On the day we play pranks on each other lets enjoy this awesome Drongo as he cleverly fools some meerkats!
Want more? How about a Lyrebird fooling everyone!
And a crow trying to trick a man out of a frying pan!
April Fools!
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Category Archives: Birds
Nankeen Night Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus)
The Nankeen Night Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus) also commonly referred to as the Rufous Night Heron, and in Melanesia as Melabaob, is a medium-sized heron.
I can’t tell if this bird from Kakadu Yellow Waters is admiring himself or looking for food!
They have a large range in Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Melanesia, and throughout much of Australia except the arid inland. A small colony has also established near Wanganui, New Zealand.
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VIDEOS
Go away and let me sleep!
Beautiful close-ups here!
How Do Birds Fly?
This blog deals with two kinds of flight. We use airplanes (preferably with miles) to get to our destinations where we can watch birds. Then you have the actual birds who fly!
This is a really cool video which breaks down how birds use their wings to fly. Nice clay lick footage in slo-mo too!
Long-tailed Finch (Poephila acuticauda)
The Long-tailed Finch (Poephila acuticauda) is a common species of estrildid finch found in Australia; also known as the Blackheart Finch, Shaft-tail Finch, Heck’s Grassfinch, Heck’s Grass Finch, and Heck’s Finch.
They have a large range across northern Australia. I saw them very well at the finch spot on Edith Falls Road in the Northern Territory.
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VIDEOS
Foraging in the grass.
Drinking water
Small flock in Mataranka
Gouldian Finch (Erythrura gouldiae)
The Gouldian Finch (Erythrura gouldiae), also known as the Lady Gouldian Finch, Gould’s Finch or the Rainbow Finch, is a colourful passerine bird endemic to Australia.
I took these close ups a few years ago at the Rainbow Jungle in Kalbarri, WA, at least they’re my shots and not a Wikipedia shot!
And here’s a flock of juvenile Gouldians at the Edith Falls Road spot.
They are endemic to northern Australia with small populations in the Northern Territory and north-western Queensland. The best place to see them is the hotspot near Edith Falls Road. There is a detailed hand-drawn map in this book that I can’t print here for copyright reasons.
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VIDEOS
I wish a flock like this would come in my back yard! Watch for the red-heads.
Joining other finches at a watering hole.
Mini-doco on Gouldian Finches.
Blue-winged Kookaburra (Dacelo leachii)
The Blue-winged Kookaburra (Dacelo leachii) is slightly smaller than the more familiar Laughing Kookaburra and has a different kind of call (see video section).
I got my best view at Nitmiluk NP but also saw some in Kakadu NP. They have a huge range across Australia.
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VIDEOS
First let’s hear the bird’s call.
Now compare to the Laughing Kookaburra. The former doesn’t have the same sense of humour!
Great HD clip!
And a female, not sure how you tell the females from males.
Great Bowerbird (Chlamydera nuchalis)
The Great Bowerbird’s (Chlamydera nuchalis) favoured habitat is a broad range of forest and woodland, and the margins of vine forests, monsoon forest, and mangrove swamps.
As with most members of the bowerbird family, breeding considerations dominate the lifecycle: females nest inconspicuously and raise their young alone, while the males spend most of the year building, maintaining, improving, defending, and above all displaying from their bowers. Only a male with a successful bower can attract mates. Spend some time watching them decorate, they are so much fun to watch!
They are a common and conspicuous resident of northern Australia, from the area around Broome across the Top End to Cape York Peninsula and as far south as Mount Isa. I got my best views in Katherine near the museum and at the Lazy Lizard Caravan Park but I pretty much saw them everywhere!
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VIDEOS
Here’s just a few examples of why the Bowerbirds are so much fun to watch! They dance, decorate, romance and more!
Apostlebird (Struthidea cinerea)
The Apostlebird (Struthidea cinerea), also known as the grey jumper, lazy jack or cwa bird often travel in groups of about 12; for this reason they were named after the Biblical apostles, the twelve chief followers of Jesus Christ.
They have a large range in Australia but I have only seen them at Humbles Creek in the Northern Territory and Mosquito Creek Road in Queensland. They do seem quite numerous in their range.
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VIDEOS
A tight knit Apostlebird community is a beautiful thing!
Maybe a Judas bird in the midst?
Purple-crowned Fairy-wren (Malurus coronatus)
The beautiful Purple-crowned Fairy-wren (Malurus coronatus) is a species of bird in the Maluridae family. I couldn’t get a decent shot at Victoria River so here’s a couple from Wikipedia, you can see the difference between male and female.
They are only found in the northern part of Australia spanning from Western Australia to parts of the Northern Territory and Queensland. Victoria River Roadhouse is the go-to place to spot them, also try Timber Creek.
LEARN MORE ABOUT PURPLE-CROWNED FAIRY-WRENS
Austalian Wildlife Conservancy
VIDEO
I could only find one clip on Youtube but it’s a good one!
White-throated Honeyeater (Melithreptus albogularis)
The White-throated Honeyeater (Melithreptus albogularis) is native to New Guinea, and eastern and northern Australia. This little guy from Pine Creek was surprisingly bold in letting any passing human know he wanted a drink of water!
They have a very large range across Australia in Queensland and the Northern Territory and even into southern Papua New Guinea.
LEARN MORE ABOUT WHITE-THROATED HONEY-EATERS
VIDEOS
This one has something to say, probably asking the human below to get him some water!
Another one from Darwin