Australian Wrens, Gerygones and Allies

Australian wrens belong to Maluridae and gerygones and allies to Pardalotidae families. See Taxonomy note at the end of this page. The gallery features images of fairy-wrens that I photographed in shrubland habitat. The gallery displays photos of gerygones, thornbills, scrubwrens and pardalote.

Australian Wrens, Gerygones and Allies

Superb Fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus leggei) female perched at Bela Air National Park in South Australia

Superb Fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus leggei) male perched at Aldinga Scrub Conservation Park in South Australia

Superb Fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus leggei), immature male perched at Bool and Hacks Lagoon in South Australia

Superb Fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus cyanochlamys) Immature at Booderee National Park in Jervis Bay Territory

Superb Fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus cyanochlamys) Male perched at Loch Ard Gorge, Great Ocean Road in Victoria

Superb Fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus cyanochlamys) female on the ground at Tower Hill Reserve in Victoria

Variegated Fairy-wren (Malurus lamberti) female perched at Pound Gap in the Flinders Ranges

Variegated Fairy-wren (Malurus lamberti) male perched at Pound Gap in the Flinders Ranges

Red-backed Fairy-wren (Malurus melanocephalus) Male at Townsville Common in Queensland

Southern Emu-wren (Stipiturus malachurus polionotum), male perched at Hacks Lagoon in SA

Brown Thornbill (Acanthiza pusilla) at Tower Hill Reserve in Victoria

Brown Thornbill (Acanthiza pusilla dawsonensis) perched at Broken River in Eungella National Park, QLD

Inland Thornbill (Acanthiza apicalis albiventris) perched at Pound Gap in the Flinders Ranges

Yellow-rumped Thornbill (Acanthiza chrysorrhoa leighi) perched in shrub at Lincoln National Park in South Australia

Striated Thornbill (Acanthiza lineata), Tower Hill Reserve, Victoria, Australia, 2013

Large-billed Scrubwren (Sericornis magnirostra) perched at D'Aguilar National Park's rainforest (Maiala) — Large-billed Scrubwren (Sericornis magnirostra) perched at D’Aguilar National Park’s rainforest (Maiala)

White-browed Scrubwren [Buff-breasted] (Sericornis frontalis laevigated) male at Broken River in Eungella National Park

Yellow-throated Scrubwren (Sericornis citreogularis /) female on the ground in D'Aguilar NP rainforest at Maiala — Yellow-throated Scrubwren (Sericornis citreogularis /) female on the ground in D’Aguilar NP rainforest at Maiala

Grey Gerygone (Gerygone igata) perched at Lake Matheson in New Zealand

White-browed Scrubwren (Sericornis frontalis) male at Silverband Falls in Grampians National Park, Victoria

Striated Pardalote (Pardalotus striatus substriatus) perched near nest hole at Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges

Australian Wrens, Gerygones and Allies Notes

All the species shown in the gallery are ‘Red List 2019’ assessed as ‘Least Concern’. Apart from the endemic New Zealand grey gerygone, all other species displayed in the gallery are endemic to Australia.

All fairy-wrens exhibit plumage dimorphism; the gallery displays images of male, female and for some genera. None of the thornbill shown in the gallery exhibit plumage dimorphism although some species such as the White-browed Scrubwren exhibit size dimorphism, the female being slightly smaller.

The Southern Emu-wren is one of Australia’s smallest endemics; the body is just 6cm, but it has an exceptionally long 10cm tail. I Photographed this male, who’s tail bent to the left by foliage, at Hacks Lagoon in South Australia.

Fairy-wrens and Scrubwren Behaviour

Striated Pardalote (Pardalotus striatus substriatus) emerging from nest hole at Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges

Striated Pardalote (Pardalotus striatus substriatus) bringing an insect to nest at Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges

Superb Fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus) at the Boonoorong hide window, The Briars Wildlife Sanctuary

Superb Fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus) female at the Boonoorong hide window, The Briars Wildlife Sanctuary

Superb Fairy-wren thrashing at Boonoorong hide window in The Briars Wildlife Sanctuary

Superb Fairy-wrens male thrashing and female collapsed at Boonoorong hide window in The Briars Wildlife Sanctuary

Superb Fairy-wrens pair collapsed at The Boonoorong hide window in The Briars Wildlife Sanctuary

Large-billed Scrubwren (Sericornis magnirostra) on tree-trunk at Sky Window, Eungella National Park, QLD

Yellow-throated Scrubwren (Sericornis citreogularis) Nest in D'Aguilar National Park's rainforest at Maiala — Yellow-throated Scrubwren (Sericornis citreogularis) Nest in D’Aguilar National Park’s rainforest at Maiala

Fairy-wren and Scrubwren Behaviour Notes

A fairy-wrens behaviour photo essay: At the Boonoorong hide in The Briars Wildlife Sanctuary, male and female fairy-wrens were flying vigorously against the glass. Probably defensive behaviour caused by the birds seeing reflections in the window glass, it was very dark inside the hide. After visiting the Chechingurk Hide and returning to the Boonoorong Hide, the fairy-wrens were still flying vigorously against the glass. The female collapsed, nine seconds later, the male collapsed, after another five seconds both seemed to recover, both woke up and were flying again. The scratched and dirty glass has resulted in inferior quality images, including showing what I’ve called thrashing behaviour probably from image reflection in the window glass.

Thornbill images of Large-billed Scrubwren feeding on tree-trunk insects. A Yellow-throated Scrubwren active nest where an adult was entering the nest from a hole in the bottom; too dark and fast to to photograph.

Australian Wrens, Gerygones and Allies Taxonomy

J Boyd’s Taxonomy in Flux places Australian wrens (Maluridae), and Gerygones and Allies (Pardalotidae) families in basal oscines, parvorder Meliphagida part of suborder Passeri.

As illustrated in the taxonomy family tree, each bird family splits into two subfamilies:
(a) Australian Wrens (Maluridae) comprise subfamilies Fairy-wrens and Emu-wrens (Malurinae) and Grasswrens (Amytornithinae),
(b) Gerygones and Allies (Pardalotidae) contains subfamilies Gerygone, Scrubwrens and Thornbills (Acanthizinae) and Pardalotes (Pardalotinae).

Note that Scrubwrens and Gerygones (Acanthizidae) merged with Pardalotes (Pardalotinae) and renamed Gerygones and Allies.

Some authorities place Maluridae and Pardalotidae in superfamily Meliphagoidea under parvorder Corvida.