Splendid Fairy-Wren
Splendid Fairy-wrens live in communal blended families. This matriarchy is run by one single female, the mother. Dad is the only breeding male, and the rest of the flock can contain up to six helpers, including adult sons born in previous seasons.
These social wrens usually live in the same area all year long. Raising the chicks together is a way for these little neighbours to bond.
Red Winged Fairy Wren
Small bird with a very long blue-gray tail held cocked, found in wet areas with dense vegetation in southwestern Western Australia. Bearing a narrow pointed bill adapted for probing and catching insects, the Red-winged Fairywren is primarily insectivorous; it forages and lives in the shelter of scrubby vegetation in temperate wetter forests dominated by the Karri , remaining close to cover to avoid predators. Like other fairywrens, it is a cooperative breeding species, with small groups of birds maintaining and defending small territories year-round. Groups consist of a socially monogamous pair with several helper birds who assist in raising the young. There is a higher proportion of female helpers recorded for this species than for other species of fairywren. A variety of vocalisations and visual displays have been recorded for communication and courtship in this species. Singing is used to advertise territory, and birds can distinguish other individuals on song alone.
Red-Capped Robin
The male Red-capped Robin is black above and white below with a distinctive scarlet-red cap, white shoulders, and a red breast that contrasts strongly with a black throat. The black wing is barred white and the tail is black with white edges. Females are quite different in appearance: grey-brown above and off-white below, with a reddish cap, brown-black wings barred buff to white, and some have faint red on the breast. Young birds are similar to females but are streaked white above, have an pale buff wing bar and their breast and sides are streaked or mottled dark-brown.
New Holland Honeyeater
The New Holland Honeyeater is one of Australia’s most energetic birds. Fueled up on high-energy nectar taken from the flowers of banksias, eucalypts, grevilleas and other trees and shrubs, they are always active and pugnacious. Whether they are dashing in pursuit of a flying insect or chasing other Honeyeaters away, the New Holland Honeyeater is seldom seen sitting still. One of their more unusual activities is to conduct ‘Corroborrees’, where up to a dozen birds congregate and noisily display together, fluttering their wings.
Firetail Finch
These birds spend much of their time on the ground eating seed they inhabit woodland area’s with open scrub and grassy plains. In Western Australia, they are found in the Kimberley Division and Pilbara Region in the north south to Carnarvon.
The Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo
The red-tailed black cockatoo also known as Banksian- or Banks' black cockatoo, is a large black cockatoo native to Australia. Adult males have a characteristic pair of bright red panels on the tail that gives the species its name. It is more common in the drier parts of the continent.
Kookaburra
The Laughing Kookaburra is instantly recognizable in both plumage and voice. It is generally off-white below, faintly barred with dark brown, and brown on the back and wings. The tail is more rufous, broadly barred with black. There is a conspicuous dark brown eye-stripe through the face. It is one of the larger members of the kingfisher family.
Laughing Kookaburras are believed to pair for life. The nest is a bare chamber in a naturally occurring tree hollow or in a burrow excavated in an arboreal (tree-dwelling) termite mound. Both sexes share the incubation duties and both care for the young. Other Laughing Kookaburras, usually offspring of the previous one to two years, act as 'helpers' during the breeding season. Every bird in the group shares all parenting duties.
Pink & Grey Galah
Galahs are one of Australia’s favourite birds. You can see Galahs in almost any part of Australia, mucking around, playing, squawking and having fun.
Galah pairs share the nesting and parenting duties of their offspring, and baby Galahs stay with their parents for months or years. Galahs are monogamous and mate for life. The male Galah chirps and screeches in an effort to impress the female while courting. Galahs make their nests in hollow parts of trees – in spring it is not uncommon to see adult galahs entering or renovating hollows.
Barking Owl
There is something magical, mysterious and alluring about owls. The Barking Owl inhabits drier woodland and forest type zones, often in edge habitats nearing watercourses such as creeks. The barking owl is common in its northern range (Northern Territory and Far-North Queensland) but is becoming less common along the Eastern and Western coasts of Australia.