The purple-crowned fairywren (Malurus coronatus) is a species of bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It is the largest of the eleven species in the genus Malurus and is endemic to northern Australia. The species name is derived from the Latin word cǒrōna meaning "crown", owing to the distinctive purple circle of crown feathers sported by breeding males. Genetic evidence shows that the purple-crowned fairywren is most closely related to the superb fairywren and splendid fairywren. Purple-crowned fairywrens can be distinguished from other fairywrens in northern Australia by the presence of cheek patches (either black in males or reddish-chocolate in females) and the deep blue colour of their perky tails.
Like other fairywrens, the purple-crowned fairywren is socially monogamous. However, unlike other species in the genus, it is not sexually promiscuous and shows low rates of extra-pair paternity. However, females with related males as partners will mate with other individuals. This is thought to be an adaptation to avoid inbreeding depression. They build small dome-shaped nests in which 2–3 eggs are laid, with up to three clutches per year. It is mainly insectivorous, feeding on a wide variety of invertebrates, and supplements its diet with seeds.
The purple-crowned fairywren inhabits riparian habitat with dense vegetation, such as well-developed midstoreys composed of dense shrubs or tall, dense thickets of river grass. Unlike the related superb fairywren, it has not adapted to urbanised habitats very well and has suffered severe population loss in some areas. While the species overall is considered of least-concern for conservation, its western subspecies is listed as endangered. Livestock grazing, fires, and invasive species are chief concerns for the population. The Australian government and conservation groups have active conservation interventions for the species, including for fire and invasive species management.
Taxonomy and systematics
The purple-crowned fairywren was first collected in 1855 and 1856 by the explorer Joseph Ravenscroft Elsey at Victoria River and Robinson River. The species was first described by the ornithologist John Gould in 1858. The specific name comes from the Latin word cǒrōna, meaning crown. Gregory Mathews described the subspecies M. c. macgillivrayi in 1913. Subspecies designation was originally based on differences in plumage coloration and body size of museum skins. More recent genetic analyses continue to support this split. The species has also been placed in the monotypic genus Rosina, but protein evidence supports its placement in the current genus. Alternative names for the purple-crowned fairywren include crowned superb warbler, lilac-crowned fairywren, lilac-crowned wren, mauve-crowned wren, purple-crowned warbler, purple-crowned wren, and purple-crowned wren-warbler.
It is one of 11 species in the genus Malurus, commonly known as fairywrens. Within the genus it is most closely related to the splendid fairywren and superb fairywren. It is also sometimes placed as a sister to clade including the two "blue wrens" along with the white-shouldered fairywren, white-winged fairywren, and the red-backed fairywren, also called the bicoloured wrens.
Like other fairywrens, the purple-crowned fairywren is unrelated to the true wrens. It was previously classified as a member of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae and later as a member of the warbler family Sylviidae before being placed in the newly recognised Maluridae in 1975. More recently, DNA analysis has shown the family Maluridae to be related to the Meliphagidae (honeyeaters), and the Pardalotidae in the large superfamily Meliphagoidea.
Evolution
Combined mitochondrial and nuclear DNA from the purple-crowned fairywren genome suggest that its lineage diverged from those of the splendid and superb fairywrens c. 7–8 million years ago. More recently, the purple-crowned fairywren appears to have diverged from a group that now includes the blue-breasted fairywren, the red-winged fairywren, the lovely fairywren, and the variegated fairywren around six million years ago.
These evolutionary radiations followed an earlier split of the grasswrens Amytornithinae from what would become the emu-wrens and fairy wrens approximately 23 million years ago.
Subspecies
Two subspecies are currently recognized:
M. coronatus coronatus (Gould, 1858): Also known as the western purple-crowned fairywren, it is the nominate subspecies and is found in north-western regions of Australia. M. coronatus macgillivrayi (Mathews, 1913): Also known as MacGillivray's fairywren, previously considered a separate species, it is found in north-central Australia.