Australian Birds

Due to our house location, we see quite a few examples of Australian birds.  Most species seem to be very brave, and can be approached quite closely, as can be seen in some of these photos.

The most common is the Galah (Pink-breasted Cockatoo).  A large, noisy cockatoo, they normally travel in flocks.  I find them a very pretty bird, and fun to watch.

    

 

One of my favorite birds, and one that is a very common visitor to our birdfeeders, is the zebra finch.  This is a very small bird that makes bee-beep sounds, and you may see these in pet stores in the United States.

Another visitor to our feeders is the Port Lincoln Parrot, also known as the Australian Ringneck.  These are also common birds and have a preference for the bottlebrush tree in our back yard when it is in bloom.

       

Another of my personal favorites is the Willie Wagtail.  It is a small bird, quite unafraid, and as the name implies, wags it's tail from side to side.  It is also an agile flyer, and fun to watch hunting for insects.

Another common bird is the babbler.  They hang out in groups and are appropriately named.   They make many unusual sounds, sometimes sounding like monkeys or even kittens.

Grey-crowned Babbler

Black Kite.  A very common raptor, we see these every day.

Spinifex Pigeon.  Normally see away from human habitation, this is a smallish, compact bird.

Crested Pigeons.  similar to the Spinifex Pigeon, it has an upright crest and whirrs when it flies

Other birds we've seen around include:

Magpie Larks:

a smallish black-and-white bird

Magpies:

Looks like a magpie-lark :) but is bigger.

White-plumed Honeyeaters:

Small, greenish-yellow birds. One does not like Meep at all and will approach the window quite close and yell at her.

Singing Honeyeaters:

Bigger than the white-plumed, this honeyeater,as the name implies, has a pretty song

Black-Breasted Buzzards:

Again, see the Desert Park page for photos

Wedgetail Eagles:

Australia's largest eagle

Noisy Miners:

another appropriately named bird

Mistletoe Birds:

As their name implies, they eat Mistletoe berries, and thus help spread the parasitic plant.  Cute birds though.

Rainbow Bee-eaters:

A pretty little bird, which eats bees and other insects.  I found it hard to believe this is actually a kingfisher, until I saw it dive for insects at Ellery Creek Big Hole.

Red-backed Kingfishers:

Kingfishers in the Outback you say?  Yup!  The kookaburra is also a kingfisher, by the way.

Yellow-throated Miners:

Noisy, social birds.