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The red-winged fairywren (''Malurus elegans'') is a species of passerine bird in the family Maluridae. It is sedentary and endemic to the southwestern corner of Western Australia. Exhibiting a high degree of sexual dimorphism, the male adopts a brilliantly coloured breeding plumage, with an iridescent silvery-blue crown, ear coverts and upper back, red shoulders, contrasting with a black throat, grey-brown tail and wings and pale underparts. Non-breeding males, females and juveniles have predominantly grey-brown plumage, though males may bear isolated blue and black feathers. No separate subspecies are recognised. Similar in appearance and closely related to the variegated fairywren (''M. lamberti'') and the blue-breasted fairywren (''M. pulcherrimus''), it is regarded as a separate species as no intermediate forms have been recorded where ranges overlap. Though the red-winged fairywren is locally common, there is evidence of a decline in numbers. Bearing a nice narrow pointed bill adapted for probing and catching insects, the red-winged fairywren is primarily insectivorous; it forages and lives in the shelter of scrubby vegetation in temperate wetter forests dominated by the karri (''Eucalyptus diversicolor''), remaining close to cover to avoid predators. Like other fairywrens, it is a cooperative breeding species, with small groups of birds maintaining and defending small territories year-round. Groups consist of a socially monogamous pair with several helper birds who assist in raising the young. There is a higher proportion of female helpers recorded for this species than for other species of fairywren. A variety of vocalisations and visual displays have been recorded for communication and courtship in this species. Singing is used to advertise territory, and birds can distinguish other individuals on song alone. Male wrens pluck yellow petals and display them to females as part of a courtship display. ==Taxonomy== The red-winged fairywren was officially described by ornithologist John Gould in 1837, who derived the bird's specific name derived from the Latin term ''elegans'' 'elegant'. He gave its location as the East Coast, but realised his error after further collections by John Gilbert from Southwestern Australia.〔 Amateur ornithologist Gregory Mathews described birds from the southern karri forests as subspecies ''warreni'' in 1916 on the basis of darker female plumage. However, others have not observed this subsequently and the consensus is that no separate subspecies are recognized.〔Schodde R (1982) ''The fairy-wrens: a monograph of the Maluridae''. Lansdowne Editions, Melbourne.〕 In fact there is little variation in size or colour within the species between populations or individuals.〔Rowley & Russell, p. 40–41〕 It is one of 12 species of the genus ''Malurus'', commonly known as fairywrens, found in Australia and lowland New Guinea.〔Rowley & Russell, p. 143〕 Within the genus it belongs to a group of four very similar species known collectively as chestnut-shouldered fairywrens. The other three species are the lovely fairywren ''(M. amabilis)'' of Cape York, the variegated fairywren ''(M. lamberti)'' found across most of the continent, and the blue-breasted fairywren ''(M. pulcherrimus)'' of southern Western Australia and the Eyre Peninsula.〔Rowley & Russell, p. 159〕 Molecular study showed the blue-breasted fairywren to be the most closely related to the red-winged fairywren. Like other fairywrens, the red-winged fairywren is unrelated to the true wrens. Initially fairywrens were thought to be a member of the old world flycatcher family Muscicapidae or warbler family Sylviidae before being placed in the newly recognised Maluridae in 1975. More recently, DNA analysis has shown the family to be related to Meliphagidae (honeyeaters) and Pardalotidae (peep-wrens) in a large superfamily, Meliphagoidea. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Red-winged fairywren」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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