White-winged Fairywren (Malurus leucopterus) [XC859936]
by Vicki Powys from Birdsville track, South Australia, Australia (call)
White-winged Fairywren (Malurus leucopterus) [XC327382]
by Pieter de Groot Boersma from Whyalla, The Corporation of the City of Whyalla, South Australia, Australia (call)
Nest
Domed, loosely built, with a side-entrance, composed of soft dry grass, lined with finer grass and a few feathers, placed near the ground in a low bush.
Eggs (Guide)
2 - 4; white, spotted with red-brown at the larger end; long-oval; about 15 x 11 mm. Incubation: about 13 days; by female.
Young
Altricial, nidicolous. Fledge in about 10 - 11 days.
Subspecies
Protein evidence indicates that closest allies are Red-backed Fairy-wren (Malurus melanocephalus) and White-shouldered Fairy-wren (Malurus alboscapulatus) and the three constitute the "bicoloured group". DNA evidence suggests that the two black-and-white island forms, i.e. nominate subspecies and edouardi, are not each other's closest relative. Further study is required. Possible genetic variation within subspecies leuconotus requires further investigation.
The following 3 subspecies are recognised:
leucopterus Dumont, 1824 - Dirk Hartog Island, WA.
leuconotus Gould, 1865 - Across mainland Australia from inland Qld, New South Wales and north-western Vic., to mid-coastal WA.
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
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BirdLife International Species Factsheet