Blue-breasted Fairywren

The blue-breasted fairywren (Malurus pulcherrimus), or blue-breasted wren, is a species of passerine bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It is non-migratory and endemic to southern Western Australia and the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. Exhibiting a high degree of sexual dimorphism, the male adopts a brilliantly coloured breeding plumage, with a bright blue crown, ear coverts and upper back, red shoulders, contrasting with a dark blue throat, grey-brown tail and wings and pale underparts. Non-breeding males, females and juveniles have predominantly grey-brown plumage. No separate subspecies are recognised. == Taxonomy and systematics == John Gould described the blue-breasted fairywren in 1844. Its species name is the Latin adjective pulcherrimus "very pretty". It is one of eleven species of the genus Malurus, commonly known as fairywrens, found in Australia and lowland New Guinea. 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, the variegated fairywren, and the red-winged fairywren. Molecular study showed the blue-breasted fairywren to be the most closely related to the red-winged fairywren. Like other fairywrens, the blue-breasted fairywren is unrelated to the true wrens. Initially fairywrens were thought to…