Habitat
Subtropical and tropical lowland and high altitude dry grassland. Also, subtropical and tropical lowland and montane moist forest, heavily degraded former forest, rural gardens.
White-shouldered Fairywren (Malurus alboscapulatus) [XC38165]
by Frank Lambert from Kama Village nr Mt Hagen Enga province, Papua New Guinea (call)
White-shouldered Fairywren (Malurus alboscapulatus) [XC593458]
by Iain Woxvold from Ok Menga, North Fly, Western Province, Papua New Guinea (call, song)
Subspecies
Protein evidence indicates that closest allies are Red-backed Fairy-wren (Malurus melanocephalus) and White-winged Fairy-wren (Malurus leucopterus) and the three constitute the "bicoloured group". Other proposed subspecies are randi (Wissel Lakes region), regarded as better merged with aida; balim (upper R Balim and upper R Bele areas) and dogwa (Merauke east to R Fly), both synonymized with lorentzi; and tappenbecki (R Sepik east to Astrolabe Bay) and mafulu (mountain grasslands in south-eastern New Guinea), both considered better included within naimii.
The following 6 subspecies are recognised:
alboscapulatus Meyer, 1874 - Vogelkop (Arfak and Tamrau Mts and intervening valley), in north-western New Guinea.
aida Hartert, 1930 - North-western New Guinea (Weyland Mts and Wissel Lakes east to Humboldt Bay).
lorentzi van Oort, 1909 - Western and southern New Guinea (Snow Mts to Trans-Fly and Utaka-Mimika R).
naimii D'Albertis, 1875 - Northern and southern lowlands and central highlands of eastern New Guinea (central Sepik east to Astrolabe Bay; river systems of central highlands; Kerema east to Vanapa R and Wharton Range).
kutubu Schodde & Hitchcock, 1968 - Southern highlands of central New Guinea (Olsobip east to Mt Giluwe and L Kitubu).
moretoni De Vis, 1892 - Northern and southern coasts of south-eastern New Guinea and intervening mountain valleys (north-western to Huon Peninsula, and south-west to Brown R and Vanapa R).