Australia is one of the paradises for bird lovers. The birds living there are mostly unique and special. That’s why Australia is considered as the most important for the evolution of modern birds, with most of the world’s species tracing back their ancestry here. Besides birds, you can also enjoy looking at animals to see in Australia.
Australia is a home for around 830 species of birds. Two of the world’s largest and heaviest birds are found in Australia. They are cassowary and emu. However, they are not the only birds living there. Let’s meet these top 8 birds from Australia.
- Tawny Frogmouth
This bird is famous for being able to disguise and camouflage to the extreme with a tuft of spiky feathers above its beak. Tawny frogmouths live throughout Australia, including the urban areas and the Great Eastern Woodlands. Tawny Frogmouth is also one of the famous nocturnal birds in the world.
- Barking Owl
You might be confused with the name, how can an owl bark like a dog? Of course it is not “barking” as a dog, but barking owl is famous for having a very loud and explosive call. If you hear this bird screeching at night, you may mistakenly think that it is a woman screaming.
If you’re interested in owls, you may want to know the other popular breeds of owl.
- Little Penguin
Little penguin can be noticed as it has blue to black color on its head and back with white belly. Little penguins are equipped with black flippers with white edge. Little penguin is the smallest penguin species in the world, that’s why it is named “little” penguin.
- Gouldian Finch
The Gouldian Finch is one of the world’s most strikingly colored bird. That’s why you will be able to find this on the list of birds with beautiful feathers. The Gouldian Finch is commonly found in northern Australia, ranging from Western Australia to northern Queensland.
The color of this bird is a mixture of pale ochre-yellows, greens, light blues, purples and darker grass-green on the back and wings.
Most of the year, the Gouldian Finches feed mostly on ripe or half-ripe grass seeds. However, during their breeding season, they only feed on insects as insects are rich in protein and satisfying the demand of the young birds. Unfortunately, the Golden Finch is one of the bird species that is endangered.
- Emu
Emus are only found in Australia, so we can say that Emus are native birds of Australia. They were once found in Tasmania, but were eradicated by the Europeans.
Emus are considered as champions of paternal care. The females help the males to prepare the nest. After that, they lays 5 to 15 large dark-green eggs and then wander around to breed again.
The ones responsible for incubating the eggs are the males. They incubates the eggs for around 55 days and surprisingly they don’t eat, drink, defecate and leave the nest during this time. As a result, they lose up to 8 kg during this time.
- Cassowary
Cassowaries were once found throughout northern Queensland, however, they are not nowadays. They can only be found in the wet tropics and Cape York. They mostly inhabit rainforests, swamps, mangrove forests and even beaches.
Cassowaries are known as the heaviest birds from Australia. They cannot fly and use their powerful legs to roam about through vegetation in search of food.
Don’t you dare to threaten them as they are able to deliver lethal kicks. By using their powerful legs, the kick can reach length up to 12 centimeters. Unfortunately, habitat destruction is one threat faced by cassowaries in Australia.
- Australian Magpie
This bird is easily noticed for having a striking black and white bird. According to the experts, the Australian Magpie is a large species of butcherbird. The Australian Magpies can be found whenever there is combination of trees and adjacent open areas, such as parks and playing fields.
The Australian Magoies mainly feed on insects and their larvae. They will also often take the handouts from humans and venture into open houses for begging for food.
- Rainbow Lorikeet
Rainbow Lorikeet is a member of parrot family. This bird can be easily noticed by its colorful and bright red breast, blue or black belly and head and a red bill. While flying or feeding, the Rainbow Lorikeets are often observed calling loudly.
This bird species can be found in a wide range of habitats, including urban areas. Besides, you can also find it around a wide range of treed habitats, such as rainforest and woodlands, too.
Rainbow Lorikeets can be found in eastern and northern Australia and Perth. Regarding to the food they consume, the Rainbow Lorikeets mainly feed on flowers of shrubs or trees to gather the pollen and nectar. They also feed on fruits, seeds and some insects.