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Variegated Fairy-wren (Malurus lamberti) Alternate name(s): "Lavender-flanked Wren", "Bernier Island Blue Wren", "Lambert's Superb Warbler", "Lambert's Wren", "Dulcet Fairy Wren" Size: 13-14 cm; wing span: 13-16 cm Body mass: 6-11 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.13-0.16

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 Variegated 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, malesbreeding and eclipse plumages. Male Variegated Fairy-wrens in breeding plumage have black lores, throats and breasts, off-white bellies and vents, blue eye rings, ear coverts and caps, with reddish-brown wing coverts and dark-brown flight feathers. The tail is dark-blue. The bill is black, the legs and feet are greyish-pink. Female Variegated Fairy-wrens have an off-white front, with a light greyish-brown head, greyish-brown wings and blue tail. The lores are dark-brown, the bill is orange-brown and the legs and feet are the colour of skin. Male Variegated Fairy-wrens in eclipse have black lores. They keep their dark bill and greyish-pink legs and feet, but otherwise they resemble females. Juveniles resemble females, only - when very young - with shorter tail feathers. Twitcher's tip White edge-lining of the tail feathers is characteristic of Variegated Fairy-wrens - note that many field guides do not mention this distinguishing feature! Compared to Red-winged Fairy-wrens, male Variegated Fairy-wrens in breeding plumage have somewhat darker hues of blue on their head and back.

Taxonomy, classification See Variegated Fairy-wren at Wikipedia . Click here for classification information Variegated Fairy-wrens are no longer considered to be conspecific with the Purple-backed Fairy-wren (Malurus assimilis).

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 Variegated Fairy-wren is available HERE . Variegated Fairy-wrens are endemic to Australia. They are found only along the subtropical coast of QLD and NSW, to about the border with VIC. Variegated Fairy-wrens can usually be found in the undergrowth of various types of forest and in heath.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Variegated Fairy-wrens were first observed by us in Crowdy Head NP, on the Headlands Track, in January 2011. I. Duncan reports spotting Variegated Fairy-wrens at South West Rocks, NSW, in February 2012. E. Scott reports finding Variegated Fairy-wrens regularly in Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, NSW, e.g. in September 2016, when they were found breeding there. B. Hensen spotted Variegated Fairy-wrens at St. Albans, NSW, in June 2018. M. Eaton reports finding Variegated Fairy-wrens regularly in various locations around SE QLD, e.g. at Cooloola NP, QLD, in January 2019, at the Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, in July 2022, and at Pullenvale, QLD, in September 2023. The latter were found to have two young fledging the day they were seen.

Photos

ADULT

PAIR

Lateral view of a pair of Variegated Fairy-wrens, male in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, July 2022]

MALE

BREEDING

Full-frontal view of a male Variegated Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale, QLD, October 2023]

Frontal view of a male Variegated Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, July 2022]

Frontal view of a male Variegated Fairy-wren in breeding plumage looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale, QLD, October 2023]

Near-frontal view of a male Variegated Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale, QLD, October 2023]

Near-frontal view of a male Variegated Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Cooloola NP, QLD, January 2019]

Near-frontal view of a male Variegated Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, July 2022]

Near-frontal view of a male Variegated Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, July 2022]

Near-frontal view of a male Variegated Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, July 2022]

Near-frontal view of a male Variegated Fairy-wren in breeding plumage looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale, QLD, October 2023]

Near-lateral view of a male Variegated Fairy-wren in breeding plumage bringing food for its brood (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale, QLD, October 2023]

Lateral view of a male Variegated Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale, QLD, October 2023]

Lateral view of a male Variegated Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of I. Duncan)
[South West Rocks, NSW, September 2012]

Lateral view of a male Variegated Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, July 2022]

Near-dorsal view of a male Variegated Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, July 2022]

Dorsal view of a male Variegated Fairy-wren in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, July 2022]

NON-BREEDING

Near-lateral view of a male Variegated Fairy-wren in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[St. Albans, NSW, June 2018]

Lateral view of a male Variegated Fairy-wren in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[St. Albans, NSW, June 2018]

FEMALE

Frontal view of a female Variegated Fairy-wren looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale, QLD, October 2023]

Near-frontal view of a female Variegated Fairy-wren (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[St. Albans, NSW, June 2018]

Near-lateral view of a female Variegated Fairy-wren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale, QLD, October 2023]

Lateral view of a female Variegated Fairy-wren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, July 2022]

Lateral view of a female Variegated Fairy-wren bringing food for its brood (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale, QLD, October 2023]

Lateral view of a female Variegated Fairy-wren in a state of excitement
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[St. Albans, NSW, June 2018]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Lateral view of a female Variegated Fairy-wren bringing with its two fledgling chicks (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale, QLD, October 2023]

Lateral view of a fledgling Variegated Fairy-wren chick (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale, QLD, October 2023]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Jul - Jan

Eggs: 3 - 4

Incubation period: 14 - 16 days

Fledging age: 10 - 12 days

Variegated Fairy-wrens have a particularly short fledging period for their chicks, compared to the incubation period.

Nest building: ?

Incubation: Female

Dependent care: Family clan

Nest

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

Type: Dome

Material: Bark fibres, grass stems, webs

Height above ground: 0.1 - 0.4 m

Frontal view of a Variegated Fairy-wren nest in a low shrub (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale, QLD, October 2023]

When seen from the side, this Variegated Fairy-wren nest is very hard to spot (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale, QLD, October 2023]

Variegated Fairy-wren nest in a low shrub (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, NSW, September 2016]

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: Creamy, with light-brown speckles

Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Sedentary

Elementary unit: Family clan

Although territorial, we have seen Variegated Fairy-wrens share their territories with Superb Fairy-wrens, even during the breeding season.

Like other Fairy-wrens, male Variegated Fairy-wrens have distinctly different breeding and eclipse plumages.

Lateral view of a male Variegated Fairy-wren moulting into breeding plumage
[Manning Point, NSW, July 2013]

Food, Diet

Fairy-wrens feed on small animals, such as insects.

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.

varwren_me_20220722.m4a	lamberti (SE QLD)	Territorial call (+ White-plumed Honeyeater)	© ME
varwren_me_20220722.m4a	lamberti (SE QLD)	Territorial call (+ Scarlet Honeyeater)	© ME
varwren_art_20131125.mp3	lamberti (SE QLD)	Pair Q&A	© ART
varwren_me_20231026.m4a	lamberti (SE QLD)	All-out alarm; mob with fledging chicks near nest	© ME

More Variegated 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.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.