The Fairywren Files

We finally have the trifecta of Fairywren photos to share with you. These are the three species of Fairywren found on Raakajlim. We have been following them around for quite a while so feel that we know them quite well.

First up is the Splendid Fairywren - bold and bossy. Noisy. Always chasing other males around. He might accidentally land on your hat. Check out the “face-fan” display. Apparently this flaring of the iridescent blue ear tufts is a sexual or aggressive display ... yeah-nah not so scary ...

Then there's the Purple-Backed Fairywren - shy but curious. He will nearly, but not quite, come out of the depths of the bushes to see what the funny squeaking noise is that you're making with your mouth. Fairywrens seem to be a bit like orchids: beautiful but a taxonomic nightmare. In 2018, what we knew as a Variegated Fairywren was split off and are now only found east of the Dividing Range. Our ex-Variegated are now called Purple-backed. I thought Purple-backed was a misnomer but there is just the tiniest bit of purple between the shoulder blades.

And finally, the White-winged Fairywren - shy and cheeky. He'll flash his white wings from a great distance but always stay just ahead of you and out of range for a good photo. He entices you to follow him and before you know it you've been out there for hours and you've missed lunch.

There is so much more to learn about Fairywrens here: https://fairywrenproject.org This citizen science project is asking us to record the plumage of the Fairywrens we see.

All these photos are of males in breeding plumage. Apparently, some of the older Fairywren males manage to keep their colors year-round. However, there’s also “eclipse” plumage - the winter or non-breeding plumage when males look deceptively like females. Here’s some tips for distinguishing eclipse males from females:

Splendid Fairywren - Females have light rufous-brown eye-ring and lores (feathers between the eye and beak), and a beak of similar color. Eclipse males have black lores and a black beak with bluish wings. Both have dull turquoise tails.
Purple-backed Fairywren - Again, looking for the black lores and black beak of the eclipse males. The females have dark rufous lores and eye-ring extending from a slightly lighter rufous bill. Both have blue-black tails.
White-winged Fairywrens, it’s rarely possible to distinguish between males in dull/eclipse plumage, females, and juveniles with fully-grown tails. Sorry!

Armed with this knowledge, here are some photos of the less showy Fairywrens (click for full size).