LITTLE KINGFISHER

Photographed at Centenary Lakes, Caines,  April 2016

766      LITTLE KINGFISHER          Alcedo pusilla 

AUSTRALIA         (610)

Found in well-vegetated coastal creeks; streams in rainforests; tidal mangrove-lined creeks, swamps. 11.5-13 cm. Range: coastal Top End(NT); coastal n and ne Q, from Normanton-C. York to s. of Mackay. Sedentary; with local movements

BUFF-BREASTED PARADISE-KINGFISHER

Photographed at Kingfisher Park, Julatten April 2016

765      BUFF-BREASTED PARADISE-KINGFISHER           Tanysiptera sylvia

AUSTRALIA         (609)

Also known as White-tailed Kingfisher. Found in rainforests with open ground; scrubby mountain gullies; riverside vine scrub; well vegetated gardens. 29-35 cm, incl. tail. Range: summer breeding migrant (Oct.-Apl) to coastal ne Q from PNG, from Cape York s to Mt Spec, near Townsville; some overwinter. Locally common.

YELLOW CHAT

Subspecies macgregori, Photographed at Marmor, Queensland March 2016

 764          YELLOW CHAT             Epthianura crocea

AUSTRALIA         (608)

Found in bullrushes, pencil rush, sedges, swamp canegrass, lignum on seasonal wetlands, artesian bore dams, saltbush, bluebush on plains. 10-11.5 cm. Range: from Roebuck Plains (WA) - Barkly Tablelands (NT) - Gulf lowlands (Q) - e. to c. hughenden (Q); Pocket of sub-species at Marmor (Q). Rare, sedentary, nomadic.

Note: There are currently three subspecies of Yellow Chat recognised in Australia: (1) Epithianura crocea crocea, found in Kimberley to the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Lake Eyre Basin; (2) Epithianura crocea tunneyi: restricted to small area in floodplains from Adelaide River to East Alligator River; (3) Epthianura crocea macgregori: Also known as the Capricorn yellow chat, occurs in coastal region of central Queensland (Considered critically endangered).

Subspecies crocea photographed on Roebuck Plains, WA, September 2016

TAHITI PETREL

Photographed on pelagic trip off Mooloolaba, Queensland march 2016

763        TAHITI PETREL           Pseudobulweria rostrata

AUSTRALIA         (609)

Breeds in New Caledonia, Society and Marquesas Islands; wide pelagic dispersal across pacific from Japanese waters to sw N. America. Offshore sight records from Gt Barrier Reef to Sydney. 39 cm, wingspan c. 95 cm. Regular visitor, uncommon.

EURASIAN HOBBY

Photographed at South Lake, Perth, Western Australia February 2016

762            EURASIAN HOBBY          Franco subbutteo            

Australia          (606)

Found in open wooded area, has been recorded up to 4,00 kms. 29-36 cm, wingspan 74-84 cm. Range: found over most of Europa, not found in Iceland, Ireland, northern Scandinavia and Russia. From Europa east to the Pacific Ocean and Northern Japan. Migrates and spends winter in Africa south of the Sahara. 

Note: when not breeding it is crepuscular, hawking in the morning and evenings. It flies hard and fast taking large insects, small bats and small birds like swallows, swifts and pipits.

EURASIAN CURLEW

Photographed at Port Douro, near Bunbury, Western Australia February 2016

761               EURASIAN CURLEW             Numenius arquata

Australia        (605)

Also known as Common Curlew or European Curlew. 50-60 cm. Breeds from w. Europeto sw Siberia, winters s. Europe, Africa, occasional e. to Malaysia, Borneo. In Australia, one confirmed recordEighty Mile Beach near Broome (WA) Nov 2007, several unconfirmed sight records; until this bird at Port Douro, WA Feb 2016.

Darwin, January 2024

CINNAMON QUAIL-THRUSH

Photographed c.80 kms west of Tibooburra, February 2016

760          CINNAMON QUAIL-THRUSH             Cinclosoma cinnamomeum

Australia           (604)

Found in stony plains/tablelands, ridges; gravelly flats with sparse, low saltbush, bluebush, shrub-grown gullies. 17-24 cm. Range: an area covering sw Queensland, nw NSW, ne SA and se NT.

BLUE-BREASTED FAIRY-WREN

Photographed at Billy's Light Point, Port Lincoln, South Australia February 2016

759               BLUE-BREASTED FAIRY-WREN            Malurua pulcherrimus

Australia         (603)

Also known as Blue-breasted Superb Warbler or Blue-breasted Superb Fairy-wren. 13.5 - 15 cm. Found undergrowth in drier forrest, woodlands; sandplain-scrubs, heaths; tea-tree and mallee associations; low dense dune-vegetation, acacia-thickets, saltbush. In SA (Eyre Pen.) heath country, swampy localities. Range: broken distribution in sw WA and Eyre Pen. (SA).

Female.

CHESNUT QUAIL-THRUSH

Photographed in Murray-Sunset National Park, Victoria February 2016

758            CHESTNUT QUAIL THRUSH            Cinclosoma castanotus

Australia          (602)

Found in mallee-spinifex; mulga, cypress pine, with shrub layer; desert eucalyptus woodlands; saltbush, desert-heaths, coastal tea-tree. 20-26 cm. Range: se Aust.: from Round HillNR (NSW), s. to Cocoparra NP, n. to c. Roto; mallee areas of sw NSW-nw Vict., s. to ne. Little Desert NP; se. SA. Sedentary. Locally nomadic. Was named Chestnut-backed Quail-thrush but after recent split is now Chestnut Quail-thrush, and the split is Copper-backed Quail-thrush.