Produced by Illawarra Birders Birds of Paddocks, Parks and Gardens Creature on Earth
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Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo Crimson Rosella Superb Fairy-Wren Rainbow Lorikeet Produced by Illawarra Birders www.illawarrabirders.org Crested Pigeon Laughing Sometimes wrongly called Kookaburra Eastern Spinebill Grey Butcherbird a Topknot Pigeon (which is One of the largest members A beautiful honey- eater with Little Wattlebird Red-browed Finch So-called as it stores prey a different bird). Makes a of the kingfisher family – but a beak designed for probing A noisy wattlebird with no Also known as the Red- in a tree fork, using its distinctive whistling sound it doesn’t catch fish. When deep inside flowers to extract wattles. Common in gardens browed Firetail, this is the hooked beak to tear it up into when it flies. (42cm) a family group starts their their nectar. (16cm) and heathland, feeding on commonest local finch. bite-sized chunks. But it’s noisy chorus of laughter it’s banksias, grevilleas etc. Firetails are so-called a handsome bird and sings their way of saying ‘this is our (28cm) because of their bright red beautifully! (28cm) territory’. (40cm) rumps. (12cm) Nankeen Kestrel The Kestrel, a type of falcon, is the smallest Australian bird of prey. It’s one of the Noisy Miner New Holland few birds that can hover, This native bird has a large whilst looking for prey on the Masked Lapwing Honeyeater repertoire of different calls. Willie Wagtail Welcome Swallow ground. (Another is the mainly Large plovers are known as Not a shy bird, it likes to sit on It lives in colonies which A feisty little bird, ready to A master of flight, especially white Black-shouldered Kite.) lapwings, and this one is the top of bushes and advertise aggressively exclude other take on others many times low level, high-speed (32cm) world’s largest. This bird was its presence. Shares the smaller birds. (26cm) its size. As well as its rattling aerobatics that it uses to previously known as the Spur- same habitat as the Little alarm call it has one which vacuum up flying insects. winged Plover on account Wattlebird, (18cm) some say sounds like ‘sweet (15cm) of the wing spurs which are pretty creature’. (21cm) sometimes visible. (36cm) Birds of paddocks, parks and gardens Peregrine Falcon This awesome bird isn’t Red Wattlebird Black-faced Magpie-lark Australian Raven common, but can be seen Satin Bowerbird So named because of the Cuckoo-shrike A.K.A. the Peewee. One of In Australia there are three in our area, often around The male’s famous bower red ‘wattles’ or skin-flaps Not a cuckoo or a shrike, an the few birds that sings a duet species of Raven and two escarpment cliffs. When it is not a nest. He decorates on its neck. It has a yellow older (better!) name is the – when you hear their metallic crows, all very similar. This is swoops on its prey from a it with treasures of blue to belly and a call that sounds Shufflewing – which is what chiming calls it’s usually the the only one you’re likely to great height, it is the fastest attract the greenish-brown a bit like a barking dog. it does every time it lands. male and female singing find in the Illawarra. creature on earth. (42cm) female. (25cm) (35cm) (33cm) together. (28cm) (50cm) Water & Sea Birds < Black Swan < White-bellied < Little Pied < Eastern Curlew Australia’s only native swan. Sea Eagle Cormorant The world’s largest It’s not all black - when it Watch out for it majestically Like all cormorants it’s not migratory shorebird. Every spreads its wings you will patrolling our coastline. With very waterproof, to make year it carries its massive see its white flight feathers. luck you might see it pluck a diving and catching fish downcurved bill all the way It uses its long neck to reach fish out of the ocean, hardly easier. So it has to to its arctic breeding grounds the aquatic plants that it getting its feet wet. hang its wings out to dry! and back. feeds on. (80cm) (60cm) (62cm) (120cm) < Australian Wood < Eastern Great Egret < Great Cormorant < Red-capped Plover Duck Its enormous neck is longer The largest of our four local A tiny shorebird found on Just as likely to be seen on than its body. Other white cormorants - black with a our beaches and estuaries. land as on water, sometimes Egrets you might see are yellow face. (The Little Black When it dashes across the even perching in trees. (Male the Little Egret (smaller Cormorant has an all-black sand it almost appears to be in foreground). and hyperactive when face.) moving on wheels. (46cm) feeding) and the Cattle Egret (82cm) (15cm) (following cows!) (90cm) < Pacific Black Duck < Dusky Moorhen < White-faced Heron < Pied Oystercatcher Also known as the Painted One of our commonest water A common sight near any Its orange bill doesn’t Duck because of its facial birds; in the breeding season body of water. Like all herons quite match its pink legs. markings – it looks as though its beak is red, with a yellow its neck has a ‘hinge’ - an Endangered in NSW, mainly it’s wearing makeup! tip. The similar Coot has a adaptation for spearing its because it builds its nest on (54cm) white beak. prey. beaches where it is open to (38cm) (68cm) many threats. (46cm) < Wandering Albatross < Australasian < Australian White Ibis < Sooty Oystercatcher A magnificent winter visitor Swamphen Its close cousin the Sacred Unlike the Pied to our shores, its 3.5m Bigger and more colourful Ibis of Africa which was Oystercatcher, it prefers to wingspan is the largest of than the moorhen. Both worshipped by the ancient forage on rock platforms any bird. The Illawarra’s have a part of the beak that Egyptians. Look out also for where it uses its massive bill coastal waters are a global extends over the forehead the Straw-necked Ibis which to prise open shellfish. hotspot for seabirds. – this is called their shield. has a black back. (46cm) (120cm) (46cm) (70cm) < Chestnut Teal < Pied Stilt < Royal Spoonbill < Silver Gull Only the male is chestnut. Stilts live up to their name The Spoonbill moves its bill Gulls are pirates, often And his head is green. by having the longest from side to side in shallow taking food from other birds, Or black – the colour is legs(relative to body length) water to catch fish and so if one steals your chips iridescent and changes with of any bird. Often seen other prey. Our other, rarer it’s only behaving naturally! the light. around Lake Illawarra. Spoonbill is the Yellow-billed (40cm) (43cm) (35cm) Spoonbill. (78cm) < Australasian Grebe < Bar-tailed Godwit < Australian Pelican < Crested Tern A small waterbird often found Breeding in Siberia and A Pelican’s bill really can If you see a seagull diving with ducks but not related Alaska, it holds the record hold more than its belly can. into the ocean and catching to them. It dives to find food for the longest known non- And the Australian Pelican fish, then it’s probably not and is so well adapted to stop migration flight of over has the biggest bird bill in a seagull! It is most likely life on the water, it has great 11,000 kms. the world. to be a Crested Tern, our difficulty walking on land! (40cm) (170cm) commonest tern. (25cm) (46cm) Forest & Woodland Birds < Brown Cuckoo- < Green Catbird < Grey Fantail Dove Named for its extraordinary A lively, inquisitive bird - A long-tailed bronze-coloured call which sounds like a cat closely related to the Willie pigeon. It can be hard to find miaowing – or even a baby Wagtail. Its call is very high- when sitting quietly in the for- crying! pitched - beyond the hearing est foliage. But its distinctive (40cm) of some people. call - ‘did-you-walk’ - gives it (16cm) away. (40cm) < Wonga Pigeon < Lewin’s < Eastern Koel Most often seen walking along Honeyeater A member of the cuckoo fam- paths in the rainforest. Its One of many Australian hon- ily. It’s distinctive “cooo-ee, call is a continuous ‘whoop- eyeaters (nectar-feeders), this coooee” call is a well known whoop-whoop’ - a bit like a one has a yellow ear-patch. sound in the area in the reversing truck! Its rattling call has been warmer months. (37cm) compared to the sound of a (42cm) machine gun. (20cm) < Superb Lyrebird < Eastern Whipbird < Australasian A spectacular bird and one Often heard but rarely Figbird of the world’s best mimics, seen. The ‘whipcrack’ is the The male has a patch of copying the calls of many male’s call; a ‘cheep cheep’ bare skin around its eye other birds. Captive birds afterwards is the reply of an which turns bright red in the have been known to copy the interested female. breeding season. Look out for sounds of cars, phones, and (28cm) this bird in fruiting fig trees. even chainsaws. (95cm) (28cm) < White-throated < Golden Whistler < Eastern Yellow Treecreeper This is a classic example of Robin Hunts insects by walking up how in many birds the male is Yes we do have robins with tree trunks from bottom to very brightly coloured, but the red breasts in Australia, but top; it then flies down and female is a dull brown! they are uncommon here. starts again on the next tree. (18cm) This is the robin you are most Its call is a piercing, repetitive likely to see, often perching whistle. (17cm) on the side of a tree trunk. (16cm) Introduced Birds - These are some of the birds found locally that have been introduced to Australia by man.