Bird Word: Casual

Casual: a bird that has been observed outside its normal range.

I am convinced that most bird species do not read the Field Guides. They do not observe where they are supposed to be. They wander off the beaten track. They get lost. Or they decide to have a sea-change or a tree-change.

Whatever.

One thing is certain; many species can be observed from time to time way outside their normal range, where they are usually found. The Striped Honeyeater is a case in point. It is a bird mainly of the inland, in drier woodland scrubs, mallee associations and mulga.

The Striped Honeyeater has visited our garden on a number of occasions. It even nested quite close to our house. This record is the most south westerly occurence of this species. It cannot be classed as resident in this area as it only visits every few years. Its appearance here is classed as “casual.” One has to travel 50 – 100 km NE to observe it in its normal range.

The Spiny Cheeked Honeyeater (shown below) is another bird of the drier parts of Australia.

For more articles in this series check out the Glossary of Bird Words here.

Spiny Cheeked Honeyeater