ORANGE CHAT

Photographed near Cue, Western Australia April 2015

570          ORANGE CHAT            Epthianura aurifrons

Australia           (413)

10-11.5 cm. Found in sparse grasslands, gibber; saltbush, bluebush, samphire, salt lakes. Ranges across inland Aust., sparsely to w. and s. coast, WA, e. to Coorong (SA).

BOURKE'S PARROT

Photographed near Cue, Western Australia April 2015

569          BOURKE'S PARROT            Neopsephotus bourkii

Australia           (412)

Also known as Night or Sundown Parrot. 18- 22 cm. Found in mulga or other acacia scrubs; native cypress; open eucalypt woodlands. Ranges across s. interior, from c. Blackall-Cunnamulla (Q) and Walgett-Hilston (NSW), to w. coast WA, between Moore R. and NW Cape; n. to Devil's Marbles (NT), s. to Port Augusta-Gt Victorian Desert.

BLACK-BREASTED BUZZARD

Photographed near Cue, Western Australia April 2015

568        BLACK-BREASTED BUZZARD                 Hamirostra melanosternon

Australia               (411)

Also known as Black-breasted Kite. Found in grasslands, sandhills, gibber deserts; timbered watercourses and waterholes;tropical woodlands; sparsely vegetated offshore islands; coasts. Ranges across e. inland Aust., coastal n. and w. Aust; se. Q., s. NSW, s. WA. 51-61 cm; windspan c. 1.5 m; female larger.

CRIMSON CHAT

Photographed near Cue, Western Australia April 2015

 567           CRIMSON CHAT          Epthianura tricolor

Australia         (410)

10-12 cm. Found in open woodlands, plains, scrubs, grasslands. Range inland Aust. to coastal s. in WA-SA. Nomadic.

CHIMING WEDGEBILL

Photographed near Cue, Western Australia April 2015

566          CHIMING WEDGEBILL              Psophodes nigrogularis

Australia        (409)

Extremely shy. 19-22 cm. Found in acacia scrubs on stoney country; mallee-spinifex; broom bush on sandhills. Ranges across w. interior Aust.: from Toomba Ras.-Glenormiston-Urandangi (far w. Q), across s. NT, n. to Tanami; to w. coast (WA) from c. Onslow s. to Murchison R; s. inland to c. Payne's Find-Leonora, e. through Gt Victorian Desert to Tarcoola-Coober Pedy (SA).

REDTHROAT

Photographed near Cue, Western Australia April 2015

 565           REDTHROAT           Pyrrholaemus brunneus

Australia        (408)

11.5 cm. Found in inland scrub, mulga, other acacias; mallee associations with spinifex, eucalyptus with regrowth, tea-tree, saltbush, bluebush. Range inland Aust from near Winton (Q) w. across. NT and s. to Balranald (NSW)-nw. Vict.-Murray mallee (SA); w. to L. grace-moors (WA), thence coastal n. to Pilbara.

RUFOUS SONGLARK

Male Rufous Songlark photographed in Mount Magnet, Western Australia April 2015

564       RUFOUS SONGLARK                Cinclorhampus mathewsi

Australia           (407)

Male 19 cm; female 16-17 cm. Ranges across most of mainland Australia except top Cape York and driestvcentral west of WA, and corner of sw Q/NT/SA. Found in open grassy woodlands/scrublands with dead or living trees.

LONG-BILLED BLACK-COCKATOO

Photographed on the outskirts of Perth in the last light of day, April 2015

563        LONG-BILLED BLACK-COCKATOO            Calyptorhynchus baudinii

Australia       (406)

Also known as Baudin's Cockatoo. 53-60 cm. Endemic to sw. WA; in heavier forested areas of sw. from Gin Gin, n. of Perth, through Darling Ranges to Stirling Ranges NP. Found in forest, woodlands, pine plantations, orchards.

GREY PLOVER

Photographed on Rottnest Island, Western Australia April 2015

562           GREY PLOVER             Pluvialis squatarola

Australia          (405)

Also known as Black-bellied Plover. 28-31 cm, wingspan 71-83 cm. Found on mudflats, salt marshes, tidal reefs and estuaries, rarely inland. Breeds around the Arctic, migrates to s. hemisphere Aug-April, usually to regular spots around the coast and islands.

Darwin, January 2024

RUDDY TURNSTONE (Australia)

Photographed on Rottnest Island, Western Australia April 2015

(Already 269)          RUDDY TURNSTONE               Arenaria interpres

Australia                (404)

Also commonly known as Turnstone, even though there are two types of Turnstones. It breeds in the northern parts of Eurasis and North America and migrates to countries in the southern hemisphere. 22-24 cm. In Australia found around the coastline of the mainland and Tasmania.

MUTE SWAN (Australia)

Photographed in Northam, Western Australia April 2015

(Already 270)          MUTE SWAN           Cygnus olor

Australia                (403)

A native to much of Europe and Asia, and infrequent visitor to northern Africa; introduced to North America, Australia and southern Africa. In Australia range is Northam Weir, Avon River, WA and reported at Lake Leake (TAS). 125-170 cm. Called 'mute' as not as noisy as other swans. The total native population of swans is about 500,000, of these 350,000 are in the former Soviet Union, 22,000 in the UK. For many centuries in Britain swans were breed for food, the owners would mark or brand the beak or feet and these marks were registered with the crown. A Royal Swanherder was appointed and any birds not branded were considered property of the crown.