Malurus melanocephalus
Silhouette: Michael Scroggie · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The red-backed fairywren (Malurus melanocephalus) is a species of passerine bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It is endemic to Australia and can be found near rivers and coastal areas along the northern and eastern coastlines from the Kimberley in the northwest to the Hunter Region in New South Wales. The male adopts a striking breeding plumage, with a black head, upperparts and tail, and a brightly coloured red back and brown wings. The female has brownish upperparts and paler underparts. The male in eclipse plumage and the juvenile resemble the female. Some males remain in non-breeding plumage while breeding.
The red-backed fairywren mainly eats insects, and supplements its diet with seed and small fruit. The preferred habitat is heathland and savannah, particularly where low shrubs and tall grasses provide cover. It can be nomadic in areas where there are frequent bushfires, although pairs or small groups of birds maintain and defend territories year-round in other parts of its range. Groups consist of a socially monogamous pair with one or more helper birds who assist in raising the young. These helpers are progeny that have attained sexual maturity yet remain with the family group for one or more years after fledging. The red-backed fairywren is sexually promiscuous, and each partner may mate with other individuals and even assist in raising the young from such pairings. Older males in breeding plumage are more likely to engage in this behaviour than are those breeding in eclipse plumage. As part of a courtship display, the male wren plucks red petals from flowers and displays them to females. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brisbane | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Red-backed Fairy-wren sighting in Brisbane on a given day, based on 4,294 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 39th most-seen of the 237 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July to March
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Red-backed Fairy-wren in Brisbane on a given day, against about 20% in April to June, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-backed Fairy-wren sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Brisbane, in our data
Brisbane is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Red-backed Fairy-wren sightings: about 30% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Malurus
The closest relatives of the Red-backed Fairy-wren that you can see in Brisbane (genus Malurus, Typical Fairywrens) are Superb Fairywren (about 40%) and Variegated Fairywren (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red-backed Fairy-wren is recorded against all the birds logged in Brisbane (4,294 verified sightings), 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.
