Description The rufous-crowned emu-wren is the smallest and most brightly coloured of the three emu-wren species.
WA: Rare
At a glance
FamilyFairywrens
SizeSmall
RarityUncommon
HabitatTiny buff-brown bird with enormously long, fine tail, found in arid parts of inland Australia.
Best timeMost reliable in Queensland from June to August.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Louis Masarei
Range map
Range map
200approx hotspots
2044approx records
4states
Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence
Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.
Species notes
Overview
Crown a clean, rich brown, with streaked back, wings, and cheek; underparts buffy brown. Males have a sky-blue throat and upper breast. Tail is much longer and far more spindly than tail of fairywrens.
Behavior
The trick to finding this shy species is to find large unburned patches of spinifex, listening carefully for the species’ very thin, faint calls.
Gallery
Regional timing
Queensland
Western Australia
Northern Territory
South Australia
Commonly confused with
Eyrean GrasswrenAmytornis goyderiSmall, pale, streaked bird with darker face and long cocked tail, found in canegrass clumps on the crests of large sand dunes in the Simpson and Strzelecki Deserts. Upperparts pale brown with faint white streaks, with darker face and pale unstreaked underparts, the adult female showing a small rusty flank patch.→Dusky GrasswrenAmytornis purnelliUsually seen on the ground, scrambling around rocks and spinifex clumps. Much more solidly built than fairywrens, and with fine white streaks on head and chest.→Splendid FairywrenMalurus splendensNonbreeding males are fairly plain grayish-brown birds with black bills, bright blue tails, and some blue in the folded wing. Females are tan above with a duller blue tail and a reddish bill. Note that the patch between the eye and bill (lores) on females is a fraction paler than the bill (in Purple-backed Fairywren the lores are much darker than the bill). This species is fairly common in arid inland Australia, as well as in southwest Western Australia.→