Australia is a country known as a bird lovers paradise. However, It comprises over 800 species of birds found across the continent and its surrounding islands. One of the many notable features of most Australian birds is their striking coloration, seen in the parrots, pigeons, and cockatoos.
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Nonetheless, Australia is an ideal destination for bird enthusiasts. Either from Rainbow Lorikeets to Australian Magpies, each has unique features that distinguish them from other species globally. Furthermore In this article, You will discover some interesting facts about Fifteen common birds found in Australia.
1. Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita)
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo is a large, recognizable parrot species found in Australia. It measures 45-55 cm long and has a distinctive crest, reddish-brown eyes, white plumage, curved beak, raucous call, long broad wings, and a long tail. Also as pets, they make loyal companions and readily adapt to human settlements.
Furthermore, the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo lives in Woodlands, forests, and suburbs. Highly socialized and nesting in large flocks in the wild for protection against predators. They use their strong beak to pry and feed on seeds, nuts, fruits, insects, and sometimes vegetables.
2. Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus)
Rainbow Lorikeets are one of the most popular birds in Australia, inhabiting rainforests and urban environments with tree coverage. Also, called the Lory and is known for its distinctive call, sounding like kikiki-kyu. With their brightly colored plumage in multiple hues, Rainbow Lorikeets are distinctive all across Australia.
They are average-sized birds of 25–30 cm with a bright red beak, deep blue head with a green nape, and bluish-green tail. The Rainbow Lorikeet has a swift, direct flight pattern with rapid wing beats.
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Furthermore, Rainbow Lorikeets are found in forests and woodlands, mainly eating nectar, pollen, and fruits with its long tongue. You can attract Rainbow Lorikeet to your garden with fruits and sunflower seeds. Its distinctive bright colors and noisy chattering call make it hard to overlook.
3. Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen)
The Australian magpie is a beautiful passerine and highly recognizable parrot in most of Australia. Its black and white plumage makes it distinctive. However, the males have more brightly colored feathers than females. These birds mimic human speech patterns quite accurately.
Measuring 35–40 cm, Australian magpies are territorial birds cohabiting in social groups with a dominant breeding pair. In addition to their diet of insects, fruits, small reptiles, and amphibians. They also eat grains such as wheat or oats. On hot days, they derive pleasure from drinking from pools of water.
4. Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla)
Also known as the Rose-breasted Cockatoo, The Galah is a striking bird, easily identified by its distinctive pink and grey plumage. However, these parrots live together in pairs or small groups and look for food in open woodlands, scrublands, and grasslands. They feed on seeds, fruits, buds, and flowers, making them valuable contributors to the ecosystem.
Galahs measure 35 cm with short, rounded wings and a long, tapered tail with pale-gray beak and gray-black legs. Also, they form large, noisy flocks looking for food in the daytime and congregate at communal roost sites at night. Galahs nest in tree cavities and lay 4-6 white eggs.
5. Noisy Miner (Manorina melanocephala)
Noisy Miner is a grey bird with a black head, yellow beak, and feet with a distinctive yellow patch behind the eye. Also, It is one of the common birds in Australia, most times found in woodlands and open forests. The honeyeater bird is known for its aggressive behavior, living in large colonies and driving out other vulnerable species.
Even though, the Noisy Miner are herbivores and carnivores, they feed on nectar, fruits, small reptiles, and insects. Also, they eat from trees or the ground. These birds drink together at the banks of lakes and dams.
6. Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae)
The emu is the tallest bird and the second-largest by weight endemic to Australia. It has a long neck, long and strong legs, and a large body covered with grey-brown feathers. Its powerful legs make running at up to 50 km/h speed possible.
Although, It resembles the ostrich but is smaller with rudimentary wings. Furthermore, the wings are smaller and have no keel on their sternum, but this makes them flightless and a great swimmer. Emus forage for fruits, grasses, and insects but may also damage crops.
7. Red Wattlebird (Anthochaera carunculata)
The red wattlebird is a passerine bird found in southern Australia. It measures 30–35 cm in length and is the second largest species of Australian honeyeater. This bird has grey-brown plumage, red eyes, pinkish-red wattles on either side of the neck, and white streaks on the chest.
The red wattlebird lives in forests, woodlands, and gardens. It feeds on nectar, insects, berries, other fruits, and small creatures by hawking. Also, they prioritize visiting flowers that produce a lot of nectar, such as eucalyptus, banksias, grass trees, and emu bushes.
8. Kingfisher (Alcedinidae)
Kingfishers are however vocal and colorful birds renowned for their dramatic hunting methods and their spectacular dives into water. It measures 20-40 cm with a large head, long and big bill, and a compact body. However, their feet are small with few exceptions, short tails, and most species have vivid plumage in bold patterns.
Even though this bird sits still, watching for movement from a favorite perch then plunges into the water and catches the fish. Also, it takes the fish to the perch and stuns it by beating it against the perch before consuming it. In addition, many of these species feed on crustaceans, amphibians, and reptiles.
9. Gouldian Finch (Erythrura gouldiae)
Gouldian Finches are Australia most spectacularly colored and only grass finches that nest exclusively in tree hollows or holes in termite mounds. Its plumage is a fine combination of yellow, green, blue, and red. Although, the males are generally more colorful than females but young ones are dull ashy-grey on the head and hind neck.
The Gouldian Finch feeds in small to large groups with ripe or half-ripe grass seeds. Furthermore, the diet also consists almost entirely of insects rich in protein.
10. Bowerbird (Ptilonorhynchidae)
Bowerbirds are medium-sized birds known for their unique courtships in which the male builds a bower and sings loudly in it. An adult male has a shiny blue-black plumage, a pale bluish-white bill, and violet-blue eyes.
Interestingly, Bowerbirds mix plant material with saliva to make paint they spread over their bower walls. Also feed on fruits all year round and supplement with a large number of insects.
11. Superb Lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae)
A Superb Lyrebird is a large ground-dwelling bird that roosts in trees at night with powerful legs and a long tail. Primarily gray-brown with reddish outer wing. In addition, they are found in rainforest habitats in southeastern Australia and are known for mimicking other species.
The superb Lyrebird diet consists of insects, spiders, worms, and seeds. It looks for food using its feet to scratch through the leaf litter.
12. Wedge-Tailed Eagle (Aquila audax)
The tailed Eagle is Australia’s largest living bird of prey and one of the largest eagles in the world. Young eagles are mid-brown with slightly lighter and reddish-brown wings and heads.
This strong eagle occupies terrestrial habitat, dry woodlands, and grasslands. Also seen in different forest types like the rainforest, sub-alpine, and dwarf coniferous forests. Nonetheless, Wedge-tailed Eagles eat mostly carrion. However, they include live prey like rabbits and hares in their diet.
13. Australian wood duck (Chenonetta jubata)
Australian wood duck is a medium-sized duck with a long neck and a short grey bill. The male has a brown head, grey-color body, chestnut speckling on the breast, a dark rump, tail, and under-tail. Moreover, the female possesses a white stripe above and below each eye, ash back, brown barred flanks, dark-tail, and white under-tail.
Moreover, they make their nests so close to water that the chicks can walk or swim soon after hatching. Also, they feed on grasses, grains, clover, herbs, and occasionally, insects.
14. Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus)
Budgerigars are green and yellow with dark scalloped markings on the nape, back, and wings. These birds are easy to domesticate and make good pets.
Even though these birds become too attached to their owners, they can easily recognize you even if you change your hairstyle or clothes. Budgerigars feed so much on grass seeds from the ground. They breed in small colonies and nest in tree hollows or cavities.
15. Little Corella (Cacatua sanguinea)
Little Corella is a medium-sized white cockatoo. Often dirt stained on the underparts, small pointed crest, patches of blue-grey skin around the eye, pale yellow under-wings and tail.
In addition, they usually feed on the ground but occasionally feed on trees and shrubs. Little Corellas are noisy birds and good at showing off. These birds always travel in large flocks.
Conclusion
Furthermore, I hope you find this article helpful and educational. Either you’re dreaming about flying halfway around the world to see some of these beautiful birds of Australia or there already. Please do enjoy the view.