nathanfinger

Bird 296 – White-faced Heron

If you’ve spent time wondering around wetlands, chances are you’ve spotted the White-faced Heron. Chances are you have also thought it was a Grey Heron or a Blue Heron, based on their overly greyish-blue plumes. But don’t you believe it for a moment, there is a Grey Heron and a Blue Heron, but they areContinue reading “Bird 296 – White-faced Heron”

Bird 295 – Red-legged Cormorant

With a distinct lack of Easter cheer, today we meet a Cormorant from South America, but not just any Cormorant. It is maybe the most unusual Cormorant getting around: the Red-legged Cormorant. And I grant you, a Cormorant with red legs is unusual, but that’s only the beginning. The Red-legged Cormorant breaks just about every ruleContinue reading “Bird 295 – Red-legged Cormorant”

Bird 294 – Mountain Chicken

A slightly early bird this week, it’s almost like it’s a special occasion. Today we are off to the Caribbean to meet the Mountain Chicken, famous for being the biggest frog in the world. How big does the biggest frog in the world get? About 1Kg, which is one hefty hopper. Now, you might beContinue reading “Bird 294 – Mountain Chicken”

Bird 293 – Red Junglefowl

So I assume you’re pretty familiar with a Chicken. There are some 20 billion of them in the world, after all. But are you familiar with the Chicken’s closet wild relative, the Red Junglefowl? Our ancient ancestors captured and selectively bred these frightfully handsome birds some 8000 years ago, and turned them into the ChickenContinue reading “Bird 293 – Red Junglefowl”

Bird 292 – Knob-billed Duck

Today we’re meeting a duck with a knob on its face. But this duck is no dickhead, it’s the Knob-billed Duck. This could be one of the most interesting looking ducks. They are large (by duck standards), have a striking speckled head and of course, that unique knob. The Knob-billed Duck has a curious range: theyContinue reading “Bird 292 – Knob-billed Duck”

Bird 291 – Pied Currawong

Today we meet a mischievous scamp, the Pied Currawong. Most Australians who live along the east coast will be familiar with this bird. They are large, black and somewhat crow-like in appearance. They have a thick, heavy set bill, and bright yellow eyes. Although they look like Crows and Ravens, they are a cousin ofContinue reading “Bird 291 – Pied Currawong”

Bird 290 – Greylag Goose

In all the years I’ve been putting out bird emails I have never featured a goose, so now seems like a good time to rectify the situation. And what better goose to feature than the Greylag Goose. The Greylag Goose is THE Goose. They have broad range from northern China and Mongolia, across central Asia,Continue reading “Bird 290 – Greylag Goose”

Bird 289 – Miner/Myna

This week we’ve got our first ever doubleheader. That’s right, two birds for the price of one! Ever since I was a wee lad, I’ve notice people frequently confuse these two birds. And when we meet them we will quickly see why the confusion arose, for although their names are spelt different, they are homophones. The MinerContinue reading “Bird 289 – Miner/Myna”

Bird 288 – Norfolk Morepork Owl

You’ve got to love an owl that’s asking for a second helping of pork. It’s a bird that really has its priorities straight. Humorous names aside, the story of the Morepork is one of the most curious in the bird world. It is the only bird I know of that is at once both stillContinue reading “Bird 288 – Norfolk Morepork Owl”

Bird 287 – Surf Scoter

I’m not going to lie, the first time I saw this bird’s name, I thought it said Surf Scooter, and I thought damn what a cool name. But no, these seaducks do not scoot over the surf, they scot over the surf … whatever the heck that means. It is suspected ‘scoter’ is a misspellingContinue reading “Bird 287 – Surf Scoter”