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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Maluridae
  4. ›
  5. Malurus
  6. ›
  7. Lovely Fairywren
Lovely Fairywren
Photo · Broinowski, Gracius J.

BirdUp · Species

Lovely Fairywren

Malurus amabilisGould, 1852

Updated 21 March 2026

Origin: Endemic
Order
PASSERIFORMES
Family
Maluridae
Genus
Malurus

At a glance

The Lovely Fairywren is a tiny bird, about 12–13 cm long, endemic to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
12–13 cm
Origin
Endemic
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Endemic
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Lovely Fairywren look like?

The Lovely Fairywren is a tiny bird, about 12–13 cm long and weighing 8–12 g.

The lovely fairywren, or lovely wren, is a species of bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It is endemic to northeastern Australia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
12–13 cm
Weight
7.5–11.5 g

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Lovely Fairywren?

The Lovely Fairywren is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

What does a Lovely Fairywren eat?

The Lovely Fairywren feeds on terrestrial invertebrates, usually foraging in pairs or flocks.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

3 photos

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Lovely Fairywren live in Australia?

The Lovely Fairywren is endemic to Australia, recorded across 12 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingNorth-east Cape York Pen., north-east QLD (north-east Australia)

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Breeding
  • Resident
  • Vagrant

7 regions recorded