Template:POTD/2011-08-14
A male Splendid Fairywren (Malurus splendens), a passerine bird found throughout much of Australia. This individual is engaged in the 'face fan' courtship display, in which he flares his blue ear tufts by erecting the feathers. The species exhibits a high degree of sexual dimorphism: males in breeding plumage are brightly coloured, whereas non-breeding males, females and juveniles are predominantly grey-brown; this gave the early impression that males were polygamous as all dull-coloured birds were taken for females.Photo: Nevil Lazarus
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