Australia, the amazing country located within the continent of Oceania, has a rich and diverse variety of birds. Among these, the incredible large Australian running birds, such as the cassowaries (genus Casuarius) and emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae). Regarding the endemic bird species of the country, that is, those that we can only find in the wild within the Australian territory, the classification that the association Birdlife International It has been established. In this way, taking into account the geographical distribution of the country, we can differentiate between the endemic australian birds From: Cape York, Wet Tropics of Queensland, Eastern Australia, Southeastern Australia, Tasmania, Southwest Australia, Northwest Australia, and Christmas Island.
If you want to learn more about the great variety of exotic Australian birds that exist, continue reading this Green Ecologist article about +20 Australian birds, their names and images.
Tasmanian parakeet, named after one of the most striking Australian birds
The Tasmanian parakeetPlatycercus caledonicus) belongs to the order of those commonly known as wide-tailed parakeets or rosellas. This species inhabits only and exclusively in the tasmania island, off the southeastern tip of Australia.
These colorful wide-tailed parakeets are considered one of the most beautiful Australian exotic birds, with a yellow head and belly, with a list of intense red on the forehead, as well as blue cheeks. Instead, its long tail is gray-green, with bluish lateral feathers, like its wings and its legs and beak are gray.
Black-breasted torillo
Commonly known as black-breasted torillo, the species Turnix melanogasterIt is a small bird, similar in appearance to partridges and quail. Both males and females of this species are characterized by a mottled plumage in which black, white and brownish feathers are mixed, as can be seen in the image of these exotic australian birds.
The black-breasted torillo lives in the humid forests of eastern Australia, mainly in coastal areas, presenting terrestrial habits.
Spotted owl
The spotted owlTyto multipunctate) is one of the nocturnal birds of prey most characteristic of Australia. It owes its common name to the predominant gray plumage with white mottling that it presents. Like all nocturnal birds of prey, it feeds on rodents and other small mammals.
The presence of the spotted owl is quite abundant, although it lives exclusively in the humid tropical region of the Cape York peninsula., northeast of Australia.
If you like this type of bird, we recommend you enter this other Green Ecologist article in which you will find a compilation of 112 birds of prey or raptors: types, names and photo gallery.
Spalding's spinetail, one of the Australian songbirds
The Spalding's colla-spine (Orthonyx spaldingii) It is a passerine species, that is, it belongs to the large group of birds commonly known as the songbirds. The peculiarity of this bird resides in the morphology of its tail, long and rigid, which allows it to attach itself to the branches of the trees while feeding on the invertebrates and small vertebrates found in these trees.
In the image of the Spalding's colla-spine, its unmistakable plumage, predominantly dark brown, with a reddish spot on the chest and a whitish belly can be seen.
Image: EBird
Scrub turkey
The bush turkeyLathami reading) is also commonly known as cut it head red. It is a strange bird that is considered one of the primitive species most striking in Australia, according to the criteria of many experts.
It is a galliform bird (shaped like a rooster), small in size, similar to a hen but with turkey features. As seen in the image, the plumage of the Australian bush turkey is predominantly dark.
Victoria bird of paradise, one of Australia's passerines
The Victoria's bird of paradisePtiloris victoriae), also commonly known as Queen Victoria's Rifle Bird, is a colorful species of the group of the passerines. It lives throughout the year in the northwestern region of Australia. It is easy to find throughout the Atherton Plateau (Queensland), which is its main area of distribution.
Within the group of passerine birds we can also find in Australia:
- Macleay's HoneysXantehotis macleayanus).
- The green cocoonAiluroedus crassirostris).
- The red-eared diamondStagonopleura oculata).
- The real or arrogant avelira (Menura novaehollandiae).
- The eastern bristle beak (Dasyornis brachypterus).
- The reddish scrub (Atrichornis rufescens).
Australian Black Currawong
Also know as sooty executionerStrepera fuliginosa), the Australian black currawong is an endemic bird to the island of Tasmania. However, in other small Australian islands we can also find pious executionerStrepera graculina) and to ashen executionerStrepera versicolor).
These species of the Artamidae family of birds have similar aspects to that of crows, with robust and slender carriages. The diet of the australian black currawong it is omnivorous, including a wide variety of berries, small vertebrates and invertebrates.
Australian cockatoos
World famous, cockatoos (Family Cacatuidae) They include 21 species distributed throughout Australasia (the Philippines, Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia and the Solomon Islands). All of them are characterized by the presence of a plume or grouping of feathers longer than the rest on the upper part of the head.
Focusing on Australia, the most prominent species of australian cockatoos are:
- Long-billed Funeral Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus baudinii)
- Short-billed Funeral Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus latirostris)
- Burrowing cockatoo (Cacatua pastinator)
- Fine-billed cockatoo (Cacatua tenuirostris)
In the image we can see them in the same order from left to right.
Australian running birds
Running birds constitute a superorder within the classification of birds, which includes all those birds that do not fly and generally have very long legs. Are flightless birds They have reduced wings and, in addition, they do not have a keel (a bone structure in which the pectoral muscles used for flight in flying birds are attached).
In Australia, the running birds are grouped within the order of the casuariformes. They are large, run fast and, as we have seen before, lack the ability to fly. The appearance of the australian running birds It is similar to that of ostriches, although their necks are shorter and have three fingers instead of two, as an adaptation to running. The most outstanding species of this group are, without a doubt:
- Cassowary (genus Casuarius): they reach 1.50 m. high and its most characteristic feature is the presence of a bony protrusion (helmet) on the front of the skull. The plumage of cassowaries is black, with a showy blue and red neck.
- Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae): As can be seen in the image, the emu's plumage is greyish-brown in color, whose feathers end in a black tip. Their legs are strong and long, adapted to the high-speed races that they usually do.
If you like these wild animals, do not hesitate to meet more of the names of exotic birds in the world in this other post from Green Ecologist.
If you want to read more articles similar to +20 Australian birds: names and pictures, we recommend that you enter our Wild Animals category.
Bibliography- Forshaw, J. M. & Cooper, W. T. (1981) Parrots of the World. David & Charles, Newton Abbot, London. p. 233.
- Ferrán i Andreu, O. & Induráin, J. (2002) Current atlas of universal geography. SPES Editorial, seventh edition, pp: 194-195.
- Ardeola. Hanbook of the Birds of the World. Madrid: SEO / Birdlife, 45 (1): 87-96.
