Wallace's Fairywren

Sipodotus wallacii (Gray, GR, 1862)

Wallace's Fairywren, Sipodotus wallacii, is a bird of New Guinea and the Aru Islands in Australasia, where it lives in moist lowland forest and foothill rainforest. It is the only member of the genus Sipodotus and belongs to the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. The species was first described in 1862 from Misool. It is also known from Yapen and from southern New Guinea, and the Aru Islands form part of its breeding range. Two subspecies are recognised, with coronatus occurring in the Aru Islands and parts of southern New Guinea.

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Maluridae — Australasian Wrens

Breeding range

Australasia: Misool (Raja Ampat Is., nw of New Guinea), Yapen (Geelvink Bay is., nw New Guinea), Aru Is. (sw of New Guinea) and New Guinea