Royal Spoonbill
Royal Spoonbill, Adelaide Zoo
Whenever I go out birding, I delight in seeing spoonbills. My favourite would have to be the Yellow-billed Spoonbill, but I also enjoy seeing the Royal Spoonbill. We only have the two species of spoonbills here in Australia.
Sometimes in the natural environment it is not easy to get up very close to the birds like I’ve managed in this series of photos. On this occasion I was photographing a captive bird in a walk-through aviary at the Adelaide Zoo.
The Royal Spoonbill is found throughout Australia where there is suitable habitat, except for the drier areas of South and Western Australia. You may notice in the photos on this post that the bird has a rather prominent plume of feathers coming from its head, prominent yellow marks above the eyes and a small red mark on the forehead. All these indicate breeding plumage; there was a nest in a tree planted in the aviary.
I must say that I’m struck by the yellow mark over the eyes; it gives the bird something of an evil look!
Further reading:
Royal Spoonbill, Adelaide Zoo
Royal Spoonbill, Adelaide Zoo
Royal Spoonbill, Adelaide Zoo
Eclectus Parrot
Eclectus Parrot (male), Adelaide Zoo
Australia has many beautiful parrots. One of the more intriguing – and beautiful – would have to be the Eclectus Parrot, shown in the photos on this post. This is a species I have yet to see in the natural environment which is not surprising seeing it is found in remote locations in far north Queensland, a state I am yet to visit.
The beautiful plumage on this large parrot is interesting because the male (shown above) is not as outstanding as the female (see below). This is unusual in the bird kingdom because most male birds are more colourful than females, but only where there is dimorphism. This means that the male and female plumage is different. Of course, many species display no dimorphism; male and female are identical.
Forget about the scientific explanations: I think the male looks rather neat in green. They both look stunning with such pure and startling colours.
I must attempt to get to northern Queensland soon as see them “at home.”
Further reading:
- Parrots -more articles from the archives of this site
- Eclectus Parrots at Adelaide Zoo
Eclectus Parrot (male), Adelaide Zoo
Eclectus Parrot (male), Adelaide Zoo
Eclectus Parrot (female) Adelaide Zoo
Pied Imperial-Pigeon
Pied Imperial-pigeon in walk through aviary at Adelaide Zoo
The beautiful Pied Imperial-pigeon is found in the mangroves, rainforests and woodlands of coastal northern Australia. I haven’t been birding in that part of Australia yet, so I was pleased to get these good photos of the species in one of the walk-through aviaries at Adelaide Zoo recently.
These pigeons are commuters. They nest and roost on the islands of northern Australia and daily commute to the mainland to feed on fruit in the rainforests and mangroves. They nest in the mangrove trees of the islands. They are also present in PNG and Indonesia. Many populations of these pigeons are also migratory, moving between Australia, PNG and Indonesia.
Further reading:
- Adelaide zoo website
- Pigeons and doves – archived articles about pigeons and doves
- Pizzey, G, The field guide to the birds of Australia.
Pied Imperial-pigeon in walk through aviary at Adelaide Zoo
White-headed Pigeon
White-headed Pigeon, walk-through aviary, Adelaide Zoo
The White-headed Pigeon is found along coastal Queensland and New South Wales in tropical and sub-tropical rainforests and scrubland. I know very little about this species because I’ve never seen it in its natural environment. One day I’ll make it to Queensland and see it.
In the meantime, I have to be satisfied with these photos taken in the walk-through aviary at Adelaide Zoo. It’s certainly a beautiful bird.
White-headed Pigeon, walk-through aviary, Adelaide Zoo
White-headed Pigeon, walk-through aviary, Adelaide Zoo
Hooded Plover
4 Comments »10th February, 2011; Category: Adelaide Zoo, Bird Behaviour, Nests, Plovers Dotterels and Lapwings, Seabirds, Zoos
Hooded Plover
The Hooded Plover is found along the southern coast of Australia, from Tasmania, though Victoria, South Australia and southern Western Australia. Its preferred habitat is sandy beaches where there is plenty of seaweed and there are nearby rocky outcrops, reefs and sand dunes. In some parts it can be found at salt lakes some distance inland in SA and WA. It lays its 2 or 3 eggs in a shallow scrape in the beach sand during the months of September to January.
The Hooded Plover is an endangered species. On the Fleurieu Peninsula near where I live there are fewer than 75 left, according the warning sign near the beach at Victor Harbor (see below). On a visit to Victor Harbor some years ago I was walking along this beach watching over about 60 primary school children on an end of year school camp. Trying to keep so many little feet away from the nest with two eggs took a major effort, but the birds patrolling the beach nearby were not too disturbed. Why they chose one of the busiest beaches in South Australia to lay their eggs is a mystery to me! I hope they survived.
The bird in the photo above was not taken at the beach. It was of a bird in an aviary at Adelaide Zoo where the keepers have cleverly recreated a small sandy beach to imitate its natural habitat.
Hooded Plover warning sign on beach at Victor Harbor, South Australia