Southern Emuwren

Southern Emuwren

Stipiturus malachurus

Silhouette: Michael Scroggie · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR Endemic
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Sydney

In 3 days <5%

24 Verified sightings at Sydney
675 In all 7 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Southern Emuwren

The southern emu-wren (Stipiturus malachurus) is a species of bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It is endemic to Australia. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, and Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, and swamplands.

The adult male has rusty-brown upper parts with streaks of black, the crown more reddish and grey-brown wings. It has a sky-blue throat, upper chest and eyebrow. The tail is double the body length, and is composed of six filamentous feathers, the central two of which are longer than the lateral ones. The underparts are pale red-brown, paler on the belly. The bill is black and the feet and eyes are brown. The female is darker streaked and lacks the blue plumage and redder crown. Its bill is brown with a pale grey base.

Throughout its range, the southern emu-wren inhabits marshes, low heathland and dune areas. At least one subspecies is present near the site of the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex near Port Lincoln, on the Eyre Peninsula of South Australia.

The southern emu-wren is one of three species of the genus Stipiturus, commonly known as emu-wrens, found across... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:09

Australia · 2023

© Romuald Mikusek · XC1169639 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:41

Australia · 2023

© Peter Boesman · XC860195 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Alarm call0:17

Australia · 2017

© Greg McLachlan · XC394357 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Great Otway National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
2 Flinders Chase 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
3 Booderee National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
4 Royal National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
5 Wilsons Promontory National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
6 Grampians National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
7 Blue Mountains National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Sydney 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Southern Emuwren in Sydney?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Emuwren sighting in Sydney on a given day, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 191st most-seen of the 243 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Southern Emuwren in Sydney?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Emuwren in Sydney on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Southern Emuwren?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern 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.

Where else can you see a Southern Emuwren?

Only Sydney, in our data

Sydney is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Southern Emuwren sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Which relatives of the Southern Emuwren live in Sydney?

Same family: Maluridae

The closest relatives of the Southern Emuwren that you can see in Sydney (family Maluridae, Fairywrens and Allies) are Superb Fairywren (about 40%) and Variegated Fairywren (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Southern Emuwren sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Southern Emuwren is recorded against all the birds logged in Sydney (24 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.

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