I am almost certain that the pictured bird is a spotted scrubwren, Sericornus maculatus – the southwestern Australian version of southeastern Australia’s white-browed scrubwren.
The “spotted” and the “white-browed” were formerly regarded as two subspecies.
Since 2019, the prevailing classification regards them as two distinct species…albeit ones that are known to interbreed where their ranges overlap, around Adelaide.
The spotted scrubwren lives in densely vegetated places along the coastal “fringe”, from Adelaide, through to Shark Bay.
Currently, four subspecies are generally recognised.
Glimpsed fleetingly, spotted scrubwrens appear to be “drab”, but a closer view reveals that their plumage is in fact finely detailed.
Generally, a spotted scrubwren’s life is solitary and very discreet/wary.
Fairywrens like to flit and flaunt, are are sociable; they are keenly aware of their status as “prey”, but once they are satisfied that “the coast is clear”, both males and females often venture into the open, to “show off”.
Where we stayed in February 2025, we never saw a scrubwren do that.
In front of “our” cottage near Youngs Siding, feeding stations and bird bath were often busy; various bird species enjoyed both “facilities”, and sometimes shared them.
Not once did we ever see a scrubwren venture to a feeding station.
I did – several times – watch a scrubwren bathe; invariably, it was alone, and only approached the birdbath when no other birds were in or near to the bath.
More often than not, this very wary insectivore was only heard, not seen.
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