Splendid Fairy Wren

Splendid Splendid Wrens
Glorious to see
They lift our spirits high
And are pretty as can be

They keep the insects down
And so protect the trees
We wouldn’t have a forest
If not for such as these

So protect the understory
Of the forest near your home
And you may see the glory
Of the Blue Wrens as they roam

The Splendid Fairy Wren is commonly called the Blue Wren in Western Australia and it is spectacular. They are a socially monogamous but sexually promiscuous species and the male in his electric blue breeding plumage is magnificent. If you are very lucky you may see him presenting bright pink or purple petals to his partner or girlfriend. You are unlikely to see them unless you have the thick bushy understory vegetation that they favour and they are becoming increasingly uncommon as the urban sprawl engulfs more and more bush-land. But just as the wren needs the bushland so does the bushland need the wren. Parkland clearing is becoming very common in Western Australia. People appreciate the large shady trees but they also like the look of the grassy fields which can also feed their horses and other grass-eating pets. What they don’t understand though is that this can spell the doom for the trees. The dead and dying Flooded Gums through the river valleys near Perth are often heavily infested with leaf eating psyillid insects (Lerps) that were once effectively controlled by Blue Wrens and other insect feeding birds that inhabited the now absent understory. We upset the ecological balance at our peril! So do yourself and your bushland a favour and retain the shrubby understory and you may be rewarded with a healthy forest and the uplifting sight of the Splendid Blue Wren.