Australian Bustard
Australian Bustard, Adelaide Zoo
On my visit to Adelaide Zoo last week I took the time to visit the various aviaries and attempted to take photos of the many birds they have in their collection. This zoo has a particularly strong representation of Australian birds and it is quite a challenge to photograph them, particularly through the wire mesh.
On several previous visits I had been disappointed not to get a good shot of the Australian Bustard, one of our larger birds. This is one species I have yet to see in the wild. A few years ago a friend phoned me saying he had one in the paddock near their house, but by the time I drove there – some ten minutes away – it had flown. It is certainly not common in our district.
Australian Bustards – also called the Plains Turkey or Wild Turkey – is a large bird of inland areas of Australia. It is widespread by not common in the eastern and southern parts of its range. In general it is found singly or in small groups, but when conditions are right – such as during a locust plague – they can form loose flocks of many dozens. Its favoured habitat includes grasslands, spinifex, open scrublands, sandhills and open pastoral lands.
I must head north one day soon so I can add this magnificent bird to my list of birds seen in the wild.
Australian Bustard, Adelaide Zoo
Pink Cockatoo
Cockatiel and Pink Cockatoo in aviary, Pinnaroo Caravan Park
The photo above shows a Cockatiel (left) and a Pink Cockatoo (centre) in the aviary in Pinnaroo, eastern South Australia. Both species are relatively common in the area. This is not a particularly good photo of the Pink Cockatoo – see below for a better shot which my son took some years ago at the Taronga Park Zoo in Sydney.
The Pink Cockatoo is also known as the Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo, named after an early Australian explorer.
This beautiful member of the parrot family is widespread throughout much of the arid and semi-arid regions of mainland Australia. It is far less common than other cockatoos. It is always a special bird to see in the wild, especially when they land and they raise their stunning crests.
Major Mitchell Cockatoo (also called Pink Cockatoo)
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Emus
Emus in aviary, Pinnaroo Caravan Park
When I visited Pinnaroo in eastern South Australia last week I visited the local aviaries next to the caravan park. I’ve featured some of the birds seen over recent days. Next to the aviaries was a large enclosure containing a small flock of Emus. They cam over to the fence to see what I was up to. I ignored them as I took photos of the birds in the cages. By the time I’d finished, the Emus had lost interest in me and had wandered off.
If you look carefully in the photo above, you can see an Emu sitting under the tree on the left hand side. It looks as though this is a male sitting on eggs. The female Emu will mate with the male, select a nesting site on the ground, a rough scrape in the dirt lined with a few twigs or leaves. She will lay the 5 to 11 large green eggs and then will leave.
The male takes over the task of incubating the eggs and caring for the young for up to 18 months. Meanwhile, the female wanders off and may mate with several other males during the breeding season.
Emus can be found throughout most parts of mainland Australia, especially in pastoral and cropping lands, plains, scrublands and national parks.
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Two Galahs and a Corella
Galahs in aviary, Pinnaroo Caravan Park
I took this photo of two Galahs in the aviary next to the Pinnaroo Caravan Park last week. Rather sad looking birds if you ask me. I guess they’d rather be out in the fields pinching the seeds from a farmer’s wheat crop. At least they have each other – many parrots mate for life. It’s a little hard to tell but by digitally enlarging the photo it looks like the one on the left is a male, the other a female. (Males have dark brown eyes, females red eyes).
Even sadder is the solitary Little Corella shown below.
Little Corella in aviary, Pinnaroo Caravan Park