Feather Fascination! with local Birdwatcher, Jim Butler CALLING FROM THE CANOPY oday it is almost impossible to and Northern Australia; and Tbe in the bush for more than the third, the Yellow Oriole, is ten minutes without hearing the found in Northern Australia. The repetitious calling of the Olive- Olive-backed Oriole (Oriolus backed Oriole. And this calling will sagittatus) was first described in go on and on until well into 2017! 1802 by the English ornithologist There is usually only one bird in John Latham: Oriolus is latin the vicinity and it is exceptionally for “golden bird”; and sagitta is hard to see because of its olive latin for “arrow”, and refers to the colouring and its preference for arrow-like marks on the breast foraging in the forest canopy. The and stomach. calling of the Olive-backed Oriole The Olive-backed Oriole has is complex, because along with its plenty of red: beak, eye and own call it is a wonderful mimic of gape. It is well-known they feed the calls of other forest birds. principally on fruit in canopy trees Globally, there are 33 species of that produce abundant berries, as the beautiful Orioles, all boldly in the photo. However, motion- coloured with splashes of yellow sensitive cameras have recently and red, and remarkably similar revealed new information. Nest in shape and size (28cm). There predation is the most common are three members of the family source of nest failure, yet the in Australia. Two live with us, identity of the predators is not the Olive-backed Oriole and well known. In 2014 an Olive- the Australasian Figbird, and backed Oriole was photographed are found throughout Eastern taking young from the nest of a Grey Fantail and destroying the nest in the process. And in 2014 the first ever detailed study of the breeding biology of the Olive-backed Oriole was published which is essential knowledge for its preservation. Go bush and meet an Oriole – Jim.