Stipiturus malachurus
Silhouette: Michael Scroggie · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Flinders Chase | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sydney | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Emuwren sighting in Royal National Park on a given day, based on 112 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 88th most-seen of the 178 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.
January, August and October–November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Emuwren in Royal National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–July, September and December, the lowest months.
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.
Among the best
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Southern Emuwren sightings, Royal National Park ranks 4th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Great Otway National Park (Australia, about 10%), Flinders Chase (Australia, about 10%) and Booderee National Park (Australia, about 10%).
Same family: Maluridae
The closest relatives of the Southern Emuwren that you can see in Royal National Park (family Maluridae, Fairywrens and Allies) are Superb Fairywren (about 50%) and Variegated Fairywren (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Emuwren is recorded against all the birds logged in Royal National Park (112 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.
