R.& Y. H., Sailor's Falls.

Male blue wrens (superb fairy wrens) lose their blue plumage in late summer, going into a moult of brown feathers. They can be told from the females by their black bills and blue tails.

Male wrens are unusual in having two moults each year. By late autumn or early winter they will regain their blue feathers, in time for winter and before the breeding season, when their bright plumage is important for display.

Breeding males moult earlier and regain their plumage earlier than non-breeders. Older male wrens (four years or more) do not lose their colour. The females — always brown — moult only once.