White-winged Fairywren
Malurus leucopterus· 细尾鹩莺科(1 photos)
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White-winged Fairywren
11.5-13 cm. Nominate race, male breeding: black (often with some blue feathers), with mostly white wings. Race leuconotus: cobalt-blue (occasionally black or with some black feathers); wings mostly white. Male, eclipse: like female; bill dark horn in older birds; moulting birds patchy. Female and immature: palest, dullest fairy-wren; no eye-marking; bill sandy-brown; upperparts pale mouse-brown; tail washed grey-blue; underparts off-white; flanks buffish. Parties of 8-12, mostly 'brown birds'. Shy; forages in low vegetation. In flight, male's buzzing white wings show against blue body.
- Other names
- Black-and-white, Blue-and-white, White-backed Fairy-wren.
- Voice
- rapid, undulating musical reeling, like fishing reel; splintered, insect-like 'prip prip'.
- Habitat
- nominate race: low heath, scrub, saltbush. Race leuconotus: tall grasses, low dense shrubs; tangled clumps on open, often treeless arid wastes; saltbush, bluebush, roly-poly, spinifex, dead finish, lignum, swamp cane-grass; margins of salt lakes, coastal inlets, saltfields.
- Breeding
- mostly Aug.-Feb.
- Nest
- domed, of grasses, plant stems, spiders' web, plant down; low in shrub, grass.
- Eggs
- 3-4; white, finely spotted red-brown, purplish.
- Range & Status
- nominate race: Dirk Hartog I.; race edouardi Barrow I. (WA). Common. Sedentary. Race leuconotus: w. coastal and inland Aust., from Broome (Anna Plains) region (WA) to Tanami-Banka Banka (NT), s. Barkly Tableland e. to c. Mt Isa-Richmond-Roma-Goondiwindi (Q); inland NSW, e. to w. foothills of Divide; nw. Vic., e. to c. Kerang; Murray mallee (SA), to coastal areas near Adelaide; coastally w. from Streaky Bay (SA) to Esperance (WA), thence to near Perth. Common. Part-nomadic.
- Distribution key to races
- 1. Malurus leucopterus leucopterus 2. Malurus leucopterus edouardi 3. Malurus leucopterus leuconotus
