Media release

From: Flinders University

After years studying wild birds in the bush, Flinders University experts have described a new call type frequently used by one of Australia’s favourite birds, the Superb Fairy-wren.

In a new article just published in Royal Society Open Science, scientists from the Flinders BirdLab and European experts describe for the first time the shrill whistle-sounding “seet” danger call of these well-known little birds.

“This newly described danger call is produced in response to predators near the nest, particularly when the nest contains vulnerable offspring, and represents a distinct component of the species’ vocal repertoire,” says lead author Dr Lauren Common, PhD from the College of Science and Engineering and researcher at the Konrad Lorenz research group at the University of Vienna.

“The call is given at the highest rates when chicks are still in the nest, when parental investment is high and young are most susceptible to predation, and declines after fledging.”

The research team combined field observations, acoustic analyses, and experiments to document and classify the new call type.

The discovery sheds light on how parents manage risk around their nests, and how evolution shapes communication when offspring are at their most vulnerable.

Senior author, University of Vienna Professor Sonia Kleindorfer, who founded the BirdLab at Flinders University, says the acoustic secrets of one of Australia’s more popular birds are still being unveiled.

“The discovery of a new call type in such a well-researched species highlights how much more there is to learn about avian communication,” says senior author Professor Kleindorfer, from the Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology at the University of Vienna.

The study shows that the danger call is consistently associated with threats to reproduction and is acoustically distinct from known fairy-wren alarm calls.

“These findings expand our understanding of how small passerines encode threat information in their vocalisations and coordinate group responses,” says Professor Kleindorfer.

Both sexes of Superb Fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus) give a series of high-pitched trills, with males featuring dazzling breeding plumage.

They have a wide-ranging habitat in eastern Australia but are showing concerning signs of decline particularly in urban environments.

Flinders University senior lecturer in animal behaviour Dr Diane Colombelli-Négrel, director of the BirdLab research group, says the study “underscores the sophistication of fairy-wren communication and its importance for survival in predator-rich environments.”

The fieldwork for this and other BirdLab research was conducted at Cleland Wildlife Park, near Adelaide in South Australia.

The article – The 'seet' danger call: An active nest warning in Superb Fairy-Wrens (2025) by Lauren K Common, A Yelimlieş, Diane Colombelli-Négrel, VI Austin, Sonja Kleindorfer – has been published in Royal Society Open Science. DOI: 10.1098/rsos.251100