![]() He classified it in the genus Motacilla because its tail reminded him of the European wagtails. William Anderson, surgeon and naturalist on Captain James Cook's third voyage, collected the first superb fairywren specimen in 1777 while traveling off the coast of eastern Tasmania, in Bruny Island's Adventure Bay. Within the genus, the superb fairywren's closest relative is the splendid fairywren these two "blue wrens" are also related to the purple-crowned fairywren of northwestern Australia. The superb fairywren is one of eleven species of the genus Malurus, commonly known as fairywrens, found in Australia and lowland New Guinea. ![]() The superb fairywren was named 'Australian Bird of the Year' for 2021, after a survey conducted by Birdlife Australia saw the species narrowly defeat the tawny frogmouth with a margin of 666 votes (over 400,000 votes were cast in total). The superb fairywren eats mostly insects and supplements its diet with seeds. It has adapted well to the urban environment and is common in suburban Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and Brisbane. The superb fairywren can be found in almost any area that has at least a little dense undergrowth for shelter, including grasslands with scattered shrubs, moderately thick forest, woodland, heaths, and domestic gardens. Male wrens pluck yellow petals and display them to females as part of a courtship display. Like other fairywrens, the superb fairywren is notable for several peculiar behavioural characteristics the birds are socially monogamous and sexually promiscuous, meaning that although they form pairs between one male and one female, each partner will mate with other individuals and even assist in raising the young from such pairings. Six subspecies groups are recognized: three larger and darker forms from Tasmania, Flinders and King Island respectively, and three smaller and paler forms from mainland Australia and Kangaroo Island. Non-breeding males, females and juveniles are predominantly grey-brown in colour this gave the early impression that males were polygamous, as all dull-coloured birds were taken for females. It is a sedentary and territorial species, also exhibiting a high degree of sexual dimorphism the male in breeding plumage has a striking bright blue forehead, ear coverts, mantle, and tail, with a black mask and black or dark blue throat. The superb fairywren ( Malurus cyaneus) is a passerine bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae, and is common and familiar across south-eastern Australia.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |