SPECIES: Stipiturus mallee — Mallee Emu-wren
CLASSIFICATION: Endangered
The oh-so-cute Mallee Emu-wren is one of three species of emu-wrens endemic to Australia. The Mallee Emu-wren in particular is found only in north-western Victoria and south-eastern South Australia. Measuring at just over 15cm from head to tail (and that's a very decent tail), the male is the brighter of the two, blessed with a beautiful sky blue plumage that stands out from the otherwise brown colouring. Without a doubt, their most distinguishable feature has to be that tail, topped off with six emu-like fethers. As a species, the habitat of emu-wrens is temperate grassland and collectively, probably the biggest threat facing the future of the speices is habitat loss.