What do Superb Fairy-wrens look like?
The dazzling blue plumage on a breeding male Superb Fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus) will catch your eye. The males steal all the good looks, with females and baby Superb Fairy-wrens being brown with dull red-orange colours around the eye, brown bill and tail.
Where are Superb Fairy-wrens found?
Superb Fairy-wrens are found in Tasmania and throughout eastern Australia to the south-eastern corner of South Australia.
Like most small birds, they can be found wherever there are dense shrubs and bushes. They are common in urban parks and gardens, and can be seen in small social groups of one dominant male and several females and young birds.
Fast facts:
- Superb fairy-wrens are also known as blue wrens.
- Nest building is done entirely by the female in 3-4 days, using spiders’ webs, fine twigs and grass then lined with wool, feathers or animal hair.
Superb Fairy-wrens – the full story
It seems unfair when one member of the family gets all the good looks, especially when it’s the father. But that’s how it is for the Superb Fairy-wren.
Superb Fairy-wrens are found in Tasmania and throughout eastern Australia to the south-eastern corner of South Australia.
The dazzling blue plumage on a breeding male’s head and neck and tail will catch your eye if you’re lucky enough to have one in your area. These beautiful birds are not at all shy of humans and have been known to skip among people sitting on a terrace or veranda.
Somewhere nearby will be a group of small brown birds. These are the females, and ‘stay at home’ sons and daughters of previous broods. Nest building is done entirely by the female in 3-4 days, using spiders’ webs, fine twigs and grass then lined with wool, feathers or animal hair. Only the mother sits on the eggs. The others in the group feed and protect the nestlings once hatched, leaving the mother to lay up to three broods per season.
These fascinating little families of birds may well be your neighbours. Like most small birds, they can be found wherever there are dense shrubs and bushes. They are common in urban parks and gardens, and can be seen feeding in small social groups of one dominant male and several females and young birds.
The Superb Fairy-wren feeds on insects and other small arthropods. They mostly feed on the ground and in low bushes in their family groups – that way, insects disturbed by one bird may fall victim to another.
The family group territory will include a safe fortress of thick-growing shrubs, together with open areas such as lawns which provide a rich food source. Wrens have relatively weak powers of flight but long legs, so they spend most of their time on the ground or in shrubs, moving in a series of hops as they gather food.
Superb Fairy-wrens love:
- Protection from predators – thickets of shrubs with prickly branches or leaves can provide the perfect place to retreat from danger.
- Safe nesting sites – they like to build a nest about 1.2 metres above the ground. The nesting site should be among tightly packed shrubs.
- Eating garden insects. Grasshoppers are a favourite.
- Open areas of lawn or leaf litter, where insects live and breed, providing a ready food supply to fairy-wrens.
But they don’t like:
- Cats, dogs and foxes, which can frighten or even attack them.
- Garden pesticides, which kill insects, leaving the fairy-wrens with not enough to eat.
Try to:
- Plant a corner of your garden with native shrubs, especially those with prickly leaves and branches.
- Keep a your pets indoors or install a cat enclosure or cat run so your cat can go outside without harming any birds.
- Plan your garden so that, over time, there is a variety of shrubs and open mulched areas or lawn.
Avoid:
- Using pesticides if Superb Fairy-wrens move into your garden.
