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 LC    Purple-crowned Fairy-wren* Id (Atlas): 542
    Malurus coronatus Endemic

Description (10)
Image of Purple-crowned Fairy-wren
 

Other Names (World)
Purple-crowned Fairy-wren, Purple-crowned Fairywren, Crowned Superb Warbler, Lilac-crowned Fairy-wren, Lilac-crowned Wren, Mauve-crowned Wren, Purple-crowned Wren, Purple-crowned Wren-warbler, MacGillivray’s Fairy-wren

Family
Maluridae (Fairy-wrens)

Size
14 - 16 cm

First Described (Guide)
Gould, 1858

Derivation
Mal-ür'-us - Gk, malacos, soft; Gk, oura, tail: cor-on-ä'-tus - L., crowned

Abundance (Guide)
UC

Uncommon generally, but moderately common in remnant suitable habitat.

Habitat
Dense riparian vegetation, usually witnin 10 m of permanent water, such as rivers, creeks and billabongs. Pandanus thickets with tall canegrass and other dense low cover.

Range (Guide)
Australia (B).

Image of Range of Purple-crowned Fairy-wren
 
Tropical northern Australia, from the Fitzroy River, WA east to the Gregory River, and north-western Queensland.
 
Rarity Status
View Rarity Status Information

Population
Estimated population is 10,000 - 28,000 (2010).

Status LC
Loss of habitat due to grazing, fire and weeds are the main threats.

Endangered.

See also EPBC Act List of Threatened Fauna for subspecies coronatus (western).

For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Habits
Usually in pairs or small groups of 5 or 6.

Food
Insects, mainly beetles and ants. On rare occasions plant material.

Voice
Loud, low-pitched reeling. High-pitched 'cheepa-cheepa-cheepa'. A short 'drrt' or 'jk' contact call.



Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (5)...)

 
Purple-crowned Fairywren (Malurus coronatus) [XC816829]
     by nick talbot from Kununurra, Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley, Western Australia, Australia (call, song, camera shutter)

 
Purple-crowned Fairywren (Malurus coronatus) [XC327167]
     by nick talbot from Gregory, Victoria - Daly Shire, Northern Territory, Australia (call)

Breeding Season (Guide)
August - January and April - May.

J F M A M J J A S O N D
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


Nest
Bulky, with a side-entrance near the top, composed of strips of paperbark and blades of cane-grass, lined with fine grass-roots, usually placed in cane-grass.

Eggs (Guide)
2 - 4, usually 3; dull white speckled with mid red-brown, especially at the larger end; broad-oval; about 17 x 12 mm. Incubation: unknown but at least 14 days; probably by female.

Young
Altricial, nidicolous. Fledge in about 10 days.

Subspecies
Protein evidence allies it with Superb Fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus) and Splendid Fairy-wren (Malurus splendens), the three constituting the "Australian blue group". Subspecies macgillivrayi sometimes considered a separate species.

The following 2 subspecies are recognised:

  • coronatus Gould, 1858   -  Kimberley Divide, WA east to the Victoria Ranges Drainage, NT.
  • macgillivrayi Mathews, 1913   -  Southern Gulf of Carpentaria Drainage, NT and Queensland, between Roper and Leichardt Ranges.



References
See References.

The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9

More... see more information (images, calls, videos etc)


Files:
JPG files for Purple-crowned Fairy-wren (Malurus coronatus) - 10 filesMP3 files for Purple-crowned Fairy-wren (Malurus coronatus) - 2 files


More Information

BirdLife International

For more information about the Purple-crowned Fairy-wren see... Show Articles BirdLife International Species Factsheet.


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