Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa Pacific Black Ducks are mainly vegetarians, feeding on aquatic and fringe vegetation. They also feed on animals such as molluscs, freshwater crayfish, and aquatic insects and their larvae. Food is obtained, mainly at night, by dabbling on the surface, upending and grazing, with occasional shallow dives. In South Australia, breeding can start as early as June and continue as late as February. They nest in pairs. Incubation is by the female while the male guards. The nests may be in tree holes, in old nests of other waterbirds or on… View bird
Apostlebird Struthidea cinerea Apostlebirds are found in garrulous groups of from 3-20 birds. Many of these are about twelve in number, hence the common name. They are ground feeders living mainly on seeds and insects, but will also take leaves, shoots, small mammals and the eggs of birds. They are co-operative breeders with one breeding pair, the rest of the group being helpers. Breeding occurs in the spring and summer (from August to February). They build a mud nest similar but smaller, than that of White-winged Choughs, being a mud bowl reinforced with… View bird
Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus Rainbow Bee-eaters are seasonal breeding migrants to South Australia. We welcome the return of these colourful, agile fliers from their wintering grounds in northern Australia or the islands of New Guinea and Indonesia in October or November each year. They breed here from November to January before returning to warmer climes. They are sociable, feeding, nesting and roosting in groups of 20-30 and keeping contact with distinctive rolling calls (“merop-merop”!) Rainbow Bee-eaters forage by hawking insects, mainly bees and wasps, from horizontal branches to which they return to batter their… View bird
White-browed Babbler Pomatostomus superciliosus Babblers associate in small groups of 6-13 individuals. Generally, their sentries will find you before you see them and your presence will be announced by their distinctive whistling calls. They are sedentary defending a territory of several hectares year-round. Babblers are ground foragers living largely on insects and other invertebrates found in leaf litter but will take seeds, fruits and eggs or nestlings of small birds. Breeding occurs mainly in late winter and early spring (Jul-Nov). Babblers are co-operative breeders, usually with one brooding pair, and several helpers. Photo above:… View bird
Red-necked Avocet Recurvirostra novaehollandiae Avocets are daytime foragers, feeding on small aquatic invertebrates which they catch in a scything movement of their bill. A striking bird, you can imagine what a flock of 5,000 Red-necked Avocets would look like. Nowadays they are mainly seen in smaller parties, but are nonetheless still exciting to encounter. View bird
Superb Fairywren Malarus cyaneus The Superb Fairywren is one our most familiar and loved birds, ubiquitous on calendars, diaries and tea towels. They prefer habitats consisting of clear open areas where they can feed, interspersed with dense low vegetation where they can hide if danger threatens. They can be found in parks and gardens with thick shrubs or undergrowth, but such areas are becoming less common and smaller and sadly, Superb Fairy-wrens are no longer as common in our gardens as they used to be. Superb Fairywrens are generally found in small parties… View bird
Little Raven Corvus mellori The Little Raven is one of five species of the genus Corvus found in South Australia and the Little Raven is the corvid most commonly found in the Adelaide area. All ravens and crows are referred to as called ‘corvids’ as they all belong to the genus ‘Corvus’. The others species in South Australia are Little Crow, Australian Raven, Torresian Crow and Forest Raven. The calls of corvids are perhaps the best method for identifying them in the field. They all have different calls, although recognising them obviously requires a… View bird
Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae The Laughing Kookaburra is arguably the best-known bird in Australia, an icon, and only occurs here in Australia. Their laughing raucous calls are one the most distinctive sounds of the Australian bush. Kookaburras are dryland kingfishers, and despite their name they do not prey on fish. They live on a variety of insects and small animals such as skinks; basically, anything they find on the ground, that they think they can swallow. Famously, this includes snakes up to 1 metre long. They spend long periods watching before swooping down onto… View bird
Striated Pardalote Pardalotus striatus Pardalotes are diminutive birds, weighing only about 12 g. They live high in the outer reaches of the canopy and are not easily seen unless you are looking hard for them. Their calls, however, are surprisingly loud for such a small bird and are one of the characteristic sounds of spring, especially a two note “wit-chu” , sometimes linked by a middle note “do-a dit”. Striated Pardalotes are a resident species although there is some local movement particularly from the Mt. Lofty ranges to the foothills in the winter months,… View bird