Feathered Friends

JOHN PETER BirdLife Australia

Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) migrates here from the Arctic Siberian tundra, arriving in Australia in August/September, departing late in April/May to return to its breeding grounds. Note the markings on the crown and face, and down-curved bill about twice as long as its head (shorter than bill of the Eastern Curlew below).

In Australia Whimbels prefer estuaries, large tidal flats with mangroves, and salt marshes. They mostly probe for worms or molluscs on mud or sand, or pick up crustaceans and insects among rocks, coral and seaweed. They may also eat plant matter, particularly seeds and fruits.

Eastern Curlew (Numenius madagascariensis) the largest of Australia’s shorebirds migrates from eastern Siberian and Manchurian moors to Australia arriving in August/September, and returning to its breeding grounds in late March/early May. It’s believed that the world’s entire population of Eastern Curlew may spend its southern R&R around Australia’s coastline. Note plain face with the pale ‘eyebrow’, and longer down-curved bill than that of the Whimbrel.

In Australia they prefer estuaries, tidal flats, open sandy beaches and salt marshes, probing mud and sand with their long bills, probably for worms and small crabs. Their longer bills enable them to probe for deeper prey that other birds can’t reach.

A familiar bird to many people right across northern Australia, the Blue-winged Kookaburra also occurs in southern New Guinea. Within this range, they are found in a range of tropical and subtropical forests and woodlands, usually among eucalypts.

Blue-winged Kookaburras are often difficult to approach, sometimes flying off when you’re 200m away! They often beat the tropical heat by sheltering quietly among the foliage in trees, but their chorus of harsh screeches, barks, yelps and cackles, most often around dawn and dusk, readily draws people’s attention to them. This far-reaching call, sometimes given by two or more birds at the same time, carries throughout the forest, and may be answered by other kookaburras. Although they are kingfishers, Blue-winged Kookaburras seldom dive into water to catch fish. Instead, they usually perch in a tree, scanning the ground below for insects or lizards, then pounce onto the leaf litter, and return to the branch to beat their prey before eating it.

Blue-winged Kookaburras usually nest in large tree hollows, which only form in very old trees, so they are at a premium and subject to competition from other hollowbreeding birds and mammals. Sometimes they excavate a nesting tunnel into a termite mound instead. Up to five white eggs are laid onto a layer of woodchips and dust, or crumbly termite substrate, and incubated by both parents, as well as by helpers at the nest. They all brood and feed the chicks.