Stipiturus ruficeps
Silhouette: Michael Scroggie · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The rufous-crowned emu-wren (Stipiturus ruficeps) is a species of bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It is endemic to Australia. The rufous-crowned emu-wren is one of three species of the genus Stipiturus, commonly known as emu-wrens, found across southern and central Australia. It was first described in 1899 by Archibald James Campbell, more than a century after its relative the southern emu-wren. Its species name is derived from the Latin words rufus "red" and caput "head". No subspecies are recognised, although birds from Western Australia may have redder plumage, and females more blue on the face and lores. It has been considered a subspecies of both the southern and mallee emu-wrens in the past. The common name of the genus is derived from the resemblance of their tails to the feathers of an emu.
The rufous-crowned emu-wren is the smallest and most brightly coloured of the three emu-wren species. The adult male has reddish upperparts with faint streaks, with a prominently rufous crown and grey-brown wings. It has a bright sky blue throat, upper chest, lores and ear coverts. The lores and ear coverts, and chest border... Wikipedia →
Song0:44
Australia · 2018
© Mark Carter · XC561451 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Song0:42
Australia · 2014
© John Graff · XC186219 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Recording0:18
Australia · 2026
© Darcy Creece · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Cape Range | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-crowned Emuwren sighting in Cape Range on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 66th most-seen of the 84 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-crowned Emuwren in Cape Range on a given day, against under 5% in March–May, July–October and December–January, the lowest months. That is one of Cape Range's wettest months, with about 55 mm of rain against almost none in October. February has too few records to rate.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous-crowned Emuwren sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Rufous-crowned Emuwren sightings, Cape Range ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Ningaloo Marine Park (Australia, about 10%).
Same family: Maluridae
The closest relatives of the Rufous-crowned Emuwren that you can see in Cape Range (family Maluridae, Fairywrens and Allies) are White-winged Fairywren (about 40%) and Purple-backed Fairywren (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous-crowned Emuwren is recorded against all the birds logged in Cape Range (14 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
