Malurus assimilis
Silhouette: Michael Scroggie · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
The purple-backed fairywren (Malurus assimilis) is a fairywren that is native to Australia. Described by Alfred John North in 1901, it has four recognised subspecies. In 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. Distributed over much of the Australian continent, the purple-backed fairywren is found in scrubland with plenty of vegetation providing dense cover.
Australian ornithologist Alfred John North described the purple-backed fairywren in 1901, proposing it be called the purple-backed superb warbler. He added that Edward Pierson Ramsay had noted that inland specimens differed from coastal specimens of the variegated fairywren around 25 years previously. However, Australian amateur ornithologist Gregory Mathews considered it a subspecies of the variegated fairywren.
Mathews went on to name subspecies mastersi from the Northern Territory on the basis of a paler blue colouring of the adult male's ear coverts, subspecies... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flinders Ranges National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Cape Range | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Perth | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alice Springs Desert Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Purple-backed Fairywren sighting in Nitmiluk National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 96th most-seen of the 103 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, April and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Purple-backed Fairywren in Nitmiluk National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–March, May–September and November–December, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Purple-backed Fairywren sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
7th of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Purple-backed Fairywren sightings, Nitmiluk National Park ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in Flinders Ranges National Park (Australia, about 40%), Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (Australia, about 30%) and Ningaloo Marine Park (Australia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Purple-backed Fairywren is recorded against all the birds logged in Nitmiluk National Park (8 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.
