Malurus lamberti
Silhouette: Michael Scroggie · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The variegated fairywren (Malurus lamberti) is a fairywren that lives in eastern Australia. As a species that exhibits sexual dimorphism, the brightly coloured breeding male has chestnut shoulders and azure crown and ear coverts, while non-breeding males, females and juveniles have predominantly grey-brown plumage, although females of two subspecies have mainly blue-grey plumage.
Like other fairywrens, the variegated fairywren is a cooperative breeding species, with small groups of birds maintaining and defending small territories year-round. Groups consist of a socially monogamous pair with several helper birds who assist in raising the young. Male wrens pluck yellow petals and display them to females as part of a courtship display. These birds are primarily insectivorous and forage and live in the shelter of scrubby vegetation east of the Great Dividing Range. Populations across central, northern and western Australia were considered subspecies of this species until 2018, when they were reclassified as the purple-backed fairywren.
The variegated fairywren was originally described by Nicholas Aylward Vigors and Thomas Horsfield in 1827, and was at first... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taronga Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Variegated Fairywren sighting in Brisbane on a given day, based on 3,334 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 50th most-seen of the 237 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August and September
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Variegated Fairywren in Brisbane on a given day, against about 10% in January, the lowest month. Those are among Brisbane's driest months, with about 40 mm of rain a month against 160 mm in February.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Variegated Fairywren sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Variegated Fairywren sightings, Brisbane has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Sydney (Australia, about 10%).
Same genus: Malurus
The closest relatives of the Variegated Fairywren that you can see in Brisbane (genus Malurus, Typical Fairywrens) are Superb Fairywren (about 40%) and Red-backed Fairy-wren (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Variegated Fairywren is recorded against all the birds logged in Brisbane (3,334 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.
