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The fairy-wrens are some of the most spectacular of Australian birds, and this one -- the well-named splendid wren -- is in my opinion the most stunning of all. Like most fairy-wrens, males are brilliantly colored with iridescent blue tones, while females are brownish and cryptic. Males go through an eclipse plumage phase every year, molting into a brown plumage that resembles that of females, but with more blue in the wings and tail (bottom image). Splendid fairy-wrens are widely distributed in the central and southern portions of the continent, usually in dry regions (although these birds were in a relatively moist coastal forest). I took the photos (more on this page) near Kalgan, a bit north of Albany, Western Australia.
In addition to the splendid wren, I was able to obtain photos of several other fairy-wrens, including the varigated, superb blue, white-winged, red-backed, and red-winged fairy-wrens. |
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