BIRD OF THE WEEK!

 GIBBERBIRD

Fun Fact? Australia is both the flattest and driest continent in the world. Or to put it another way much of Australia is desert. 

So if being an Australian birder demands that you make an attempt to see all of Australia’s birds [and it does..] then one must plan to get to the deserts and see the species that have adapted to survive there.

Which brings me to our Bird of the Week which is such a desert specialist that it is named after a type of desert.

The Gibberbird.

Gibber, according to Wikipedia, is an Australian term referring to a desert surface covered with closely packed, interlocking angular or rounded rock fragments of pebble and cobble size. A common theory suggests they form through the gradual removal of sand, dust and other fine-grained material by the wind and intermittent rain, leaving the larger fragments behind.

So the Gibberbird, and you have guessed this already, lives in Gibber deserts. 

If you look carefully you will see that this picture features more than rocks..

This bird rocks! [See what I did there?]

The Gibberbird is a challenge to see because it lives in these very hard, remote places. It is a small flighty Chat [indeed it is sometimes named Gibber Chat], related to other Australian Chats, that are named not after where they live but after the primary colours of their males; Crimson, Yellow and Orange for example.

Crimson Chat male

Orange Chat female

The Gibberbird feeds on invertebrates unlucky enough to be blown onto the gibber or among small patches of vegetation adjacent. The bird, because it surely does not pay to be too choosy in a desert, also eats seeds. 

Another fact, which is sort of obvious, is that it nests on the ground.

The Gibberbird is similar in plumage between male and female however the male does have slightly stronger yellow across more of its face, chest and belly.

Consider joining us on a safari to the extreme south west of Queensland where we will see desert aplenty and attempt to find some Gibberbirds.

AUSTRALIAN BIRDING SAFARIS

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Bird of the Week - October 2020 The Palm Cockatoo

The Palm Cockatoo is one of the world's most sort after birds. On Cape York Peninsula in Northern Queensland, it is locally referred to simply as 'Palmy'. 

It is the largest Cockatoo in Australia, with an 'Elvis' style swept back crest, it's no wonder birders come from near and far to view this genuine character of the bird world.

It is a robust slate-black cockatoo, with a huge bill and orange/pink facial skin, that turns bright scarlet when excited.

The species has several races, with the bird occurring in West Papua and New Guinea as well as Cape York.

Breeding occurs between July and March. Pairs are territorial and resident, nesting in hollows of dead or living Eucalypt trees with suitable hollows. Both partners give a spectacular drumming display at the nest hollow holding a specially prepared stick or seed pod from' The Bushmans Clothes Peg' (Grevillea glauca) in one foot and beating it against the hollow trunk. 

I first saw this behaviour almost 40 years ago, whilst fishing, thus making this bird one of my all time favourites. 

Chiefly a quiet arboreal feeder, taking seeds and fruits from a wide variety of seasonal plants, but also seen on the ground feeding on fallen nuts and fruits. Often seen in Pandanus plants and Beach Almond trees. 

The presence of the bird in a tree can go unnoticed, but for the sound and sight of falling fruit and nuts. When wandering around the bush of northern Cape York keep an eye open, but also keep an ear out for the unique high pitched whistle call, often finished by a short screech. 

The conservation status is uncertain as its home range has changed little. Threats include smuggling, irregular fire regimes that destroy nesting trees plus land clearing. 

Once seen and heard you will be smitten with this icon of the remote and wild region of Cape York peninsula. Every birder needs to go to Cape York. The Palm Cockatoo is a highlight of our Wet Tropics/Cape York safari 

 

AUSTRALIAN BIRDING SAFARIS’ BIRD OF THE WEEK OCTOBER 2020

GLOSSY BLACK COCKATOO

Australia has been described as the land of the parrots and with some 60 species of cockatoo, lorikeet, fig-parrots and parrots the description is warranted. Perhaps of all the Australian parrots the ones that command the most respect and awe are the Cockatoos and among them, the group of black cockatoos. 

Female - top picture. Male - picture below

Now this group has a number of species; two near identical species that exist in the south west of Western Australia, the wide ranging Red tailed Black Cockatoo, the Yellow tailed Black Cockatoo, the striking Palm Cockatoo and this week’s Bird of the Week, the glossy Black Cockatoo.

Now as a group these birds are simply awesome; they are not subtle and are loud and huge. Globally Macaws and south east Asian Hornbills are the only birds that come close to demanding a staring, dumbstruck response.

Glossy Blacks, which I will call them, have been chosen as they are able to be seen around my part of the planet, here on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. 

They are the smallest of the Black Cockatoos. 

And the most specialised; as they appear to feed almost exclusively on the seeds of She-oaks -Allocasuarina species (A. verticillata, A. littoralis, A. torulosa). Cones are picked individually and fragmented in specialized bill to release seeds; these are then separated by working tongue and lower mandible against upper mandible and discarding the chaff. According to Birds of the World their cone-handling time is 40–140 seconds, depending on size of cone. One can walk around a She oak and see the discarded seed pods if the birds have been using it for feeding.

Confusingly, perhaps, they have red tails and thus invite confusion with the Red tailed Blacks but similarities between the two species are limited. The Red tails, pictured below, also overlap with the range of Glossies in part.

Red tailed Black Cockatoos [male upper; female lower]

The species is no where particularly common and has been listed as Vulnerable. The isolated Kangaroo Island sub species is endangered, particularly so after bush fires ravaged their habitat in early 2020.

There has been work on the Sunshine Coast to create and expand habitat for this species with the planting of of Casuarina trees.

On our Brisbane Birding Breaks tour of the Sunshine Coast and Hinterland we will hope to find some of the few Glossy Black Cockatoos.

AUSTRALIAN BIRDING SAFARIS

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BIRD OF THE WEEK - OCTOBER 2020 WEEK 2

 GROUND CUCKOO SHRIKE

When Europeans first ventured to Australia they could be forgiven for thinking that they had entered an area of separate creation. The wildlife of this continent was pretty obviously not just a slight variation of a theme from Europe. 

Obviously they found the marsupials, the pouched mammals, Kangaroos, Possums, Koala and wombats, both startling and confusing. They considered the famous duck billed Platypus [a monotreme] so bizarre as to propose that it was in fact a hoax. 

Perhaps what is less known is the birds also caused some consternation and confusion. This confusion is still implied through the still existing names today.

As the first white naturalists attempted to describe Australia’s birds they tried to make sense of them using the avian vocabulary already established from home.

So we have birds still labouring under names such as Shrike-thrushes, Magpie-Lark and, like this week’s Bird of the Week, the Ground Cuckoo-shrike.

The Ground Cuckoo-shrike is a striking bird, atypical to the rest of its group. Now that is not to say that the others are not striking just that the Ground is atypical.

The other Cuckoo shrikes, found not only in Australia but in Asia and Africa as well, are found in more arboreal situations.

The Ground Cuckoo Shrike is found, amusingly according to Slater’s field guide, “in small parties walking slowly on the ground or flying or [snip] sitting on a dead branch”. So walking or flying or sitting…

Another truth is that the Ground Cuckoo shrike is difficult to find; Slater recognises that it is an ‘uncommon nomad’ so it is easier to show people where it was rather than where it is….

Juvenile Ground Cuckoo shrike 


This handsome species may be seen on many of our tours but perhaps none are guaranteed. Perhaps the best chance is on one of Brisbane Birding Breaks – either to the Bunya Mountains or to the Giraween area – as both offer part of a day birding in the Lockyer Valley where a small party of Ground cuckoo shrikes have been seen walking, flying or sitting!

 

BIRD OF THE WEEK

Australian Birding Safaris' very own logo: The Noisy Friarbird. 

A Handsome Bird, you'll agree. We are not biased though...

BIRD OF THE WEEK WEEK 1 04/10/20 - Noisy Friarbird feeding on Bottlebrush nectar

The Noisy Friarbird is a large dark grey Honeyeater, with a bare black leathery head [indeed one of its previous common names was Leatherhead], downward angular bill and prominent casque on upper mandible. Its eyes are a striking red. Long-curved silver-white plumes accentuate the collar and upper breast. The sexes are generally alike but males are slightly larger.

Some people say it looks like a small vulture; the feathers on the head are sparse. The bald leathery head surrounded by neck feathers was thought to resemble the tonsured head of a friar.

Ken and I, sadly, have a strong affinity with this bird.

Noisy Friarbird. Contemplating the next move

It is widely distributed along the East Coast and adjacent inland; a common, easily-seen specie in the garden, especially during the breeding season between August and January.

It is a wanderer, enjoying a nomadic lifestyle, travelling between flowering foodplants, especially Eucalypts, Banksias, Grevilleas, Bottlebrushes and Melaleucas. It is a major pollinator of our native trees and shrubs, trapping pollen within the white feathers of the collar and transported between plants.

Friarbirds can be noisy [some may say almost deafening] when in large groups however they should be considered a welcome visitor to our gardens as they supply a zero-cost, chemical-free insect control. A large part of the diet is insects and spiders, taken opportunistically whilst searching for nectar. 

Noisy Friarbird. Feeding with one eye on me

Another benefit? The Noisy Friarbird has been recorded taking eggs and nestlings from the Common Starling (an introduced invasive species).

The Leaden Flycatcher will commonly nest near the Noisy Friarbird, presumably for protection from predators.

Although nesting is often parasitized by cuckoo species including the Pacific Koel and Pallid Cuckoo, its fledgling rate is quite high.

We hope you enjoy every encounter with Noisy Friarbirds and that you can look upon this bird with kindness.

As a common specie this bird will be encountered on many of our birding tours. Please check our 2021 calendar for options.

AUSTRALIAN BIRDING SAFARIS

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Pictures and story by Steve Grainger.