Photo: Joseph Wolf / Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
Wallace’s Fairywren
Sipodotus wallacii
Wallace's Fairywren (Sipodotus wallacii) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Australia & Oceania.
Found on 1 guide in our atlas — open it for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Wallace’s Fairywren (Sipodotus wallacii) is a member of the Maluridae family found in Australia & Oceania. Adults weigh 7.7 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Maluridae Australasian Wrens
- Genus Sipodotus
- Species wallacii
Where it lives
Misool (Raja Ampat Is., northwest of New Guinea), Yapen (Geelvink Bay is., northwestern New Guinea), Aru Is. (southwest of New Guinea) and New Guinea
Quick facts
- Weight
- 7.7 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Maluridae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Wallace’s Fairywren is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Wallace’s Fairywren is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Wallace’s Fairywren (Sipodotus wallacii) is a species of bird in the Maluridae family, part of the order Passeriformes. Its range spans Australia & Oceania. Its distribution covers AU Misool (Raja Ampat Is., nw of New Guinea), Yapen (Geelvink Bay is., nw New Guinea), Aru Is. (sw of New Guinea) and New Guinea.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 7.7 g, with a wing length of about 4.9 cm and a tail of around 5 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 490,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Wallace’s Fairywren?
The Wallace’s Fairywren is a very small bird that weighs around 7.7 g.
Where does the Wallace’s Fairywren live?
The Wallace’s Fairywren is found across Australia & Oceania with a range covering AU Misool (Raja Ampat Is., nw of New Guinea), Yapen (Geelvink Bay is., nw New Guinea), Aru Is. (sw of New Guinea) and New Guinea, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Wallace’s Fairywren belong to?
The Wallace’s Fairywren (Sipodotus wallacii) belongs to the Maluridae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Wallace’s Fairywren eat?
The Wallace’s Fairywren is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Wallace’s Fairywren migrate?
The Wallace’s Fairywren is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Wallace’s Fairywren endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Wallace’s Fairywren make?
1 real field recording of the Wallace’s Fairywren — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Wallace’s Fairywren's range?
The Wallace’s Fairywren has a mapped global range of about 490,000 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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