Malurus lamberti
Silhouette: Michael Scroggie · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
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 |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Variegated Fairywren sighting in Springbrook National Park on a given day, based on 41 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 70th most-seen of the 136 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Variegated Fairywren in Springbrook National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December and January, the lowest months.
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.
5th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Variegated Fairywren sightings, Springbrook National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Royal National Park (Australia, about 40%), Booderee National Park (Australia, about 30%) and Blue Mountains National Park (Australia, about 20%).
Same genus: Malurus
The closest relatives of the Variegated Fairywren that you can see in Springbrook National Park (genus Malurus, Typical Fairywrens) are Red-backed Fairy-wren (about 10%) and Superb Fairywren (about 10%), 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 Springbrook National Park (41 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.
