SOUTHERN CASSOWARY

Photographed in the Daintree, North Queensland

56    SOUTHERN CASSOWARY         Casuarius casuarius

Australia    (56)

Australia's second largest bird. Found in dense rainforest, especially around streams in areas on Cape York and the Daintree in northern Queensland.

EASTERN YELLOW ROBIN

55           EASTERN YELLOW ROBIN     Eopsaltria australis

Australia    (55)

Eastern Yellow Robin is 15-16 cms. It lives in rain forests, vine forests, scrubby eucalyptus woodlands, mallee, orchards, golf courses, scrub. Range is from southern tip of South Australia up to Cooktown in Queensland, an area the eastern half of Queensland and NSW and all Victoria except the north-west. Found in singles, pairs or parties.

AUSTRALIAN BUSTARD

Photographed in northern Queensland

54         Australian Bustard        Ardeotis australis

Australia           (54)

Also known as Plains or Wild Turkey. 76cm to 1.5 m. Wing span 1.6-2.1.The male is larger. Large bird generally found in open country, grasslands, open scrubland, woodlands, pastoral lands. Male has amazing display with pendulous breast sacs. Found over most of Australia EXCEPT eastern half of NSW, most of Victoria, Tasmania and an area around Perth.

Katherine January 2024

WHITE-WINGED CHOUGH

53          WHITE-WINGED CHOUGH      Corcorax melanorhamphos

Australia         (53)

Also known as Black Jay or Black magpie. 43-47 cms. Found in drier forests, woodlands, mallee, pastures. Ranges from southern SA, all of Victoria, most of NSW except n-w tip, south east Queensland. Highly sociable, parties of 5-10, in autumn/winter may be much larger parties.

RESTLESS FLYCATCHER

 52     RESTLESS FLYCATCHER           Myiagra inquieta

Australia     (52)

Also known as Dishlick, Dish Washer, and Scissors Grinder. 16-21 cm. Range from Victoria, NSW, Queensland except Cape York and sw Queensland, top half NT, bottom half of SA, top and bottom of WA. Found in open woodlands and forests, red river gums near water, coastal scrub, golf courses.

Restless Flycatcher on nest at Bowra Station September 2015

WILLIE WAGTAIL

51    WILLIE WAGTAIL     Rhipidura leucophrys

Australia     (51)

Also known as Black-and-white Fantail. 19-22 cms. Widespread on mainland and northern half of Tasmania. Found in most habitats except dense forests.

Willie Wagtail on nest at Bowra Station, Queensland September 2015.

SPOTTED TURTLE-DOVE

Photographed in suburban Sydney.

50        SPOTTED TURTLE-DOVE            Streptopelia chinensis

Australia    (50)

Also known as Chinese or Indian turtle-dove, or Spotted dove. 28-32 cm. Introduced into Australia in 1860s. Ranges down the east coast of the mainland from Cooktown to Adelaide, Pockets in WA and Tasmania. Found inn urban areas, around farms, wheat silos, agricultural lands and open woodland.

WHITE-BREASTED WOODSWALLOW

49          WHITE-BREASTED WOODSWALLOW            Artamus Ieucorynchus 

Australia     (49)

Located over most of NSW and Queensland, most of NT except small pocket in sw, along WA coast from Shark Bay and across the top, small area top of Victoria. found in trees along rivers, besides lakes, wetlands, mangroves and paperbarks. 16-18 cms.

Photographed at Cunnamulla, south Queensland

Photographed in north Queensland

BLACK-SHOULDERED KITE

48         BLACK-SHOULDERED KITE                Elanus axillaris

Australia    (48)

Ranges all over mainland Australia. Found in grassland with trees, farms, roadways, sewerage farms, suburban paddocks. 33-38 cm, wingspan to 90cm.

NANKEEN KESTREL

Photographed in Parkes, central NSW

47        NANKEEN KESTREL             Falco cenchroides

Australia         (47)

Also known as Australian kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Windhover. 30-35 cm, span to 80 cm, female larger. Found all over Australia. Habitat includes grasslands, farmland, grain silos, plains, gibber desert, farmlands.

COMMON BRONZEWING

46           COMMON BRONZEWING                Phaps chalcoptera

Australia      (46)

32-36 cm.  Found over most of Australia except Cape York and most of eastern Western Australia. Found in forests, woodland, mallee, cypress, acacia, banksia, heaths and coastal tea-trees.

female

BLUE BONNET

45              BLUE BONNET         Northiella haematogaster

Australia     (45)

Also known as Bulloak parrot, Little Blue Bonnet and Naretha Parrot. Found over a large area in western NSW, se Queensland, eastern SA and nw tip of Victoria. Also a small pocket in se of WA. Found in open woodlands, scrub, often far from water, open mallee, saltbush, grasslands, she oak and mulga. 27-35 cm.

HOUSE SPARROW

44    HOUSE SPARROW       Passer domesticus

Australia    (44)

14-16 cms. Found all over the eastern half of Australia. Urban areas, parks, homesteads, grain growing areas, mallee and mulga. Introduced into Australia in 1860s. Native to nw Africa, Eurasia.

Photographed in Nepal.

ZEBRA FINCH

43    ZEBRA FINCH          Taeniopygia guttata

Australia        (43)

Found in most of mainland Australia except Cape York, Kimberleys, Top End, south east Victoria, sw Western Australia. 

PEREGRINE FALCON

42           PEREGRINE FALCON             Falco peregrinus

Australia      (42)

Also known as Black-cheeked falcon and Duck Hawk. 36-47 cms, span to 95 cm; female larger.  Found all over Australia.

Photographed at Barkly Homestead, NT May 2016

WEDGE-TAILED EAGLE

41     WEDGE-TAILED EAGLE           Aquila audax

Australia      (41)

Also known as Eaglehawk. 90-1.1 m, span to 2.8 m; female is larger. Found all over Australia.

SUPERB FAIRY-WREN

40    SUPERB FAIRY-WREN         Malurus cyaneus

Australia   (40)

Also known as Blue wren, Jenny wren, Superb Blue-wren.  Well loved Australian wren. Found in low cover, golf courses, along scrub beside roadways, forest undergrowth, riverside thickets, woodlands, coastal salt marshes. South-east Queensland, eastern NSW, most of Victoria, se SA, Tasmania.

Subspecies cyaneus, photographed Bruny Island, Tasmania February 2017

Female, subspecies cyaneus