Red-backed Fairywren
Malurus melanocephalus· 细尾鹩莺科(6 photos)
Locations:
Red-backed Fairywren
10-13 cm. Smallest fairy-wren. Male, nominate race: chocolate-brown, back orange-scarlet. Male, race cruentatus: black, with crimson back; tail short, blackish. Male, eclipse: like female; patchy when moulting. Female, both races: bill/legs pinkish brown; no eye-markings; upperparts/tail pale brown washed cinnamon; underparts fawn-white, washed ochre. Immature: like female; tail longer. Pairs, family parties, companies of 30-40; 'brown birds' predominating. Shy; tamer near settlement.
- Similar Species
- Variegated Fairy-wren, female. White-winged Fairy-wren, female.
- Voice
- louder, more irregular reel than Variegated; other notes robust.
- Habitat
- tall grass, in open woodlands, swamp-woodlands; rainforest fringes; lantana, other scrubby thickets; plantations, gardens. Inland, tall grass on watercourses, foothills; low scrubs, spinifex, plantations, gardens.
- Breeding
- Nov.-March; in coastal se. Aust., Aug.-Feb.
- Nest
- globular, of grass, bark strips, leaves; in grass, low shrub, thicket.
- Eggs
- 3 (4); white, sparsely, finely spotted light red, mostly at large end.
- Range & Status
- race cruentatus: coastal n. and e. Aust.: from c. Broome (WA), Kimberley and Top End (NT), s. to Tanami-Tennant Creek-Barkly Highway; in Q, e. to C. York Pen. and ne. coast; inland to Mt Isa-Richmond. Nominate race: e. Q, from c. Cooktown coastally s. to c. Myall Lakes (NSW), inland to Carnarvon Ras.-Bunya Mts-Warwick (Q); Casino and c. 30 km w. of Gloucester (NSW). Races intergrade between c. Cooktown-Burdekin-Gilbert Rs., ne. Q. Common. Sedentary.
- Distribution key to races
- 1. Malurus melanocephalus cruentatus 2. Malurus melanocephalus melanocephalus
