Superb Fairywren

Malurus cyaneus

Appearance:
Small bird
Long tail
Brown legs
Female / Juvenile / Male (non-breeding):
    Brown upperparts
    Grey-white underparts
    Red-orange area around eye
    Brownish bill
Male (breeding):
    Bright blue forehead, ear coverts and upper back
    Black mask
    Black or dark blue throat and chest
    Dark blue tail
    Grey-white underparts
    Brown wings

Male - breeding plumage

On our first day in Hobart, we took a drive up to Mt Wellington. Stopping along the way, I saw this colourful male with a large number of females. That's rather odd I thought. However, I now realize that some of them were probably males in non-breeding plumage. 

Learn more about the Superb Fairywren.