Superb Fairy-wren (male)

Description:

This is a male! In their breeding plumage, these stunning little Fairy-wrens "...have rich blue and black plumage above and on the throat. The belly is grey-white and the bill is black. The legs are brown..." (Birdlife Australia)

Habitat:

On the grassed area near the camping ground at the Bunya Mountains National Park. "During the reproductive season, males of this and other fairywren species pluck yellow petals [see pic 1 and 2], which contrast with their plumage, and show them to female fairywrens. The petals often form part of a courtship display and are presented to a female in the male fairywren's own or another territory. Males sometimes show petals to females in other territories even outside the breeding season, presumably to promote themselves." (Wiki)

Notes:

The Bunya Mountains is part of my old stomping ground when I was growing up. My family would head up for a BBQ and I remember that area when there was no tar car park...we'd just park under a tree and run around...probably scaring all of the smaller birds away! I found this interesting about their calls as it is in relation to parasitism by cuckoos: "Strangely, the bird appears to also use song as a password for its chicks to give it a chance to avoid cuckoo parasites." (Wiki) Further reading about these calls: 1. http://www.australasianscience.com.au/ne... 2. https://www.theguardian.com/science/grrl... Further reference: http://birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/supe...