RED-EARED FIRETAIL

Photographed at Cheyennes Beach, Western Australia March 2015

551          RED-EARED FIRETAIL           Stagonopleura oculata

Australia          (393)

Endemic to sw. WA from Darling Ras., near Perth, s. to Manjimup-Pemberton, e. coastally to Cape Arid NP, inland to Stirling Ras. NP. 11-13 cm. Found in forest undergrowth; vegetation on creeks; gullies with she oak, saw-sedge; coastal scrubs, heaths, paperbarks.

WESTERN SPINEBILL

Female Western Spinebill, photographed at Cheyne's Beach, Western Australia March 2015

551         WESTERN SPINEBILL           Acanthorhynchus superciliosus

Australia            (392)

Found in the understory of forests/woodlands; sand plain heaths, coastal scrub; thickets of banksia/dryandras. Range: endemic to sw. WA; from n. of Jurien Bay to Israelite Bay inland to Moora-Corrigan-L. Grace.

NOISY SCRUB-BIRD

The Noisy Scrub-bird is extremely elusive, so much so that it was considered extinct for many years.  It lives in a small patch of tight scrub and is only seen as it darts across a laneway which divides the scrub. Photographed at Cheynes Beach, Western Australia March 2015

550         NOISY SCRUB-BIRD          Atrichornis clamosus

Australia            (391)

This is one of Australia's rarest birds. It was declared extinct in the 1950s after not having been seen for many years. A small population was rediscovered in 1961. A few have now been relocated to guard against extinction should their habitat suffer due to bushfires. The bird is often heard but rarely seen. It lives in very dense scrub and is elusive. Its range is confined to the region of TwoPeople's Bay Nature Reserve, e. of Albany WA. Habitat is dense thickets of stunted eucalyptus; tea-tree, banksia, sheoak, rush, saw-sedge, tall grasses.

WHITE-BREASTED ROBIN

Photographed at Chenney's Beach, Western Australia March 2015

549         WHITE-BREASTED ROBIN       Eopsaltria georgiana

Australia        (390)

14.5-16 cm. Range only in sw WA: from n. Geraldton s. to c. Albany, with coastal gaps in Perth region. Found in lower dense, well vegetated creek beds, gullies; understory of dense forest, e.g. karri; thickets of acacia, melaleuca, etc; with well developed canopy, little under-shrubbery and much litter; forest margins with bracken, etc; coastal dune-thickets; tall coastal heaths.

WESTERN ROSELLA

Photographed at Cheney's Beach, Western Australia March 2015

548           WESTERN ROSELLA              Platycerus icterotis

Australia        (389)

Endemic to sw. WA, s. and w. of Dongala-Israelite Bay, e. to Southern Cross-Norseman. 25-28 cm. Found in open forest, woodland with grassy clearings; trees on watercourses; farmlands, crops, roadsides, orchards.

SHORT-BILLED BLACK-COCKATOO

Photographed at Wellstead, Western Australia March 2015

547            SHORT-BILLED BLACK-COCKATOO          Calyptorhynchus latirostris

Australia           (388)

Also known as Carnaby's or White-tailed Black-cockatoo. 53-60 cm. Endemic to the sw. WA, from c. lower Murchison River to c. Israelite Bay in se., inland to L. Moore-Meriden-Norseman; breeds in n. Darling Ras. and wheatbelt then disperses coastward in summer-autumn.  Found in open forests, woodlands, scrubland, wheatbelt, and sand plain areas; taller, denser karri, exotic pine plantations, gardens.

RED-CAPPED PARROT

Photographed very early in the morning near Ravensthorpe, Western Australia March 2015

546         RED-CAPPED PARROT          Purpureicephalus spurius

Australia      (387)

Also known as King Parrot but only in Western Australia. Found in eucalypt forests, woodlands, shelter belts, trees in farmland, timbered watercourses, roadsides, orchards, parks, gardens. Range only sw WA, s. and w. of Moore R-L. Grace-Esperance. 35-38 cm.

LAUGHING TURTLE-DOVE

Photographed at Esperance, Western Australia March 2015

545         LAUGHING TURTLE-DOVE            Streptopelia senegalensis

Australia           (386)

Also known as Senegal Dove or turtle-dove. 25-27 cm. Found in urban areas, country towns, parks, gardens, railcards, roadsides, farms and farmyards, especially in WA wheatbelt. Range from Africa to India, introduced to Perth (WA) from 1898, spread across WA wheatbelt, e. to Southern Cross, n. to beyond Geraldton, Shark Bay, s. to Albany, populations in Kalgoorlie and Esperance.

NULLARBOR QUAIL-THRUSH

Photographed a few kilometres from the Nullarbor Roadhouse, Nullarbor Plain, South Australia March 2015

544         NULLARBOR QUAIL-THRUSH             Cinclosoma alisteri

Australia            (385)

Until recently considered a subspecies of the Cinnamon Quail-thrush (Minclosoma cinnamomeum) this bird is rare and can only be found on the Nullarbor Plains. It inhabits low salt-bush and is mostly found around the Nullarbor Roadhouse.

SOUTHERN EMU-WREN

543         SOUTHERN EMU-WREN            Stipiturus malachurus

Australia          (384)

Also known as Button-grass Wren and Stickball. 15-19 cm, incl. tail 9-12 cm. Found in heaths with 'grasstrees', banksias, hakes, rushes, sedges, scrubby thickets, lignum, montane gullies, subalpine grasslands, heathy woodlands; in Tas. button-grass plains, montane moors; in sw. WA dune-vegetation, sand plain-heaths, dry eucalypt, acacia-spinifex. Range: coastal WA from Shark Bay south to SA border; Eyre Pen. (SA) from Adelaide coastal to Vic. border; coastal Vic., NSW to above Brisbane in Q.; all Tas.

NOTE: Up to eleven subspecies have been described with seven being recognised. 

Subspecies westernensis photographed at Cheyenne's Beach, WA, November 2016

Subspecies littleri, photographed on South Coast Track, Tasmania February 2017

CASPIAN TERN

Photographed Coffin Bay National Park, South Australia March 2015

542          CASPIAN TERN              Sterna caspia

Australia       (383)

Largest of the terns. 48-55 cm; wingspan 1.1-1.4 m. Found coastal, offshore waters; beaches, mudflats, estuaries, larger rivers, reservoirs, lakes, some inland. Range Aust, including Tasmania: seldom numerous. Not in driest parts of central Western Australia.