The Rose-crowned Fruit Dove (Ptilinopus regina) is also known as Pink-capped Fruit Dove or Swainson’s Fruit Dove. Their delicate beauty and bright pink caps make them a real treat to see!
They have quite a large range in northern and eastern Australia and also Indonesia. I spotted this beauty at Howard Springs Nature Park in the Northern Territory.
When you know you’re gorgeous!
Bonded pair
The Double-barred Finch (Taeniopygia bichenovii) is an estrildid finch found in dry savannah, tropical (lowland) dry grassland and shrubland habitats in northern and eastern Australia. They are sometimes referred to as Bicheno’s finch; and also as owl finch, owing to the dark ring of feathers around their faces.
The name of the species commemorates James Ebenezer Bicheno, a colonial secretary of Van Diemen’s Land appointed in September 1842.
I saw these guys at the Edith Falls Campground in the Northern Territory.
And these are from Wikipedia
They have a good sized range in Australia but to date the only places I have seen them is Mosquito Creek Road near Lake Coolmunda and Edith Falls in the Northern Territory.
Up close and personal with Double Barred Finches, very cute little bird!
The Red-rumped Parrot (Psephotus haematonotus), also known as the red-backed parrot or grass parrot, is a common bird of south-eastern Australia, particularly in the Murray-Darling Basin. The red-rumped parrot was described by John Gould in 1838 and is the type species for the genus Psephotus. It was long presumed to be closely related to the mulga parrot, however analysis of multiple genetic material shows it to be an early offshoot of a group containing the genera Platycercus and Barnardius.
At Lake Coolmunda, male Red-rumps were out foraging in all their glory but I struggled to get a good shot of a female. I found this nesting pair near Karara but the lighting was bad.
They have quite a large range in south-eastern Australia. I have personally seen them at Woodlands Park, Melbourne, Bowra Station, Lake Coolmunda, Karara and around SEQ in general.
This clip has excellent close ups of both male and female and you can really see the difference. You can also hear their call and watch them forage in the grass.
More foraging Red-rumps
The Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus) is a species of parrot found in Australia. It is common along the eastern seaboard, from northern Queensland to South Australia and Tasmania. Its habitat is rainforest, coastal bush and woodland areas. Several taxa traditionally listed as subspecies of the rainbow lorikeet are now treated as separate species (see Taxonomy) or this more detailed explanation of taxonomy.
Rainbow Lorikeets are readily found in towns along the eastern Australian seaboard. You don’t have to go birding to see them in Brisbane, they are everywhere! They visit my back yard and front yard most days of the year and roost noisily in the trees outside the Chermside Shopping Centre in the 1000’s. A smaller population has been introduced to parks near Perth, WA.
LEARN MORE ABOUT RAINBOW LORIKEETS
Here you see Rainbow Lorikeets in the bush and also some which frequent a wildlife park – Currumbin Sanctuary. All the birds are wild, they just like a free feed like anyone else!
Here you can see their playful nature!
The Australian magpie (Cracticus tibicen) is a medium-sized black and white passerine bird native to Australia and southern New Guinea. It’s virtually impossible to visit Australia and NOT see a magpie or “Maggie” as we call them. They are literally everywhere, especially in the major cities. They await you at picnic sites hoping to steal your food. They will swoop on you in breeding season if they think you are a threat to their chicks. They can be annoying if you are trying to photograph other birds and the maggies are scaring them off. But they do have a beautiful melodious warbling sound, it’s one of the first sounds I hear when I wake up in the morning though it is not loud enough to actually WAKE me up!
Don’t worry about trying to find Australian Magpies. In most places in Australia, they will find you!
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS BIRDABC – Good info on why they swoop!
Magpie Alert – good map showing swooping hotspots! I can see reports in a few streets near me – mostly attacking cyclists. My husband says he was swooped once while on a walk.
State of Queensland (Department of Environment and Heritage Protection)
Trust me, this is only a small bit of their song, it really is beautiful!
Amazing footage of a swoop on a cyclist from the cyclist himself!
He later appeared on the local news.
And here is a swoop from a spectator point of view, the guy’s Mom really freaks out!
This maggie clearly doesn’t like the postman, maybe he got too many bills that day?
Maybe it’s better to make friends with them!
I don’t approve of allowing cats outdoors where they can kill wild birds. Magpies are extremely clever and seem well in control of this situation but other small song birds wouldn’t have been so lucky.
And I’ll leave you with this adorable clip of a juvenile maggie singing to some rainbow lorikeets!