30-33cm long, garrulous and highly sociable birds that prefer semi-dry scrubland areas in Queensland, NSW, South Australia, Northern Territory. An omnivorous bird, with mostly dark gray-brown plumage with white tail markings. Noted for its habit of traveling in groups of about 12 related individuals. Photographed desert 10/24
Black and white, about 40cm long. Common and conspicuous endemic species found throughout Australia in agricultural and urban areas. Liked for their ground-dwelling insect pest predation. Nests in tall eucalypt woodlands. Loud, flute-like carolling call. Lives in clans of up to twenty. Related to the butcherbirds and currawongs, but only a distant relative of true magpies. Will sometimes swoop at aggressors with their claws extended to drive them away. Photographed on the deck rail at John's house in Glebe 10/4, desert 10/24.
White body plumage and black head and neck. Featherless head. Long and down-curved black bill. 69 to 76 cm. Females slightly smaller, with shorter bills. Flocks of Australian White Ibis form distinctive V-shaped flight patterns. Common in swamps, lagoons, flood plains, grasslands and urban parks and gardens. Feeds on terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates and human scraps, especially crayfish and mussels. Nest in large colonies. One or two broods raised per year. Photographed Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney 10/7
Cape Barren Geese are classified Rare under National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972. A primitive form of goose once considered an aberrant shelduck. The bill is black but has a distinctive lime green cere. Legs are pinkish with black feet. Goslings are black and white striped, closely guarded by both parents. Somewhat sociable and nest in colonies in the wild, but the nests are well spaced and vigorously defended. The males' call is a loud "ark, ark-ark, ark-ark," and the females make a low, piglike grunt. Terrestrial geese, taking to water only if the goslings are threatened. Access to pasture is important in keeping these birds healthy. Incubation takes 35-37 days for the clutch of 3-7 eggs. Photographed Kangaroo Island, 10/20
Mostly crimson plumage and bright blue cheeks. Measure 32cm - 36cm. Range of calls, the commonest being a two-syllabled "cussik-cussik". Also has a range of harsh screeches and metallic whistles. Normally encountered in small flocks and are easily attracted to garden seed trays. Once familiar with humans, they will accept hand held food. Natural foods include seeds of eucalypts, grasses and shrubs, as well as insects and some tree blossoms. Photographed Flinders Chase, Kangaroo Island 10/19.
Up to 142 cm, females smaller than males. Body mostly black, broad white wing tips, bill deep orange-red, paler at the tip, with a distinct narrow white band towards the end. Only entirely black-coloured swan. Common throughout Australia. Prefers large salt, brackish or fresh waterways and permanent wetlands, requiring 40 m or more of clear water to take off. Fly at night and rest during the day with other swans. Vegetarian, eating mostly algae and weeds, which the bird obtains by plunging its long neck into water up to 1 m deep. Occasionally graze on land, but clumsy walkers. Pair for life, both adults raise one brood per season. Up to ten eggs are laid in an untidy nest made of reeds and grasses. The nest is placed either on a small island or floated in deeper water. Chicks are covered in grey down, and are able to swim and feed themselves as soon as they hatch. Photographed: Royal Botanical Gardens, Melbourne and Kangaroo Island
Large, flightless bird of the Ratite family, which also includes ostrich, cassowary and kiwi. Australia's largest native bird, larger than an ostrich. Averages 1.75 m at 50 to 55 kg. Females weigh more than males. Omnivore. Like kangaroo does not go backwards. 80 million year resident of Australia. Shy but curious, fast runners (up to 50 km/hr), running with a bouncy, swaying motion. Nomadic, some emus roaming over hundreds of kilometers. Males have a backward pointing spur on the foot which is often venomous. Can weigh up to 150 pounds and stands about 5 feet tall. Lives in Australia's dry plains, scrublands, open woodlands and cold mountainous snow country. Avoids dense forests and is not generally found in populated areas. Eats fruits, flowers, insects, seeds and green vegetation. Loves caterpillars. Needs water daily. Ingests large pebbles -- up to 1.6 ounces -- to help their gizzards grind up food. Often eat charcoal. Breeds during the dry season. Female leaves the nest after laying 5 to 11 large, dark green, granulated eggs and joins a migrating non-breeding group. Male is left to incubate the eggs alone for eight weeks. He does not eat during this time, and looses considerable weight as a result. After the eggs hatch, the male cares for the chicks for up to 18 months. Chicks hatched away from the father do not know how or what to eat. Emus live 5 to 10 years in the wild. Protected in Western Australia until 1922 when they were listed as vermin. Fences, one over 1500 kilometers long, were erected to keep them out of grain-growing areas. In 1932 Commonwealth and State Governments joined forces in the 'Emu Wars' - army units hunting the bird with machine guns thus provoking public outcry. About 400,000 were killed between 1945 and 1973." Emus have benefitted from man's activities in inland Australia, because of establishment of watering points for sheep and cattle has provided permanent water where there was none before. The Emu is bred for its meat, as well as the skin for leather products. Infertile eggs are hand-painted and sell for as much as AU$1500 each. Photographed: Narana Creations and Wildlife Country Cottages of Princetown, Victoria
Smallest of 17 species of penguins. Found only in southern Australia and New Zealand. Weigh approximately 1 kilogram and stand 30 cm high. Dense waterproof plumage is dark blue on the upper parts of the body and white on the underside. Live an average for 7 years, and may mate for life. A clutch of two white eggs is laid in spring incubated alternatively by both parents for 36 days. After 2 to 3 weeks, parents will leave the chicks unguarded in the nest during the day, while they forage at sea for food until chicks are 8 weeks old when they will have acquired the waterproof plumage necessary for independent life at sea. Photographed in Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island. (sounds)
Also called: Goulie, Roseate Cockatoo, Rose-breasted Cockatoo, Willie-Willock. Length 35 cm, weight 300 to 400 grams. Open country with scattered trees, riverine woodland, farmlands. A high-pitched chi-chi when in large groups. One of the most widespread of Australia's parrots, found in all states. Prefers open grasslands and woodland. Common in cities, towns and farmed land. Gregarious, forming flocks of several hundreds. Feeding on the ground. Seed, nuts and fruit. Damaging to cultivated grain crops. Considered a "pest" species. Licensed culling is permitted in certain states. 3 or 4 eggs incubated by both parents over 30 days. Chicks leave the nest at 8 weeks old. Photographed in Bundeena 10/27
Grey Butcherbirds measure 24cm - 30cm. The song is a lovely rich piping with some mimicry and harsher notes. Sometimes mistaken for small kingfishers. Found in wooded habitats, including suburban areas. Aggressive predators, they prey on small animals, including birds, lizards and insects, as well as some fruits and seeds. Uneaten food may be stored in the fork or a branch or impaled. Sit on an open perch searching for prey which, once sighted, they pounce on. Most mobile prey is caught on the ground, though small birds and insects may be caught in flight. Breed from July to January. Three to five eggs are incubated by the female, and hatch after about 25 days. The young birds are fed by both parents, and leave the nest after 28 days. Photographed in Euroka, Blue Mountains 10/11
Honeyeaters comprise a distinctive widspread family. They feed on nectar, fruit and insects. They have down-curved bills and brush-tipped tongues. They are frequently seen feeding in blossoms and their faces may be coated in dusty yellow pollen. Photographed at Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne 10/15
A large (14 - 17 cm) finch. Usually seen in small to medium-sized groups. Give a variety of chirruping and twittering notes. The most typical call is a harsh double-noted "chiisck" or "cherrup". Introduced into Australia from Britain between 1863 and 1870. Although the introduction was deliberate, and welcomed by many people, the House Sparrow quickly became a major pest, and a reward was paid by the government for the birds and their eggs. The birds have so far been prevented from establishing themselves in Western Australia, with every bird observed being deliberately destroyed. House Sparrows occur in and around human habitation, as well as cultivated areas and some wooded country. Feed on a wide range of foodstuffs - eat insects, spiders, berries, seeds, flower buds and scraps of food discarded by humans. Males and females form permanent pair bonds. Both sexes build the nest and care for the young, though the female alone incubates the eggs. Photographed at Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne 10/15
Largest species of the Kingfisher family, up to 46 cm long. Largest of two kookaburra and ten kingfisher species in Australia. Lives in forests or open woodlands. Their laugh is one of the more distinctive and common sounds of the Australian bush. Photographed at campgrounds at Euroka, Blue Mountains 10/11
Only lorikeet with a blue head. Very common along the east coast, in forest and woodlands where flowers and fruit can be found. Lorikeets have specialized tongues to collect nectar and pollen from flowers. Head and body length 30cm; wing 15 cm, weight around 133g. Female is smaller and has a shorter bill. Live to over 20 years in the wild. Active, noisy, belligerent, conspicuous. Strongly gregarious usually travelling in flocks of a few dozen. Screech in flight and chatter noisily while feeding. Pollen is import protein source, from nectar, blossoms. Also eat fruits, berries, seeds and occasionally insects. Also eat apples, pears and mangos. Morning feeding may last 4 hours. Can consume 30 to 40 Eucalyptus flowers per minute. Fly with rapid wingbeats. May fly 50kms per day from roost to feeding sites. Lives in rainforest, open forests, woodland, heath, mangroves, along watercourses, mallee, gardens, parks, orchards. Photographed in Glebe 10/6, 10/7, 10/9 (movies)
Common, noisy active bird. Larger (up to 37cm) than most other wattlebirds and honeyeaters. Upper parts grayish brown, with a white stripe on each feather, and the wing and tail quills dark brown or blackish. Wattles are light blood-red. Also called wattled crow, wattled bee-eater or wattled honey eater. Common resident in open forest and woodlands, heathland, riparian forests and gardens. Forms flocks in April and May when many move north and west away from the coast. Common host for the parasitic Common Koel. Photographed in Canberra 10/13
White head, tail and underparts, with a light grey back and black-tipped wings. In adult birds the bill, legs and eye-ring are bright orange-red. 40 - 45 cm. Harsh 'kwee-aarr'. Common at any watered habitat throughout Australia. Rarely seen far from land. Birds flock in high numbers around fishing boats as these leave or return to the coast. Successful scavenger. Worms, fish, insects and crustaceans. Birds nest in large colonies on offshore islands. Often two broods will be raised in a year, and both adults share nest-building, incubation and feeding duties. Three eggs are laid in a shallow nest scrape, lined with vegetation. Photographed in Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island 10/22.
Australia's nosiest bird. Lives in large flocks. Common in urban and sub-urban areas. 14 to 20 inches long, weighing 0.7 to 1.1 lbs. During the breeding season this noisy and conspicuous bird usually lives in pairs or small family parties. Hatches clutches of two to three after thirty days incubation. The rest of the year it congregates in flocks of up to hundreds of birds. Forages in native forest and adjacent farmland. Feeds on the seeds of grasses and herbaceous plants, fruits, berries, nuts, grains, flowers, leaf buds, bulbous roots, and insects and their larvae. A pest in cereal-growing districts, it digs up newly-sown seed and raids ripening crops. It also damages haystacks and bagged grain stacked in paddocks. This intelligent bird is very popular in the pet industry, since it can learn to imitate sounds and perform tricks. These Cockatoos live to 50 years. Photographed: Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney 10/7
Birds are about 15 cm long, including the outer tail feathers (streamers), which are slightly shorter in the female. Call is a mixture of twittering and soft warbling notes, and a sharp whistle in alarm. Feed on a wide variety on insects. Catch prey in flight, using their acrobatic flying skills. The prey is guided into the bird's wide, open mouth with the help of short rictal bristles bordering the bill. These bristles also help protect the bird's eye. Where insects are in large supply, Welcome Swallows feed in large flocks. Welcome Swallows readily breed close to human habitation. The female alone incubates the eggs, which hatch after two to three weeks. The young are fed by both parents, and leave the nest (fledge) after a further two to three weeks. Photographed Attrey's Reef 10/14
Willie Wagtail is not related to the Eurasion wagtails, but is related to the fantails, drongos, and monarchs. The largest, and possibly most well-known, of the Australian fantails. Birds measure 18.5 to 21.5 cm. Call uttered constantly throughout the night, interpreted as "sweet-pretty-creature". Active in defending its territory, but very tolerant and tame around humans, often feeding and nesting in close proximity of houses and human activity. Found in open forests and woodlands. Tend to prefer the wetter areas, with lots of leaf-litter, for feeding, and available mud for nest building. Although the Willie Wagtail is generally observed singly or in pairs, winter flocks may form, often mixed with other species. Active feeders. Birds can be seen darting around lawns as they hunt for insects on the ground. As they do so, the tail is wagged from side to side. Insects are also captured in the air, in active chases. The Willie Wagtail is often found in the company of domestic and farm animals, such as cattle and sheep, where it either runs behind the moving animal snatching insects as they are disturbed, or sits on the back of the animal, darting off to capture a flying insect and then returning to its mobile perch. Nest may be re-used in successive years, or an old nest is often destroyed and the materials used in the construction of a new nest. Normal clutch size is three, and the cream-coloured eggs, speckled with grey and brown are incubated by both sexes. The young hatch after about 14 days and leave the nest after a further two weeks. The young birds stay with the parents until the eggs from the next clutch start to hatch. At this point they are driven away. If conditions are favorable, the couple may raise up to four successive clutches in a single season. Photographed at Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne 10/15
All feathers edged with yellow, yellow ear coverts. Gray-brown feet and gray bill. 58-65cm. Inhabit coastal forests, cultivated areas, plantations and savannas of Victoria and Southwest Australia. Eats nuts, seeds, grass seeds, fruit, berries, nectar, flower buds and insects. Hen incubates 1-2 eggs for 30 days. Young fledge at 90 days. Photographed in Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island 10/22.
28cm. Inhabits woodlands, mallee scrub and suburbia. Feeds on insects and nectar. Grey crown, neck, back, wings and tail, pale grey chest and belly, olive on wings and tail. Yellow bill and forehead, yellow patch behind eye followed by black patch, yellow on side of neck. Breeds Winter-Spring. Miners are called Mynas outside Australia. Photographed desert 10/24.