ID Help - Sydney Lane Cove NP (1 Viewer)

[ImpatientTwitcher]

Hi there, I'm wondering if anyone can help me with these two birds. Taken recently in Lane Cove national park. I've tried ID'ing using Merlin app but couldn't find anything conclusive. One looks like some kind of wren but the red eye band is throwing me. The other one I'm really not sure.

Thanks,
Andrew

 

[delia todd]

Hi Andrew and a warm welcome to you from all the Staff and Moderators.

I'm sure you will enjoy it here and I look forward to hearing your news.

The first one is a fairywren, and I think it's a female Superb.

The other one is, I think, one of your many, many honeyeaters, but I'll leave that for the experts to advise you on.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Fairywren (I'd check out the differences between Superb and Variegated), and the other looks like Little Wattlebird.

 

[delia todd]

Thanks Larry. I thought Variegated wasn't so likely in NSW..... also thought a Wattlebird but couldn't spot the wattles LOL

 

[ImpatientTwitcher]

You're right it's a female superb. I love the look of the male one but I've never really noticed the female so closely before. And the I've looked up the Wattlebirds and it looks like a Little Wattlebird to me. Thank you very much :-D

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Thanks Larry. I thought Variegated wasn't so likely in NSW..... also thought a Wattlebird but couldn't spot the wattles LOL

IIRC Superb Fairywren is much more common, and Red Wattlebird is much more common than Little Wattlebird too, but you do tend to get Variegated Fairywren in the kind of scrubby habitat that you get Little Wattlebird.

Field guides tend to be a bit basic when it comes to identifying Fairywrens other than breeding males. There are some good articles on the internet though I think, that should be easy to find.

 

[delia todd]

IIRC Superb Fairywren is much more common, and Red Wattlebird is much more common than Little Wattlebird too, but you do tend to get Variegated Fairywren in the kind of scrubby habitat that you get Little Wattlebird.

Field guides tend to be a bit basic when it comes to identifying Fairywrens other than breeding males. There are some good articles on the internet though I think, that should be easy to find.

Yeah.... I saw far more Superb Fairwrens on my travels. And Red Wattlebirds seemed to be everywhere, the first time I came across Little Wattlebird was about 6 weeks into my trip and on the way up the coast somewhere en route to the Flinders Ranges.

 

[njlarsen]

Going by the field guide the description says
Variegated: lores + eye ring chestnut, blue wash on tail
Superb: lores + eye ring reddish-brown, blue-green wash on tail

Lightening the image a little should allow you to better judge the colors on these areas.

Niels