There are many different species of Australasian wrens in the Maluridae family, but one of the most common is the red-winged fairywren (Malurus elegans). In far southwest Australia, this chestnut-shouldered fairy-wren is found in gullies and near creeks, where shrubberies grow close to water. There is usually only one dominant pair, and some of their young of the year live in much the same territory all year round as the red-winged fairywren, a sedentary, communal bird.
As they hop about, gleaning insects from the shrub cover and occasionally seeds, they carry their bushy tails high above their heads as they feed unobtrusively. Females build the nests in tangles of shrubbery, and they are larger than usual. Incubation is carried out without assistance.
Several members of the group assist in raising the young, and all can be provoked to perform ‘rodent-run’ distraction displays when intruders enter the nest. There are several names for this bird, including Elegant Fairy Wren and Marsh Wren. The male adopts brilliantly colored breeding plumage, a non-migratory bird that exhibits a high degree of sexual dimorphism.
Spring and summer are times when birds are active in bursts throughout the day, and singing accompanies their foraging. Birds are able to rest between forays because insects are plentiful and easy to catch. The heat of the day often leads to groups sheltering together and resting. During the winter, food is scarcer, and they must continuously forage for food throughout the day. During this period, ants constitute a significant portion of the diet and are an important food source.
Approximately 135–155 mm is the length of the red-winged fairywren. Silvery blue is the color of the crown, mantle, and long-pointed ear covers on the male bird. The lower back, lores, and nape collar appear black on the male bird. There are navy-blue patches on the throat and breast, along with dark chestnut patches on the scapulars. A grayish-brown color characterizes the wings and tail, whereas a grayish-white color characterizes the belly.
The eyes are brown in color. Black is the color of the bill. The feet are dusky in color. Non-breeding plumage is similar to that of a female, but the lores are black. A female bird is gray-brown above with a grayer crown. Breasts and throats are white, but the lower parts are grayer. There is no encircling of the eyes on the lores, and the tail and black bill on the males are dark chestnuts. There is a brownish tint to the tail and bill of an immature bird.
Red-winged fairywren use vocal communication primarily to communicate within a social group as well as to advertise and defend a territory. In contact, red-winged fairywrens call softly; in alarm, they call loudly, rapidly repeating strrrrts. Nevertheless, the song is a high-pitched trilled warble introduced with two to four chirps. Nesting and breeding take place between September and December. Other fairy wrens have smaller nests. The nests of the fairy wrens have coarse domes with side entrances. A nest is made of leaves, bark fibers, grass, and down; it is usually close to the ground, often in a clump of sword grass (Lepidosperma).
There are two or three eggs laid by the bird, which are white with a pink-brown speck at the larger end. Eggs measure about 15×12 mm and are oblong in shape. Females are responsible for incubation. Foraging in bracken and low shrubs, as well as leaf litter near the shelter, the red-winged fairywren is an active and restless feeder. Throughout the breeding season, they consume spiders, bugs, and caterpillars, along with ants, beetles, and other small creatures, mainly insects.
Distributed in high-rainfall areas of the extreme southwest of Western Australia, it can be found in gulleys and creekside shrubberies of forests. Fairywrens are generally very successful at surviving from one season to the next, with the red-winged fairywren having the highest success rate. The oldest red-winged fairywren known to date reached the age of 16 years, and it is not unusual to see them reach the age of ten.
Read More: Red-backed fairywren
