Purple-crowned Fairy-wrens are small, lively, charismatic birds. Their feathers are mostly a warm brown colour above and white below with a buff wash. They have a perky soft blue vertical tail which they twitch in time to their distinctively cheerful, chirruping song. The male has a striking purple and black crown when breeding, while the female has a lovely chocolate-coloured cheek patch. Adult birds measure only about 14cm in length, with a wing span of approximately 16cm and weigh around 9-13g.