Photo: Greg Miles from Australia / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Red-backed Fairywren
Malurus melanocephalus
Red-backed Fairywren (Malurus melanocephalus) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Australia & Oceania.
Found across 10 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Red-backed Fairywren (Malurus melanocephalus) is a member of the Maluridae family found in Australia & Oceania. Adults weigh 7.9 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 Malurus
- Species melanocephalus
Quick facts
- Weight
- 7.9 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Maluridae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Red-backed Fairywren is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of dense woodland, it forages mainly on the ground.
Migration
The Red-backed Fairywren is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Red-backed Fairywren (Malurus melanocephalus) belongs to the Maluridae family of the order Passeriformes. It is found across Australia & Oceania. Its distribution covers AU n, e Australia.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 7.9 g, with a wing length of about 4.1 cm and a tail of around 5.3 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
Its mapped global range covers an estimated 2 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Red-backed Fairywren?
The Red-backed Fairywren is a very small bird that weighs around 7.9 g.
Where does the Red-backed Fairywren live?
The Red-backed Fairywren is found across Australia & Oceania with a range covering AU n, e Australia, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Red-backed Fairywren belong to?
The Red-backed Fairywren (Malurus melanocephalus) belongs to the Maluridae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Red-backed Fairywren eat?
The Red-backed Fairywren is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Red-backed Fairywren migrate?
The Red-backed Fairywren is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Red-backed 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 Red-backed Fairywren make?
1 real field recording of the Red-backed Fairywren — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Red-backed Fairywren's range?
The Red-backed Fairywren has a mapped global range of about 2 million 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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Guides for this bird
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