Lovely Fairywren vs Red-winged Fairywren

Lovely Fairywren

Malurus amabilis

Tiny9 gForest

Like other fairywrens, the lovely fairywren is notable for its marked sexual dimorphism, males adopting a highly visible breeding plumage of brilliant iridescent blue and chestnut contrasting with black and grey-brown. The brightly coloured crown and ear tufts are prominently featured in breeding displays. The male in breeding plumage has striking azure blue ear coverts, crown and upper back, a black throat and nape, chestnut shoulders and a white-tipped blue tail. The wings are black and the belly white.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Alan Bell · CC BY 4.0

Red-winged Fairywren

Malurus elegans

Tiny10 gForest

The red-winged fairywren is 15 cm (6 in) long and weighs 8–11 g (0.28–0.39 oz), making it the largest of the fairywrens. The average tail length is 7.5 cm (3.0 in), among the longest in the genus. Averaging 10 mm (0.4 in) in males and 9.3 mm (0.4 in) in females, the bill is relatively long, narrow and pointed, and wider at the base. Wider than it is deep, the bill is similar in shape to those of other birds that feed by probing for or by picking insects off of their environs. Voice: Vocal communication among red-winged fairywrens is used primarily for communication between birds in a social group and for advertising and defending a territory. They are able to distinguish different individuals on the basis of song alone, which is integral to the identification of group members and strangers.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Cas Liber · Public domain

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Lovely Fairywren and Red-winged Fairywren.