MASKED LAPWING

Subspecies novaehollandiae, found across Southern Australia.

17    MASKED LAPWING     Vanellus miles

Australia   (17)

Also known as Masked or Spurwinged plover. It is 35-38 cms. Noisy and aggressive towards intruders when nesting. Found on swamp margins, airfields, open areas and paddocks. Ranges over all Australia except bottom south-west quarter of mainland.

Subspecies: miles, found across Northern Australia

RAINBOW BEE-EATER

Photograph:  Sydney zoo

Rainbow bee-eater, photographed in northern Queensland

16   RAINBOW BEE-EATER                Merops ornatus

Australia   (16)

Also known as Rainbow bird and Kingfisher. Found in most of Australian mainland except central east of Western Australia and west of South Australia. Located in woodlands, open areas. The bee-eater is 23-28 cms.

photographed at Cunnamulla, southern Queensland

YELLOW-TAILED BLACK COCKATOO

15       YELLOW-TAILED BLACK-COCKATOO    Calyptorhynchus funereus

Australia    (15)

The Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo is 55 -65 cm. Found Tasmania, Victoria except N-W corner, SE South Australia, Eastern half NSW, and SE quarter of Queensland. Temperate forests, eucalyptus forests, woodlands and scrub.

Subspecies xanthanotus, photographed on Bruny Island, Tasmania February 2017

LAUGHING KOOKABURRA

Laughing kookaburra, photographed at Lane Cove in Sydney.

14     LAUGHING KOOKABURRA      Dacelo novaeguineae

Australia    (14)

Also known as Laughing Jackass. It is 17-19 cm. Found along the eastern part of the eastern states from Cape York across to Adelaide, the south-west of Western Australia and in Tasmania. Usually found in pairs, or a dominant pair with some 'helpers'.  Found in woodlands, forests and timbered areas. Was introduced to SW Western Australia in 1897. 

EMU

13       EMU      Dromaius novaehollandiae

Australia   (13)

Australia's largest bird being 1.5-2 m. The female is slightly larger. It is found right across mainland Australia, except around the most populated areas, such as a large area around Melbourne and Sydney. Found on plains, scrubland, woodlands, coastal heaths, alpine pastures, semi-desert and pastoral lands.

SUPERB LYREBIRD

Superb Lyrebird, photographed at Bundanoon in NSW southern Highlands.

12.     SUPERB LYREBIRD       Menura novaehollandiae

Australia   (12)

Also referred to as the Native Pheasant.  The male is up to 1m, and the female up to 86 cms including the tail. The male has a tail for display, the females is simpler and pointed . The lyrebird lives in temperate or sun-tropical forests, woodlands, fern gullies, gorges, plantations. Range includes southern tip of Tasmania where it was introduced in 1934-45, highlands from southern Queensland down to Melbourne, also across to the coast from central NSW down. The lyrebird does roost in trees but it feeds on the ground scratching amongst leaf mulch. Mimics other birds and noises. 

AUSTRALIAN PELICAN

Australian Pelican, photographed on NSW south coast

11.   AUSTRALIAN PELICAN    Pelecanus conspicillatus

Australia    (11)

The Pelican is found all over Australia, usually around waterways. May be fresh or sea water. Nomadic. Pelicans are 1.5-1.9 m, wingspan 2.4-2.6 m.

WHITE-FACED HERON

White-faced Heron, photographed at Lane Cove in Sydney.

10.     WHITE-FACED HERON      Egretta novaehollandiae

Australia   (10)

Also incorrectly known as the Blue Crane. Found over most of Australia except areas in the east of Western Australia. Found in areas of water, water along roadways, fish ponds and dams.

photographed in northern Queensland

APOSTLE BIRDS

9    APOSTLEBIRDS     Struthidea cinerea

Australia   (9)

Also known as Grey Jumper, Happy Family, Lousy Jack, Twelve Apostles. 29-33 cmd in size. Usually in groups of 6-10 but can be 20 plus. Often seen on side of roads dust-bathing, feeding or scampering from branch to branch, can be noisy and is friendly around camping grounds. Coastal and central Queensland down through centre of NSW and NW corner of Victoria across to Adelaide. A separate pocket in NT around Elliot-Katherine area.

RED BROWED FINCH

8     RED-BROWED FINCH    Neochmia temporalis

Australia     (8)

Found down the east coast from Cape York around to Adelaide. Frequents grassy clearing in forests, woodlands, mangroves, coastal scrub, blackberries and cane fields. Found in pairs, family groups and  flocks in autumn and winter. 11-11.5 cms.

DOUBLE-BARRED FINCH

7   DOUBLE-BARRED FINCH       Taeniopygia bichenovii

Australia   (7)

Also known as Banded or Black-ringed finch. A nomadic finch which in found across the top of Australia and down the east coast to the bottom of NSW. Found in pairs or flocks feeding on grass seed. Located in near water, grassy scrubland, roadsides, golf courses, farmland, crops. 10-11 cms.

YELLOW FIGBIRD

6.  YELLOW FIGBIRD    Sphecotheres viridian

Australia (6)

Also known as Yellow figbird, Banana-bird and Mulberry bird. They are 27-30 cms. There are two races of Figbirds in Australia. The 'Yellow Figbird' is found in tropical north Australia (the Kimberleys, coastal NT, and Cape York), while the 'Green Figbird' is found down the east coast of Australia (down to Nowra). The females of both races look similar. The races will interbreed freely where they overlap. Found in pairs, groups of about 10 or large groups of over 50. They are often noticed by their calls, particularly when there is a large group. Often seen in gardens and parks where there are fruiting trees, on the edge of rainforrests or woodlands, watercourses and paperbarks. These photos were taken in Cape York and are of the 'Yellow Figbird'.

The female Figbird in the centre. 

WHITE-BELLIED SEA-EAGLE

Photographed at Royal National Park, Sydney

5.  WHITE-BELLIED SEA-EAGLE     Haliaeetus leucogaster

Australia (5)

Also known as the White-breasted Sea-eagle. It is 70-90cms with a wing span of about 2 metres. Generally the female is the larger bird. Found around lakes, ocean, river and large bodies of water. Distributed right around the coast of Australia for a distance inland; also found in India, SE Asia, PNG and Solomon Islands.

Photographed at King Billy's Landing on Cape York.

Photographed at Forbes, June 2014

Juvenile, photographed Lincoln National Park, South Australia March 2015

Darwin, January 2024

LOGRUNNER

Logrunner, female

4.   LOGRUNNER  Orthonyx temminckii

Australia (4)

Also known as Spinetail, Southern or Spine-tailed log runner. It is 18-20 cms. It is a ground dwelling bird which scratches around like a chicken. It is found on the floor of leafy rainforrests. Its range is along the coast and nearby mountains from just above Brisbane to just below Sydney, but much more common in Queensland than NSW. Found in pairs or family groups and can be noisy. Leaves a small depression in the ground where it has been foraging. The male has the orange chest.

These photographs were taken in the Lammerton National Park, southern Queensland.

Male logrunner

RED-WINGED PARROT

3.   RED-WINGED PARROT  Aprosmictus erythropterus coccineopterus

Australia (3)

The Red-winged parrot is between 30 and 33 cm. It is found across the north of Australia and down into southern Queensland and northern NSW. It is often found in pairs or small flocks near water. It will hang around with rosellas and ringneck parrots. It is found in woodlands, on the fringes of forests, mangroves, watercourses, mulga, casuarina, cypress scrub or crops. They are nomadic.

These photographs were taken at Coen on the Cape York Peninsular.

YELLOW-BELLIED SUNBIRD

2.   YELLOW-BELLIED SUNBIRD     (Nectarine jugulars) Cinnyris jugularis frenatus

Australia (2)

Also known as the Olive-backed or Yellow-breasted Sunbird. It is from 11-12cm long. Found on the north coast of Queensland from Bundaberg up and around into the gulf. Also found on islands off the coast. This one was photographed not far from the tip of Cape York. I have also photographed them in the Daintree. They frequent the fringe of rainforrests, vegetation near creeks and rivers, orchards and gardens.

Note: Now known as Olive-backed Sunbird.

A female sunbird, photography right at the tip of Cape York.