairy-wrens, race "musgravi", at Lake Gilles, SA, in October 2022.

Photos

Race "splendens"

ADULT

MALE

BREEDING

Frontal view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Gnoocardup, WA, December 2016]

Near-frontal view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Gnoocardup, WA, December 2016]

Near-lateral view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of C. Minchinson)
[Quindalup, WA, January 2015]

Near-lateral view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage with its tail cocked (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Quindalup, WA, January 2012]

Near-dorsal view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Gnoocardup, WA, December 2016]

Near-frontal view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren moulting out of breeding plumage (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Quindalup, WA, February 2025]

Lateral view of a moulting male Splendid Fairy-wren, with much of the breeding plumage still visible; note the absence of any tail feathers (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Cheynes Beach, Albany, WA, January 2015]

Lateral view of a moulting male Splendid Fairy-wren; note the absence of any tail feathers (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Cheynes Beach, Albany, WA, January 2015]

Dorsal view of a moulting male Splendid Fairy-wren (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Cheynes Beach, Albany, WA, January 2015]

NON-BREEDING

Frontal view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Beeliar North Lake, Cockburn, WA, April 2019]

Near-frontal view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Quindalup, WA, August 2022]

Near-lateral view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in non-breeding plumage; Splendid Fairy-wrens are the only one of the "brown" fairy-wren species retaining some blue on the wings in eclipse (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Beeliar North Lake, Cockburn, WA, April 2019]

Near-lateral view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Manjimup, WA, March 2015]

Lateral view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Beeliar North Lake, Cockburn, WA, April 2019]

Lateral view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in non-breeding plumage issuing its call
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Beeliar North Lake, Cockburn, WA, April 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in non-breeding plumage, front, with two females in the background
(photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Quindalup, WA, July 2024]

Near-dorsal view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Quindalup, WA, August 2022]

FEMALE

Close-up near-frontal view of a female Splendid Fairy-wren (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Quindalup, WA, February 2025]

Near-frontal view of a female Splendid Fairy-wren looking sideways (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Quindalup, WA, August 2022]

Close-up near-lateral view of a female Splendid Fairy-wren (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Manjimup, WA, March 2015]

Close-up near-lateral view of a female Splendid Fairy-wren (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Quindalup, WA, February 2025]

Close-up lateral view of a female Splendid Fairy-wren (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Quindalup, WA, February 2025]

Lateral view of a female Splendid Fairy-wren (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Balingup, WA, May 2016]

Close-up dorsal view of a female Splendid Fairy-wren (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Quindalup, WA, February 2025]

Race "melanotus"

ADULT

MALE

BREEDING

Frontal view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary, near Cunnamulla, QLD, August 2018]

Frontal view of a preening male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary, near Cunnamulla, QLD, August 2018]

Near-frontal view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kilcowera Station, between Thargomindah and Hungerford, QLD, June 2020]

Near-lateral view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage looking towards the observer (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Opalton, QLD, August 2022]

Near-lateral view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary, near Cunnamulla, QLD, August 2018]

Lateral view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Opalton, QLD, August 2022]

Lateral view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kilcowera Station, between Thargomindah and Hungerford, QLD, June 2020]

Lateral view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kilcowera Station, between Thargomindah and Hungerford, QLD, June 2020]

Lateral view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage with a petal in its bill (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary, near Cunnamulla, QLD, June 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary, near Cunnamulla, QLD, August 2018]

Near-dorsal view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage with a petal in its bill (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary, near Cunnamulla, QLD, June 2019]

Close-up near-dorsal view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage looking back at the observer
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Opalton, QLD, August 2022]

Close-up near-dorsal view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Opalton, QLD, August 2022]

Near-dorsal view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary, near Cunnamulla, QLD, August 2018]

Dorsal view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary, near Cunnamulla, QLD, August 2018]

NON-BREEDING

Frontal view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren just starting to moult into breeding plumage (photo courtesy of C. Charles)
[Mt. Hope, Nombinnie NP, NSW, September 2010]

FEMALE

Near-frontal view of a female Splendid Fairy-wren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary, near Cunnamulla, QLD, June 2022]

Near-lateral view of a female Splendid Fairy-wren looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Opalton, QLD, August 2022]

Lateral view of a female Splendid Fairy-wren
[Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary, near Cunnamulla, QLD, June 2019]

Lateral view of a female Splendid Fairy-wren
[Gundabooka NP, NSW, September 2012]

Near-dorsal view of a female Splendid Fairy-wren
[Gundabooka NP, NSW, September 2012]

Race "musgravi"

ADULT

MALE

BREEDING

Frontal view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Gilles, SA, October 2022]

Frontal view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Gilles, SA, October 2022]

Near-lateral view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Gilles, SA, October 2022]

Lateral view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Gilles, SA, October 2022]

FEMALE

Near-frontal view of a female Splendid Fairy-wren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Gilles, SA, October 2022]

Near-lateral view of a female Splendid Fairy-wren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Gilles, SA, October 2022]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Aug - Jan

Eggs: 3 - 4

Incubation period: 14 - 16 days

Fledging age: ca. 14(?) days

Nest building: Dominant female

Incubation: Female

Dependent care: Family clan

View into a Splendid Fairy-wren nest which at the time had hatchlings in it (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Opalton, QLD, August 2022]

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Dome

Material: Grass stems, webs; feather lining

Height above ground: 0.5 - 1.5 m

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 17 x 13 mm

Colour: Light cream, with sparse mid- to dark-brown specks

Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Sedentary

Elementary unit: Family clan

As all other species of Fairy-wrens, male Splendid Fairy-wrens have breeding and non-breeding (eclipse) plumages.

Frontal view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren moulting into breeding plumage (photo courtesy of C. Charles)
[Mt. Hope, Nombinnie NP, NSW, September 2010]

Splendid Fairy-wrens can be used as hosts by small cuckoos, such as e.g. Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo.

Juvenile Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo begging to be fed by a male Splendid Fairy-wren (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)

Juvenile Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo begging to be fed by a female Splendid Fairy-wren (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)

Food, Diet

It is normally difficult to see what exactly Spendid Fairy-wrens feed on. Probably their mainstay are small insects. Below a photo showing a male bird that has caught some a relatively large insect, making it clear that these birds are carnivorous.

Close-up frontal view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage bringing food for its chicks (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Opalton, QLD, August 2022]

Close-up lateral view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage bringing food for its chicks (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Opalton, QLD, August 2022]

Near-lateral view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage with an insect is has caught
[Gundabooka NP, NSW, September 2012]

Near-frontal view of a female Splendid Fairy-wren scavenging on bread (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Manjimup, WA, March 2015]

Lateral view of a female Splendid Fairy-wren scavenging on bread (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Manjimup, WA, March 2015]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

splwren_20170920.m4a	splendens (W NSW)	Territorial call (male)	© MD
splwren_20170920_2.m4a	splendens (W NSW)	Territorial call Q&A	© MD
splwren_jg_20150124.mp3	splendens (SW WA)	Territorial call (male?)	© JG

More Splendid Fairy-wren sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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