The rufous-crowned emu-wren (Stipiturus ruficeps) is a species of bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae.

No subspecies are recognised, although birds from Western Australia may have redder plumage, and females more blue on the face and lores.

[4] The adult male has reddish upperparts with faint streaks, with a prominently rufous crown and grey-brown wings.

[5] The rufous-crowned emu-wren is found across the arid interior of northern central Australia, from the Simpson Desert in the southeast and Barkly Tableland in the northeast, across the centre to the Western Australian coast and the Pilbara in the northwest.

There is also an isolated population found to the east in south-western Queensland bounded by Dajarra, Winton, Fermoy and Boulia.