bird database

Platycercus elegans

Crimson Rosella

The Crimson Rosella has mostly crimson (red) plumage and bright blue cheeks. The feathers of the back and wing coverts are black broadly edged with red. The flight feathers of the wings have broad blue edges, and the tail is blue above and pale blue below and on the outer feathers. Young Crimson Rosellas have the characteristic blue cheeks, but the remainder of the body plumage is green-olive to yellowish olive (occasionally red in some areas). The young bird gradually attains the adult plumage over a period of 15 months. They are 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.

785

Common

Gallinula tenebrosa

Dusky Moorhen

A medium-sized, dark grey-black water bird with a white undertail. It has a red bill with a yellow tip and a red facial shield. Young birds are much duller and browner than adults, with a greenish bill and face shield. It feeds in the water and on land on algae, water plants and grasses, as well as seeds, fruits, molluscs and other invertebrates. It will also eat carrion (dead animals) and the droppings of other birds. It does not dive when feeding; its tail is always visible above the water when upended.

510

Common

Platycercus eximius

Eastern Rosella

A medium-sized colourful parrot with distinctive white cheek patches. It has a red head, neck and breast, with yellowish to greenish upper parts, a yellow underbody and a yellow-green to blue-green rump, with a red undertail. The shoulders are bright blue. Females are usually similar to males, but sometimes duller and young birds are even duller and can be aged by their bill colour, which is yellow or orange, changing to off-white when mature. It mainly feeds on the ground, especially amongst grasses in lawns, pastures and other clearings. Also feeds in trees and bushes. Main dietary items include: seeds, fruits, buds, flowers, nectar and insects.

655

Common

Eopsaltria australis

Eastern Yellow Robin

A medium sized robin with a grey back and head, and yellow underparts. Southern birds have an olive-yellow rump, while in northern birds it is brighter yellow. The throat is off-white and, in flight, there is a pale off-white wing bar. The bill is black. Both sexes are similar in plumage colour and pattern, but the female is slightly smaller. Young Eastern Yellow Robins are rufous-brown. The plumage has some paler streaks, which are confined to the wings when the birds are a little older. They feed on insects, spiders and other arthropods. These are caught mostly on the ground, and are pounced on from a low perch. Some handouts are also taken at picnic areas. Birds normally feed alone, but may also be seen in pairs or small family groups.

749

Common

Fulica atra

Eurasian Coot

The Eurasian Coot is recognised by its snowy white bill and forehead shield. The remainder of the bird is dark sooty grey, except for its bright red eye. Immature birds are generally paler than adults with a white wash on the throat. Nestlings are downy, black with fine yellow tips. The head is orange-red and the bill is red with a cream-white tip. They feed almost entirely on vegetable matter, supplemented with only a few insects, worms and fish. Food is mainly obtained during underwater dives, lasting up to 15 seconds and ranging down to 7 m in depth. Birds also graze on the land and on the surface of the water.

622

Common

Eolophus roseicapillus

Galah

Easily identified by its rose-pink head, neck and underparts, with paler pink crown, and grey back, wings and undertail. Galahs have a bouncing acrobatic flight, but spend much of the day sheltering from heat in the foliage of trees and shrubs. Huge noisy flocks of birds congregate and roost together at night. Galahs form huge, noisy flocks which feed on seeds, mostly from the ground. Seeds of grasses and cultivated crops are eaten, making these birds agricultural pests in some areas. Birds may travel large distances in search of favourable feeding grounds.

563

Common

Pachycephala pectoralis

Golden Whistler

The adult male is bright yellow on the underside, olive-green on the back and wings, and black on the head with a bright yellow collar. The throat is white, separated from the yellow chest by a broad black band. The bill and legs are black. Females lack bright plumage. They are generally grey above, with a pale olive tinge, and paler grey below, with a buff wash. The bill is dark brown and the legs grey-brown. The eye is red-brown in adults of both sexes. Young Golden Whistlers are rufous. As they mature, the plumage comes to resemble that of the female other than rufous edges to some wing feathers. These are later replaced as the bird matures. They feed on insects, spiders and other small arthropods. Berries are also eaten. Feeding is usually done alone and most food is obtained from the lower or middle tree level, where it is picked from leaves and bark.

868

Common

Ardea modesta

Great Egret

Overall plumage is white, and, for most of the year, when not breeding, the bill and facial skin are yellow. The feet are dark olive-grey or sooty black, as are the legs. During the breeding season, the bill turns mostly black and the facial skin becomes green. Also at this time, long hair-like feathers (nuptial plumes) hang across the lower back, and the legs become pinkish-yellow at the top. Young Great Egrets are similar to the adults but have a blackish tip to the bill. It usually feeds alone on molluscs, amphibians, aquatic insects, small reptiles, crustaceans and occasionally other small animals, but fish make up the bulk of its diet. The Great Egret usually hunts in water, wading through the shallows, or standing motionless before stabbing at prey.

766

Common

Cracticus torquatus

Grey Butcherbird

The adult has a black crown and face and a grey back, with a thin white collar. The wings are grey, with large areas of white and the underparts are white. The grey and black bill is large, with a small hook at the tip of the upper bill. The eye is dark brown, and the legs and feet are dark grey. Both sexes are similar in plumage, but the females are slightly smaller than the males. Young Grey Butcherbirds resemble adults, but have black areas replaced with olive-brown and a buff wash on the white areas. The bill is completely dark grey and often lacks an obvious hook. They are sometimes mistaken for small kingfishers. Grey Butcherbirds are 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.

833

Common

Rhipidura albiscapa

Grey Fantail

The Grey Fantail is most easily recognised by its constantly fanned tail and agile aerial twists and turns. Both sexes are similar in appearance: grey above, with white eyebrow, throat and tail edges. This species is quite inquisitive and will closely approach an observer. It feeds on flying insects, which it catches by chasing them from the edge of foliage at all levels in the canopy.

388

Common

Colluricincla harmonica

Grey Shrike-thrush

A rather drab coloured bird, with mostly grey plumage, with an olive-grey back, and pale grey-white cheeks and underparts. Adult males are browner on the mantle than the female and young birds have varying amounts of rufous on the cheeks and wings. It searches for food on the ground, generally around fallen logs, and on the limbs and trunks of trees. It has a varied diet consisting of insects, spiders, small mammals, frogs and lizards, and birds' eggs and young, and some birds have been observed feeding on carrion. Fruits and seeds may also be eaten on occasion.

568

Common

Gallinago hardwickii

Latham's Snipe

The largest snipe in Australia, with cryptic, mainly brown, plumage. The bill is long and straight, the wings rather short and pointed and the tail is long. It has short legs and when folded, the wings project well past the tail, giving a pointed look. The upper body is boldly patterned with black, brown and white. There is a bold narrow dark brown cheek stripe and dark line through the eye. The sexes are similar and, unlike most migratory waders, do not show a lot of seasonal variation. The eyes are set well back on the distinctive rounded head. Snipe are very shy and wary and burst from cover when disturbed, zig-zaggingg off with a very fast flight, with a 'crek' call, before dropping to cover again. This is often the first indication that they are around, as they are usually well-camouflaged when still. This species is also known as the Japanese Snipe. It feeds by thrusting their long bill into mud with an up and down 'sewing machine' action in soft mudflats or shallow water. They roost in the day and feed at night, early morning or evening. They are omnivorous, eating seeds and plant material, worms, spiders and insects, some molluscs, isopods and centipedes.

1181

Seasonal