Nest construction behaviour, including the repair and re-use of a depredated nest, in the Variegated Fairy-wren (Malurus lamberti)

Ryan Jack, Adrianna Nelson, Marissa Zamora, Lucille Soulliere, Matthew Monteith, Sarah Partridge, Lucas Corneliussen, Jonathan Coleman, Michael Webster, James Kennerley, Jordan Boersma, William Edgar Feeney

Documenting the diversity of nest construction behaviours is essential for understanding a species’ life-history. The Variegated Fairy-wren Malurus lamberti is a socially complex species whose nest building habits remain poorly described. Here, we report three nest construction behaviors that were observed during the 2024 breeding season at our study site in south-east Queensland, which have not been reported in Variegated Fairy-wren. In one instance, a female began constructing two nests simultaneously to then only finish one. Another involved the building of a nest before abandoning it to build another with no apparent signs of predation or reason for failure at the initial nest. Finally, a female was observed repairing then laying eggs in a nest that was previously damaged following depredation. These observations provide insight into the flexibility of nest building behaviors in this species.