Superb Fairywren: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Bright Little Birds · day 1 of 7

Five facts

1. To win a mate, the male fairywren picks yellow petals and shows them off to females. The yellow stands out against his blue feathers.
2. The male's blue feathers bounce back ultraviolet light. Fairywrens can see that light, so he may look even brighter to them than to us.
3. Parents seem to teach their chicks a sound that works like a password. It may help them tell their own chicks apart from cuckoo chicks.
4. To lead a predator away from its chicks, a fairywren can pretend to be a mouse: head low, feathers fluffed, it scurries off calling.
5. Young fairywrens often stay home for a year or more as helpers. They feed the next chicks and chase off cuckoos and predators.

The quiz

1. What does a male superb fairywren show to females?

• Shiny pebbles
• Yellow petals (correct)
• Blue berries
• Snail shells

He picks yellow petals and shows them to females.

2. What kind of light do the male's blue feathers strongly reflect?

• Infrared light
• Moonlight only
• Ultraviolet light (correct)
• No light at all

The blue feathers reflect ultraviolet light, which fairywrens can see.

3. What may the chicks' sound 'password' help parents avoid?

• Cuckoo chicks (correct)
• Losing their nest
• Getting lost at night
• Cold weather

The password sound seems to help them avoid cuckoo chicks.

4. What animal does a fairywren act like to lure a predator from its nest?

• A snake
• A butterfly
• A frog
• A rodent (correct)

In its 'rodent-run' it runs low and fluffed up, calling, to distract the predator.

5. What do young fairywrens often do for a year or more?

• Fly to another continent
• Live completely alone
• Stay and help raise the next chicks (correct)
• Sleep through the winter

They stay in the family group as helpers and feed later broods.

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