Splendid, Variegated Wren

[finchbreeder]

You are not biased. They are some of the most beautiful birds in the world.
LML

[Nathan Morleyy]

Great Photos mate,
You should take some more photos to show us .

thanks Nathan

[Nathan Morleyy]

Mate that’s a fantastic shot,
You should be a professional photographer.

Thanks Nathan

[monotwine]

WOW *don't have better words for both the beauty of subject nor the quality of the pictures* WOW! Thanks for sharing.

[Netsurfer]

Thanks, and i will try and post a bit of a super wren thingy soon, just trying to get good shots of White Winged and some better shots of Emu Wrens but its easier said than done. Love the flared cheek patches.

Hi Desert, I'm curious about the Emu Wrens, some say they are the smallest of all Aussie Wrens, they say they can squeeze through the 1/2 inch square wire. I have never seen them, are they really that small. I might be interested in a pair of preferably Mount Lofty Range subspecies. Also anyone knows has anyone bred them in captivity, as far as I know they haven't been bred in captivity. Although there are three species and seven subspecies, the subspecies called "Mallee Emu-Wrens" are the prettiest of the subspecies http://bird.net.au/bird/index.php?title=Mallee_Emu-wren" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; the "Southern Emu-Wrens" are very rare and the subspecies from Mount Lofty Ranges "Mount Lofty Ranges Emu-Wrens" the rarest. http://www.environment.gov.au/biodivers ... /emu-wren/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Maybe the Barrow Island White-winged Wrens are the smallest, I'm not sure.

Here is an interesting article about the Mount Lofty Ranges Southern Emu-wren:

The critically endangered Mount Lofty Ranges Southern Emu-wren (Stipiturus malachurus intermedius) has been reintroduced to an area from which it was extirpated by wildfire almost 20 years ago. In July 2001, 30 emu-wrens (15 male, 15 female) were transferred from Deep Creek Conservation Park 50 km NE to Cox Scrub Conservation Park (540 ha), 50 km SSE of Adelaide. A further 16 were translocated in 2002. Southern Emu-wrens occurred in Cox Scrub Conservation Park until the fire burnt out the park in 1983, but being isolated from the nearest subpopulations, the park was not recolonised. Emu-wrens have short, rounded wings and cannot undertake sustained flight, and as such have very limited dispersal capabilities. The source population in Deep Creek Conservation Park is the largest known subpopulation of the subspecies, with at least several hundred individuals. Emu-wrens were trapped over several weeks, mostly as pairs, using mist-nets and pre-recorded calls to facilitate trapping, and transferred to the release site by road, generally on the day of capture. Monitoring during the first spring–summer breeding season revealed establishment of at least 8 breeding pairs and successful reproduction, with at least 10 young produced. Monitoring during the second breeding season revealed up to 14 pairs, persistence of several founder-group pairs formed during the 2001–2002 breeding season and further successful reproduction including breeding by some founder-group progeny. At least 13–16 fully-grown young were produced in 2002–2003. Emu-wrens are small (~ 7g), secretive birds that can hardly fly. Radio tracking is not feasible, so monitoring involves fairly arduous transect and area search methods in dense scrub, meaning that the population is probably larger than the number of birds detected.The project is funded primarily by the Commonwealth Government Endangered Species Program and S.A. Government Department for Environment and Heritage. The Conservation Council of S.A. administers the recovery program.
http://www.massey.ac.nz/~darmstro/au_projects.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Mel7610]

What great shots!We have the splendid wren down here and they are just beautiful when in colour.
No chance of me getting phot o's like that!!!
The photo's nicely framed would make lovely presents if you have family friends that appreciate birdlife too.if you haven't already thought of that!
Thankyou for sharing your gorgeous Pic's

[Tiaris]

We get Southern emu-wrens in the heath behind the dunes near some of the local beaches. Unique little birds with pale blue face & extra long transparent vertical tails.

[Nrg800]

Rufous-Crowned Emu-Wrens are my favourite.

[desertbirds]

Netsurfer, yes mate they are that small and listed as being Australias smallest bird by weight. There is a fair amount of literature on the net regarding Mallee and Southerns but not a great amount on Rufous Crowned. I had the pleasure of being out there today and taking a bigger camera on Friday . Im not sure they would go through the 12mm wire but i wouldnt try it and im quite sure young ones could. They do have small rounded wings and they are poor fliers but they are quick in amongst the spinifex and they can run pretty qiuckly if need be. I took a botanist to the spot today and it appears what is written about the Mallee Emu wren rings true for RCEW, they only occur in old growth spinifex that hasnt been burnt for at least ten years and more than likely not burnt for between 16 to 25 years.Fire is a real danger and they cant travel far to colonise new areas.

[desertbirds]

Tiny .Its hard to judge size but that bit of spinifex hes perched on would be less than 3mm thick.