Bird ID

6 posts / 0 new
Last post
dougt
dougt's picture
Bird ID

Here's a technical question on 'race'.

This photo of a Superb Fairy Wren but it is not the common Malurus cyaneus.  This bird has much smaller blue patches under the eye, the blue head patch doesn't go over the birds head and the flight feathers appear to be blue almost to the tips.

The wren has a different shaped body similar in shape to a red backed wren and about the same size.

This wren does look like M C leggei BUT M C leggei is only found in SA and western Victoria and not in Brisbane.  We have several resident families of Superbs and occasionally I see of the above birds but not often.  Maybe a M C cyanochlamys but that doesn't quite fit either.

Any suggestions?

ajanderson25@ho...
Ashley Anderson's picture

dougt wrote:

Maybe a M C cyanochlamys but that doesn't quite fit either.

Any suggestions?

MCL is possible given the attached information

M C cyanochlamys might also be right I would say. What doesn't fit?

Or possibly M. s. callainus > M.C.L crossbreed...? (see attached snip)

ajanderson25@ho...
Ashley Anderson's picture
dougt
dougt's picture

Thank you for your reply.

Hmmmmm. Interbreeding, now that would throw a spanner in the works   The info I managed to get stated M C leggei is only found in SA and western parts of Victoria.  My comment "What doesn't fit" relates to the wren in question looks more like a Mc leggei than a Mc cyanochlamys and the only images I coul find was on Google.  The trouble with Google is it simply lumps all fairy wrens into one category together with a lot of unrelated birds.  Maybe it is a Mc leggei deciding to come up to sunny QLD for the winter.  LOL

I am keepin a close watch for this wren to return with his family and hope to get more photos of the females and juveniles.

Linton
Linton's picture

Despite the technicality, its a beautiful photo of a magnificent bird.

dougt
dougt's picture

Thank you for your kind comment Linton.  It is always a good feeling to get the different races of the same species. It completes a collection.  

 and   @birdsinbackyards
                 Subscribe to me on YouTube