Superb Fairy Wrens

 Australian native birds - the male Superb Fairy-wren is unmistakable – a light blue cap, ear tufts, and cheeks; a black eye-stripe; dark blue-black throat; brown wings and white breast and belly. Beak of the adult male is black and legs are brown to dark brown. The adult female is mostly brown, with white throat, breast and belly. The beak is orange-red, with a similarly coloured eye-stripe; the tail is brown with a faint pale blue-grey tinge. 

Superb Fairy-wrens have been labelled as 'the least faithful birds in the world'. Females may be courted by up to 13 males in half an hour!!  Fairy-wrens are socially monogamous and sexually promiscuous: pairs will bond for life, though both males and females will regularly mate with other individuals!!!!!
So they really do love each other, but life is tough when you look this good! As much as the male is the better looking bird, i think the dear sweet little female is adorable. She is just besotted with him!

The Superb Fairy-wren is found in south-eastern Australia, from south-eastern Queensland, eastern NSW and throughout south-eastern Victoria, to southern Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. Also found in Tasmania, King Island, Flinders Island, and Kangaroo Island.

📸 I was given permission to use the photographs of the two separate birds by an amazing photographer  - Barbara Martin. I flipped the female photo so i could create the merge.

🎨 After sketching both birds to absolute precision, I used watercolour paints and pan pastels on thick canson paper. The original is an A3 size.

I also have this illustration as a card.