WHITE-THROATED NEEDLETAIL

Photographed over Distillery Creek Picnic area, Airey Inlet, Victoria February 2015.

502          WHITE-THROATED NEEDLETAIL          Hirundapus caudacutus

Australia      (343)

Also known as Spine-tailed Swift. 19-21 cm. Breeds w. Siberia, Himalayas e. to Japan; regular summer visitor to e. Australia; found down eastern quarter of mainland and in Tasmania. Habitat is airspace over forests, woodlands, farmlands, plains, lakes, coasts, towns, feeding parties often patrol along favoured hilltops and timbered ranges. Loose parties to large flocks, often appear before unsettled weather, feeding on rising insects.have been observed from aircraft at c. 2000 feet above sea level over Aust. Alps. Airspeed when overtaken at c. 1000 feet above sea level was c. 100-125 km/h.

BLACK BUTCHERBIRD

Photographed in the Daintree, September 2013

501          BLACK BUTCHERBIRD              Cracticus quoyi

Australia           (342)

Habitats include subtropical or tropical dry forests, moist lowland forests, and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests. 40-44 cm. Range coastal n. and ne. Aust., from Port Keats(NT)-Top End-Arnhem Land, inland c. 50 kimono rivers. C. York Pen.(Q) s. to Archer River in w. coastally s. to c. Rockhampton.

GANG-GANG COCKATOO

Photographed at Airey Inlet, Victoria February 2015

500        GANG-GANG COCKATOO            Callocephalon fimbriatum

Australia         (341)

33-36 cm. Found in wetter forrests and woodlands, from sea-level to over 2000 m on Divide; timbered foothills and valleys; timbered watercourses, coastal scrubs, farmlands, suburban gardens. Range se. mainland Australia, from mid n. coast, Hunter Region and c. Tablelands (NSW) s. to w. Vict. ; inland to Merriwa-Bathurst-Wagga (NSW) e. and c. Vict. and adjacent se. SA.

PECTORAL SANDPIPER

Photographed at Werribee Wetlands, Victoria February 2015

499          PECTORAL SANDPIPER           Calidris melanotos

Australia           (340)

19-23 cm. Breeds ne. Siberia and American Arctic: most migrate to S. America, but some to Japan, Pacific Islands, PNG, NZ and Aust., mostly to se mainland from Adelaide to Brisbane, Tasmania, sw WA up near Shark Bay, top of WA across to Darwin, around Cooktown (Q). Found in shallow freshwater, often with low grass or other herbage, swamp margins, flooded pastures, sewerage ponds, occasionally taidal areas and salt marshes.

LONG-TOED STINT

Photographed at Werribee Wetlands, Victoria, February 2015

498          LONG-TOED STINT            Calidris subminuta

Australia         (339)

13-15 cm. breeds in Siberia to far N. Pacic: migrates to s. and se. Asia; PNG; Regular but uncommon visitor to inland and coastal Aust.; range is coastal WA, except south from about Esperance; most of NT except sw corner; w. half of Q; most of SA except w.; most NSW except ne. corner; and a;ll Victoria. Found tussocky, weedy margins of shallow wetlands, coastal and inland, sewerage ponds, weed on tidelines, tidal mudflats.

WHITE-EARED HONEYEATER

497          WHITE-EARED HONEYEATER             Lichenostomus leucotis

Australia          (338)

20-22 cm. Found in wet forests, woodlands, bracken, vegetation streams, coastal heathlands/scrubs; in inland: mallee, brigalow, bear; in s. WA salmon-gum woodlands, tea-tree thickets around salt lakes. Range: in suitable habitat from Hughenden-Charters Towers (Q), inland to Blackall-Carnarvon Ras NP; e. NSW to Pilliga Scrub, c. and sw mallee areas; all Vict.; s. SA and Kangaroo Island; s. WA n. to Murchison R. except wetter sw.

Three subspecies:

thomasi:                  found on Kangaroo Island

leucotis:                   eastern NSW; s and e Vic; 

novaenorciae:          sw WA; s SA; n Vic; central NSW to stand ne; se Q.

Subspecies novaenorciae, near Whyalla, SA, September 2018

BLUE-WINGED PARROT

Photographed at Airey Inlet, Victoria, February 2015

496         BLUE-WINGED PARROT            Neophema chrysostoma

Australia          (337)

20 -23 cm. Found in open woodlands, coastal scrubs, dune, salt marsh vegetation, mallee, mulga, salt-bush, wetlands-edges, alpine meadows, airfields, saltfields, golf courses, paddocks, crops, orchards. Range: breeds e., n. Tasmania; s. Victoria, n. to Grampians NP, and in se. SA; migrates March-April to inland NSW, sw Q. and e. SA to Eyre Pen., returning Aug-Oct.

LITTLE LORIKEET

Photographed Airey Inlet, February 2015

495           LITTLE LORIKEET             Glossopsitta pusilla

Australia          (336)

Found in forests, woodlands, large trees in open country, timbered watercourses, shelter belts, street trees. Range coastal e. Australia mainland from c. Cooktown (Q) to se. SA; inland to Carnarvon Ra. NP (Q), Warrumbungles NP-West Wylong-Deneliquin (NSW), most Vic., except nw, to Mount Lofty Ranges-Adelaide Plains-Yorke (SA). 15-6.5 cm.

RUFOUS BRISTLEBIRD

Photographed Airey's Inlet, Victoria, February 2015

494          RUFOUS BRISTLEBIRD                Dasyornis broadbenti

Australia            (335)

This is the largest of the Bristlebirds, 24-27 cm. Found in coastal scrubs and tickets, gullies with rank growth of sword grass, blackberries, etc, undergrowth in gullies and temperate forests. Range from mouth of Murray River e. along to Ironbark Basin near Torquay (Vic); and possible pocket WA near C. naturalist to C. Leeuwin but possibly extinct.

LITTLE RAVEN

Photographed at Werribee Wetlands, Victoria, February 2015.

493            LITTLE RAVEN                Corvus mellori

Australia      (334)

48-50 cm.  Range across se mainland Australia from s tip of SA/WA border through Broken Hill up to top of New England Highlands and as far as Port Macquarie on the coast. Found in alpine woodlands to over 1600 m; forest, woodlands to almost treeless plains, sub-inland woodlands and scrub, pastoral country and farmlands, coasts, suburbs and cities.

WOOD SANDPIPER

photographed at Dandenong Valley Wetlands, February 2015

492               WOOD SANDPIPER          Tringa glareola

AUSTRALIA          (333)

20-23 cm. Ranges all over mainland Australia, sparse in inland, rarely found in Tasmania; breeds in n. Eurasia to ne. Siberia, migrates to Australia in summer. Found ion muddy margins of wetlands, tidal mangroves; margins of tidal flats; saltmarshes, sewerage ponds.

SPOTLESS CRAKE

Photographed at Dandenong Valley Wetlands, February 2015, taken at a distance, but best I have until I replace.

491          SPOTLESS CRAKE              Porzana tabuensis

Australia        (332)

17-21 cm. Found in well vegetated freshwater wetlands with rushes, reeds, combing; salt-swamps, salt marshes, mangroves; on islands, drier, scrubs, beaches. Ranges along eastern third of mainland; western with mainland; Tasmania.

ORANGE-BELLIED PARROT

Photographed in Maleleuca, Tasmania February, 2015

490          ORANGE-BELLIED PARROT           Neophema chrysogaster

Australia           (331)

20-22 cm. Breeds in summer in sw Tasmania, migrates to s coast of Victoria and se SA for winter. Extremely endangered, one of Australia's rarest birds, in 2013/14 breeding season only 44 birds known to be alive in the wild, extensive breeding program at Healesville zoo has been reintroducing birds into the wild. Forages on salt marshes, beaches, dunes. Previously known as Orange-breasted Parrot as 'belly' was considered too inelegant; also known as yellow-bellied Parrot, Orange-bellied Grass-parakeet, and Trumped-up Corella.