Cuteness Overload (Superb Fairy-Wrens) – SOLD

Inspiration: “The beloved and eternally popular “Blue Wren” of Australia needs no introduction. These delicate and beautiful birds are a common sight in eastern Australia where suitable dense cover and shrubs occur. With their high tinkling twittering, constant tail bobbing and the unmistakable “cute” factor, it’s easy to see why this species was voted 2021 Australian bird of the year. Australia has 9 species of fairy-wren, 3 emu-wrens and 11 grass wrens forming the family Maluridae. However, they aren’t related to the true wrens from the family Trogoldytidae. As with all fairy-wrens, the sexes are strongly dimorphic; the male often seen surrounded by the plainer females, but a proportion of them are males which haven’t attained breeding plumage. Males leave their territory during the day and perform courtship displays (often with a yellow flower in the beak) to other females, but it is the females that control the choice of mate”.

This painting took 37 hours to complete.

Original artwork by Frances McMahon.

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