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Wonga Pigeon
Scientific Name: Leucosarcia melanoleuca Did You Know? The wonga pigeon is usually heard rather than seen. It is quite a secretive bird but calls with a short, high-pitched ‘coo’, which is repeated every second or so for long periods of time. A beautiful, robust pigeon with a pastel blue-grey back, fading to creamy-white on the […]
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White-headed Pigeon
Scientific Name: (Columba leucomela) Did You Know? The white-headed pigeon has developed a particular fondness for the berries of the introduced camphor laurel tree. This has subsequently assisted with the rapid spread of this pest tree by the dispersion of seeds in the bird’s droppings. Only the adult male has a truly white head in […]
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White-browed Woodswallow
Scientific Name: Artamus superciliosus Did You Know? Huge flocks of woodswallows form at certain times of the year wandering far and wide in search of food. In good seasons, nesting colonies may be formed where several pairs may nest together in a single tree. A subtly attractive bird with pastel grey head, throat and uppersides […]
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Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
Scientific Name: Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus Did You Know? Huge flocks of scaly-breasted and rainbow lorikeets congregate at favoured roosting sites at certain times of the year. Thousands may converge in one tree at dusk in a noisy but colourful spectacle. Needless to say, it is not advisable to walk beneath these trees at this time of […]
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Satin Bowerbird
Scientific Name: (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus) Did You Know? Satin bowerbirds always build their bowers on a north-south axis. Decorative objects include any suitably coloured man-made objects such as milk bottle caps, straws and clothes pegs as well as natural items such as feathers. Male and female satin bowerbirds are totally different in appearance. Males are entirely […]
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Regent Bowerbird
Scientific Name: Sericulus chrysocephalus Did You Know? In the bowerbird family there is a definite pattern where the more colourful birds tend to build less elaborate bowers. The regent bowerbird is a good example of this, its beautiful plumage making up for the relatively plain and simple bower. The fawn-breasted bowerbird (Chlamydera cerviniventris) on the […]
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Rainbow Lorikeet
Scientific Name: Trichoglossus haematodus Did You Know? Many wild rainbow lorikeets suffer because they are fed an inadequate diet by humans, such as bread and honey. If you are planning to feed these birds in your garden, purchase a specific lorikeet diet from a pet shop and only provide small quantities on a regular basis […]
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Tawny Frogmouth
Scientific Name: Podargus strigoides Proudly Sponsored by Finn Beaumont, Vale Park, NSW Hayley Franklin, Muswellbrook Anonymous, Davistown Did You Know? Despite popular belief frogmouths are not owls. Their night time activities and diet are about the only thing they have in common with owls as they are actually more closely related to the nightjar family, […]
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King Parrot
Scientific Name: Alisterus scapularis Did You Know? It takes nearly three years for the male king parrot to develop his full coloured feathers. Before that he resembles the predominantly green female. Surely one of the most beautiful of all the parrots, the male king parrot is resplendent in his plumage of scarlet red head and […]
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Cassowary
Scientific Name: Casuarius casuarius Did You Know? Incubation lasts for around two months and the male rarely eats during this period. The female cassowary can be distinguished from the male by her larger size, more vibrant colours around her head and neck and a larger casque, the helmet-like structure on top of the head. This […]
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