SINGING HONEYEATER

196       SINGING HONEYEATER          Lichenostomus virescens

Australia     (196)

Also known as Grape-eater and Grey Peter. 18-22 cm.  Ranges across the mainland except on the east coast, Cape York, Kimberley and Arnhem Land. Found on coastal dune scrub, inland mulga, mallee and gardens. One of the first birds calling in the morning, about 30 minutes before dawn.

BROWN GOSHAWK

195       BROWN GOSHAWK             Accipiter fasciatus

Australia            (195)

Also known as Australian goshawk. 40-50 cm, span 70 cm to c. 1m, female larger. Common across all of Australia mainland and Tasmania. Found in open forests, woodland, scrubland, farmland, parks and gardens.

BARN OWL

194          BARN OWL         Tyto alba

Australia       (194)

Also known as Delicate, Screech or White Owl. 30-40 cm, female larger. Ranges over most of Australia, except w. of WA. Found in open forests, woodlands, grasslands, caves, ledges, farmlands and towns.

BROWN HONEYEATER

193        BROWN HONEYEATER            Lichmera indistincta

Australia         (193)

11-15 cm, Male much larger. Widespread over mainland Australia except Simpson and Western Desert, Nullabor and sse. Found in eucalyptus forests, inland scrub, paperbarks, mangroves, golf courses, gardens.

WHITE-BROWED WOODSWALLOW

192                 WHITE-BROWED WOODSWALLOW            Artamus superciliosus

Australia         (192)

also known as Blue Martin and Summerbird. 18-21 cm. Found on margins of forest, woodlands, vineyards, orchards, suburban streets. Ranges across most of mainland Australia except Cape York.

SPOTTED NIGHTJAR

191             SPOTTED NIGHTJAR            Eurostopodus argus

Australia          (191)

29-33 cm. Widespread across mainland Australia, mostly in drier habitats w. of Divide. Found in drier eucalyptus woodlands, stony, sandy ridges, mallee, mulga, pine scrubs, spinifex. 

GREEN ROSELLA

190       GREEN ROSELLA             Platycercus caledonicus

Australia      (190)

Found only in Tasmania. In forests, woodlands, farmland, timber along rivers, hawthorn hedges, orchards, gardens. 32-38 cm.

AUSTRALIAN SPOTTED CRAKE

189              AUSTRALIAN SPOTTED CRAKE           Porzana fluminea

Australia        (189)

19-23 cm. fairly common in sw third of Australia e. oAlice Springs, less common but found in western half of WA. Found in swamps with cover of water ribbons, sedges, bullrushessalt fields, salt lakes, inland and coastal.

Photographed at Werribee Wetlands, February 2015

GREEN PYGMY GOOSE

188               GREEN PYGMY-GOOSE          Nettapus pulchellus

Australia         (188)

34-38 cm, span up to 60 cm. Ranges from Kimberleys across the top and down to just above Brisbane. Found in tropical lagoons, lakes, dams with waterlilies and submerged water plants.

COMB-CRESTED JACANA

187            COMB-CRESTED JACANA              Irediparra gallinacea

Australia    (187)

Also known as Lily-trotter and Lotusbird. 20-26 cm, female is larger. Range from Kimberley in WA across the top and down as far as the Hunter River NSW, can be well inland as far as Mount Isa and Mudgee. Found on floating vegetation in permanent wetlands and dams, occasionally feeding along banks.

WHITE-THROATED HONEYEATER

186           WHITE-THROATED HONEYEATER            Melithreptus albogularis

Australia        (186)

12.5-14.5 cm. Range across the top of mainland Australia from Broome to Stuarts Point in NSW. Found in forests, woodlands, paperbark, timber on golf courses, occasionally mangroves, parks and gardens

HELMETED FRIARBIRD

 185       HELMETED FRIARBIRD            Philemon buceroides

Australia        (185)

Also known as Sandstone Friarbird. 32.5-37 cm. Range is in ne Queensland from Cape York to Weipa and down to Rockhampton; and on the Arnham Land escarpment. Found in rain forests, monsoon forests, eucalyptus woodlands, paperbark, mangroves, gardens and towns.

BRUSH BRONZEWING

184     BRUSH BRONZEWING            Phaps elegans

Australia    (184)

28-31 cm. Ranges down e coast from Brisbanme across to Eyre peninsular, sw WA, and Tasmaina. Found in dense scrub, heaths, forests, woodland, mallee.

HOODED PLOVER

183       HOODED PLOVER            Thinornis rubricollis

Australia      (183)

Also known as Hooded Dotterel. 19-23 cm. Ranges around coast of Tasmania,  across southern coast of mainland from Jervis Bay to near WA border, and found in sw corner of WA. Found on broad sandy ocean beaches with plentiful seaweed and jetsam.

GLOSSY BLACK-COCKATOO

182            GLOSSY BLACK-COCKATOO            Calyptorhynchus lathami        

Australia        (182)

Also called Casuarina Cocockatoo. 46-51 cm. Range along east coast and inland from mid-Queensland into Victoria. Found in she-oaks, forests, woodlands, timbered watercourses, and rocky ridge country.

RED-BACKED FAIRY-WREN

181        RED-BACKED FAIRY-WREN        Malurus melanocephalus

Australia      (181)

This is the smallest of the fairy-wrens being only 10-13 cms. Ranges across the north of mainland Australia down the east coast to about Gloucester.  Found in open woodland, rainforest fringes, lantana, gardens.

PHEASANT COUCAL

180      PHEASANT COUCAL        Centropus phasianinus

Australia    (180)

Also known as Cane Pheasant and Swamp Pheasant. 50-70 cmd. Ranges across the top of mainland Australia and down the east coast as far as Sydney. Found in grassy swamps and flats, wet heathlands, rank growth in clearings, wastelands, sugar-cane, roadsides, mangrove-fringes, lantana thickets.

AZURE KINGFISHER

179     AZURE KINGFISHER          Alcedo azurea

Australia      (179)

17-19 cm. Ranges across the north of Australia and down the east coast to about half of Queensland and NSW, all Victoria and Tasmania. Found in roots of fresh and tidal creeks, streams in rain forests, lakes, swamps, mangroves.

Darwin, January 2024

SCARLET HONEYEATER

178       SCARLET HONEYEATER        Myzomela sanguinolenta

Australia      (178)

Coastal strip on East coast of Australia from Cooktown to Melbourne. 10-11 cm. Found in rain forests, blossoming eucalyptus, woodlands, coastal scrubs, heaths, mistletoes, gardens.

STRIPED HONEYEATER

photographed near Bribie Island, Queensland, July 2014

177           STRIPED HONEYEATER         Plectorhyncha lanceolata

Australia      (177)

21-23 cm. Found in drier scrub, woodlands, she oaks, mulga, mallee, coastal banksia, paperbark, mangroves and coastal gardens. range Range eastern half of Queensland, most of NSW except se and nw corners, also range across nw corner Of Victoria across to Adelaide in SA.

Darwin, January 2024

BROWN TREECREEPER

Photographed at Chiltern, Victoria

 176     BROWN TREECREEPER        Climacteris picumnus

Australia   (176)

Also known as Woodpecker. Found in drier forests/woodlands/scrubs, and margins of denser wooded areas. Range through eastern states of mainland but not Cape York and overlap into SA.