Rufous-crowned Emuwren

About the Rufous-crowned Emuwren

The rufous-crowned emu-wren (Stipiturus ruficeps) is a species of bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It is endemic to Australia. The rufous-crowned emu-wren is one of three species of the genus Stipiturus, commonly known as emu-wrens, found across southern and central Australia. It was first described in 1899 by Archibald James Campbell, more than a century after its relative the southern emu-wren. Its species name is derived from the Latin words rufus "red" and caput "head". No subspecies are recognised, although birds from Western Australia may have redder plumage, and females more blue on the face and lores. It has been considered a subspecies of both the southern and mallee emu-wrens in the past. The common name of the genus is derived from the resemblance of their tails to the feathers of an emu.

The rufous-crowned emu-wren is the smallest and most brightly coloured of the three emu-wren species. The adult male has reddish upperparts with faint streaks, with a prominently rufous crown and grey-brown wings. It has a bright sky blue throat, upper chest, lores and ear coverts. The lores and ear coverts, and chest border... Wikipedia →