Photo: Cas Liber / Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
Red-winged Fairywren
Malurus elegans
Red-winged Fairywren (Malurus elegans) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Australia & Oceania.
Found across 4 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Red-winged Fairywren (Malurus elegans) is a member of the Maluridae family found in Australia & Oceania. Adults weigh 9.6 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 elegans
Quick facts
- Weight
- 9.6 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-winged Fairywren is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it forages mainly on the ground.
Migration
The Red-winged Fairywren is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Red-winged Fairywren (Malurus elegans) belongs to the Maluridae family of the order Passeriformes. It occurs naturally across Australia & Oceania. Its distribution covers AU sw WA (sw Australia).
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 9.6 g, with a wing length of about 5 cm and a tail of around 7.6 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 71,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Red-winged Fairywren?
The Red-winged Fairywren is a very small bird that weighs around 9.6 g.
Where does the Red-winged Fairywren live?
The Red-winged Fairywren is found across Australia & Oceania with a range covering AU sw WA (sw Australia), where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Red-winged Fairywren belong to?
The Red-winged Fairywren (Malurus elegans) belongs to the Maluridae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Red-winged Fairywren eat?
The Red-winged Fairywren is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Red-winged Fairywren migrate?
The Red-winged Fairywren is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Red-winged 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-winged Fairywren make?
1 real field recording of the Red-winged 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-winged Fairywren's range?
The Red-winged Fairywren has a mapped global range of about 71,000 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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Guides for this bird
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