The Variegated Fairy-wren is a small, energetic bird found across much of mainland Australia, favouring scrub, grassland and open woodland rather than dense forest.
Breeding males are striking, with vivid blue on the head and tail contrasting with chestnut shoulders and a black mask, while females and non breeding males are much plainer brown with subtle blue in the tail. Like other fairy-wrens, it is highly social, living in small family groups and constantly moving through low vegetation as it forages for insects.
Its quick movements, sharp calls and flashes of colour make it a delightful but sometimes challenging bird to observe closely in the wild.
Photographed in Manly, NSW