Category Archives: Birds

Birds

Red Wattlebird: anthochaera carunculata

The Red Wattlebird, a honeyeater, is one of those birds I see, or hear, almost every day. Native to Australia, and named after the fleshy wattle hanging from both sides of the neck.

Red Wattlebird

A Red Wattlebird in a Cherry tree in Victoria, Australia, showing distinctive underside markings and colouring.  [ By Mick Stephenson mixpix 00:54, 1 November 2007 (UTC) (Own work) [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons ]

 Wikipedia says …

The red wattlebird (Anthochaera carunculata), also known as barkingbird or gillbird, is a honeyeater; a group of birds found mainly in Australia and New Guinea which have highly developed brush-tipped tongues adapted for nectar feeding. The tongue is flicked rapidly and repeatedly into a flower, the upper mandible then compressing any liquid out when the bill is closed.

Although honeyeaters look and behave very much like other nectar-feeding passerines around the world (such as the sunbirds and flowerpeckers), they are unrelated, and the similarities are the consequence of convergent evolution. The red wattlebird is a large (up to 35 cm) grey-brown honeyeater with red eyes, distinctive red wattles either side of the neck and white streaks on the chest and belly, which reveals a bright yellow patch towards the tail. Juveniles are generally less flamboyant, with less prominent wattles and browner eyes.

The species is found in SE Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and southwest Western Australia in open forest, woodland, and near human habitation. The nest is formed from sticks and leaves lined with bark and hair, between 2 and 16 metres above ground, usually in the forked branches of a tree or shrub, in which two or three, pale brown-spotted pink eggs are normally laid.

In addition to nectar, it takes insects and other small creatures, usually by hawking, and also berries and other fruit.

This bird was first described by John White in his Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales (1790).

I found the above-mentioned John White’s Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales (1790) on Gutenberg Australia. John White named this new species as the Wattled Bee-eater.

John White’s Wattled Bee Eater, male
John White’s Wattled Bee Eater, female

The Wattled Bee-eater, of which a plate is annexed, fell in our way during the course of the day. This bird is the size of a missel thrush but much larger in proportion, its total length being about fourteen inches. The feathers on the upper part of the head, longer than the rest, give the appearance of a crest; those of the underpart are smooth; the plumage for the most part is brown, the feathers long and pointed, and each feather has a streak of white down the middle; under the eye, on each side, is a kind of wattle, of an orange colour; the middle of the belly is yellow; the tail is wedge-shaped, similar to that of the magpie, and the feathers tipped with white; the bill and legs are brown. This bird seems to be peculiar to New Holland, and is undoubtedly a species which has not hitherto been described.

I wonder if he is describing the Yellow Honeyeater – it has distinct yellow wattles and is our largest honeyeater. Australia was New Holland in those days, and New South Wales originally covered all the eastern side of the continent, with Tasmania known as Van Dieman’s Land – though it isn’t shown as an island in this map from 1790.

New Holland & the adjacent islands, agreeable to the latest discoveries [cartographic material]. 1790. MAP T 800.

New Holland & the adjacent islands, agreeable to the latest discoveries [cartographic material].
1790. MAP T 800. National Library of Australia

Thanks for reading. I’ll leave you with a gorgeous video which showcases his harsh call and has good views of his brush-tipped tongue in action.

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Becoming Healthy, Birds

Birds on my walk

Three birds have snagged my attention today – apart from Crimson Rosellas, Galahs and Cockatoos.

By Ric Raftis (originally posted to Flickr as Striated Pardalote) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

By Ric Raftis (originally posted to Flickr as Striated Pardalote) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

1. The little pardalotes are back.

From Wikipedia...

The striated pardalote (Pardalotus striatus) is the least colourful and most common of the four pardalote species. Other common names include pickwick, wittachew and chip-chip. It is a very small, short-tailed bird that is more often heard than seen, foraging noisily for lerps and other small creatures in the treetops.

2. Even though the Willy Wagtail is a very common bird here, I don’t notice it all that much in our yard. Lately it has been very cheeky and flying close to us (me and the dog the dog and I).

800px-Willy_wag_tail

A Willy Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys) in the Melbourne Botanical Gardens By Taken by fir0002 | flagstaffotos.com.au Canon 20D + Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L (Own work) [GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

From Wikimedia Commons…

The willie (or willy) wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys) is a passerine bird native to Australia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago, and Eastern Indonesia. It is a common and familiar bird throughout much of its range, living in most habitats apart from thick forest. Measuring 19–21.5 cm (7 1⁄2–8 1⁄2 in) in length, the willie wagtail is contrastingly coloured with almost entirely black upperparts and white underparts; the male and female have similar plumage.

Three subspecies are recognised; Rhipidura leucophrys leucophrys from central and southern Australia, the smaller R. l. picata from northern Australia, and the larger R. l. melaleuca from New Guinea and islands in its vicinity. It is unrelated to the true wagtails of the genus Motacilla; it is a member of the fantail genus Rhipidura and is a part of a “core corvine” group that includes true crows and ravens, drongos and birds of paradise. Within this group, fantails are placed in the family Dicruridae, although some authorities consider them distinct enough to warrant their own small family, Rhipiduridae.

The willie wagtail is insectivorous and spends much time chasing prey in open habitat. Its common name is derived from its habit of wagging its tail horizontally when foraging on the ground. Aggressive and territorial, the willie wagtail will often harass much larger birds such as the laughing kookaburra and wedge-tailed eagle. It has responded well to human alteration of the landscape and is a common sight in urban lawns, parks, and gardens. It was widely featured in Aboriginal folklore around the country as either a bringer of bad news or a stealer of secrets.

3. I had a second walk this afternoon, and on the way back a Willy Wagtail, a Striated Pardalote AND a Flame Robin, lined up on the fence in front of me – all in a row with about five or six feet between them! Even if I had the phone camera with me, it couldn’t do the birds justice – so the images are as cited.

479px-Flame_Robin,_Eaglehawk_Neck.

Flame Robin (Petroica phoenicea), Eaglehawk Neck, Tasmania. 4/09/2013 By Tim Collins (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

From Wikipedia…

The flame robin (Petroica phoenicea) is a small passerine bird native to Australia. It is a moderately common resident of the coolest parts of south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Like the other two red-breasted Petroica robins—the scarlet robin and the red-capped robin—it is often simply called the robin redbreast. Like many brightly coloured robins of the Petroicidae, it is sexually dimorphic. Measuring 12–14 cm (4.7–5.5 in) long, the flame robin has dark brown eyes and a small thin black bill. The male has a brilliant orange-red chest and throat, and a white patch on the forehead above the bill. Its upper parts are iron-grey with white bars, and its tail black with white tips. The female is a nondescript grey-brown. Its song has been described as the most musical of its genus.

Todays extra walk was brought on by my latest very determined effort to lose some weight – and hopefully gain some extra years of life. I’m now the proud owner of a Vivofit band (plus a heart rate monitor).garminvivofit Does anyone else have one of these particular activity trackers?

I LOVE it.  I’m a bit annoyed that gentle strolling about will not get rid of the red line which tells me I have been inactive too long. Vika was happy to have the extra time out of the yard today. I’ve still got 1290 steps to do the day out today out of the assigned goal by Garmin Connect. I’m keeping track of calories on myfitnesspal, and it syncs with Garmin. Today was my first food entry and it said that if I kept my food intake at the same level, it will only take 5 weeks to get down to my goal: 63 kgs.  😮  LOL. I wish.

I’m going to take my real camera on my walk tomorrow. And hope for sunshine.

Lerps? Wikipedia says… “In biology, a lerp is a structure of crystallized honeydew produced by larvae of psyllid insects as a protective cover. These insects are commonly referred to as lerp insects.”

Learn something every day!

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