One of the most surprising differences noted by the European visitor to Australia is the type of birds that proliferate in the suburban garden. The Australian garden is populated by exotic species, many of them, members of the parrot family. They are brightly coloured and tend to be rather loud, especially first thing in the morning. They seem to like living in proximity with people and can often be tempted to come down for treats of fruit or seeds.
The Rainbow Lorikeet
The Rainbow Lorikeet, or Psittacidae Loriinae to give him his Latin name, can be seen in many domestic gardens and parklands in New South Wales. It has a beak specially adapted to feed on pollen and nectar. Their tongues are tipped with tufts of hair that enable them to sip the nectar.
These extremely colourful characters mate for life, breeding in Spring time (September to December). They are quite a common sight in the outer suburban gardens of New South Wales. They are very noisy!
The Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
The Sulphur Crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) is another familiar sight in the gardens and parklands of Northern Queensland and New South Wales. Weighting approximately 800 grams, it is quite a large bird that has a very raucous cry which makes for a very noisy ‘dawn chorus’.
These birds can be a pest as they attack cereal and fruit crops and have also been known to destroy timber. However they are a protected species so farmers are now allowed to control their numbers.
They are very sociable with humans and will learn quite quickly to come down onto a balcony or garden when there is food on offer.
The Laughing Kookaburra
The urban kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) is a familiar bird in the Sydney area. It gets its name from the raucus cry that resembles laughter. Belonging to the same family as kingfishers, they are thought to mate for life.
The Noisy Miner
The Noisy Miner (Manorina melanocephala) although relatively small (28cm), will aggressively attack the larger Magpie or Currawong when there are eggs or young to protect. Its yellow eye markings make it easy to identify.
The Noisy Miner is well named. It makes a constant ‘twitting’ sound and is known to dive-bomb those who approach a nest full of chicks. It can be seen in towns as well as in gardens, searching for scraps where the tourists have been.
The Australian Magpie
The Australian Magpie (Gynorhina tibicen) does not resemble its European cousin. It is generally harmless unless it has a nest of chicks which it will defend,. Otherwise it spends much time probing the soil for scarab beetles and other grubs which makes it a useful friend to the gardener.
The Currawong
The Currawong (Strepera graculina) is allied to the crow family. It is omnivorous, taking insects, larvae, fruit as well as any nestlings that can be easily picked off. They can be distinguished from the magpie by its yellow eye.
References:
http://www.faunanet.gov.au/wos/index.cfm http://www.austmus.gov.au/factsheets/sulphur_crested_cockatoo.htm
