Sitting On the Fence

Pastel on Pastelmat Board ($POA)

Image size 43 cm h x 31 cm w
Framed 66 cm h x 52 cm w

The Superb Fairywren (Malurus cyaneus ) is common and familiar across south-eastern Australia, their range extending from the south-east of South Australia (including Kangaroo Island and Adelaide) and the tip of the Eyre Peninsula, through all of Victoria, Tasmania, coastal and sub-coastal New South Wales, and Queensland, through the Brisbane area and extending inland – north to the Dawson River and west to Blackall. These birds inhabit almost any area that has at least a little dense undergrowth for shelter, including grasslands with scattered shrubs, moderately thick forest, woodland, heaths, and domestic gardens. They are active and restless feeders, active during the day and feeding mainly on open ground near the shelter, but also through the lower foliage and they accompany their foraging with song. They move with a series of jaunty hops and bounces. The Superb Fairywren was named ‘Australian Bird of the Year’ for 2021