Broadbill - Birdwatcher's site


AUSTRALIAN BIRDS


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left to right Australasian Pelican, King Parrot and White-browed Woodswallow © Koji TAGI

 Australia is a large and isolated continent which holds about 22 times of Japanese territory and covers various climate zone from tropic to sub-Antarctic. What do you imagine nature in Australia? OK, kangaroo in the red outback or koala on a blanch of an eucalyptus tree? How about birds in Australia? You may know Emu and Laughing Kookaburra. There are about 770 species of birds in Australia up to date and most of them are endemic in Australia. 

 Australia is considered originally a part of very large continent, Gondwanaland. Some of Australian species are still share the distribution in South America and/or Africa. These include parrots, grass finch (with Africa) and whistling-duck (South America).

Australia and Papua New Guinea have many common species. Some of monarchs, honeyeaters and butcherbirds, most of bronze-cuckoos and small cuckoos are found both Australia and Papua New Guinea.
(The photo below is a Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo which occurs Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Australia)

 There are also many Oriental species from Southeast Asia. Cotton Pygmy-goose, White-browed Crake, Buff-banded Rail, Sarus Crane, Brahminy Kite, Green-winged Pigeon (Emerald Dove) and pittas may be originally straggler from Southeast Asia. On the other hand, whistlers, fairy-warbler (gerygone) and woodswallows may have expanded the range from Australia.


 Australia used to be dominated by rainforest with humid climate. This types of forest are important habitat for lyrebird, riflebird (birds of paradise) and bowerbird.

 
However, during the northward moving, Australia has been changed to drier continent. Rainforest has been lost except eastern coast where relatively more humid throughout the year. In the drier parts, eucalyptus and acacia spread the range. They have elongated or pointed leaves instead of broad leaves of trees in the rainforest and hard shell to protect the seed from the dry weather and bush fire. Birds also have adopted into the environment. (The photo is a banksia sp. The fruit is covered with hard shell which hatches after bushfire.

 
Honeyeaters and lorikeets are nectivorous of these flowers while cockatoos and parrots come to feed these seeds. Because of their food source, honeyeaters are often nomadic for looking for flowers in arid or semi-arid Australia.

 Further inland Australia, precipitation is even less. Tall trees are scattered and red land is more exposed. The Australian desert is however not sandy unlikely our imagination of desert. Porcupine like spinifex is a typical plant in the desert. Their leaves is likely needle. Very pointed and sharp. (Photo is a typical scenery in arid Australia)

 Birds in the desert is often strongly nomadic. Budgerigar and Diamond Dove forms a very large flock and look for their food source mainly in arid Australia. There are another types of birds which adopted into the arid harsh environment. Spinifex pigeonrefer to "Mallee and Desert Birds" and grasswrens are the representatives. They rarely fly but run very fast from spinifex to another spinifex.

 Now I introduce you OZ birds with typical habitat in Australia.


Urban and suburban birds Introducing birds of Australia in urban and suburban area
Rainforest birds Introducing moist and dense forest birds in Australia
Woodland birds Introducing bright Australian woodland birds, such as parrots, in Eucalyptus or acacia forest
Mallee and desert birds Introducing birds in arid Australia
Savannah birds Introducing birds in Top End Australia
Waterbirds in Australia Introducing waterbirds in Australia
Honeyeaters in Australia Introducing Honeyeaters in Australia
Birding in Australia Introducing major birding spots in NSW, QLD, NT, SA and western VIC.
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