So, we’ve come to the end of our colour exploration. Today is black, and there’s really only one bird we can mention, the Raven. To my great shame, I somehow managed to go over 150 weeks without featuring this most famous of birds. There are many species of Raven, but here in Australia we haveContinue reading “Bird 152 – Australian Raven”
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Bird 151 – White Bellbird
It’s pretty easy to find white birds when you go looking for one. My favourite is the White Tern, a bird that doesn’t mess around making a nest and just lays its egg on a bare branch. Of course, the White Tern was Bird 122. So this week I’ve got my second favourite all white affair,Continue reading “Bird 151 – White Bellbird”
Bird 150 – Violet-backed Starling
Purple is a rare colour in the bird world. There are a few birds that have the word ‘purple’ in their name, like the Purple Martin (bird for another week), but I’ve really been looking for birds with plumage that pops. Which is why this week I’m going with the Violet-backed Starling (Cinnyricinclus leucogaster). TheseContinue reading “Bird 150 – Violet-backed Starling”
Bird 149 – Scarlet Ibis
Today we’re going to do a little rehabilitation. I know one of the most maligned birds getting around is the poor old Ibis, or the filthy bin chicken as it is sometimes called. And it’s just not fair. Not fair, because the Australian White Ibis is a great little survivor, but that’s a bird forContinue reading “Bird 149 – Scarlet Ibis”
Bird 148 – Orange Fruit Dove
We now come to the colour orange. Now, I know how disappointed ya’ll get because there aren’t more pigeons in your life. So today, I have one hell of a pigeon for you. Say hello to my little friend, the Orange Fruit Dove (Ptilinopus victor). Now, you look at that pigeon and tell me you’veContinue reading “Bird 148 – Orange Fruit Dove”
Bird 147 – Twelve-wired Bird-of-Paradise
I am cheating a little on this bird. I couldn’t find a drop-dead gorgeous yellow bird that met with my satisfaction, so instead I’m giving you one of my all-time favourites, the Twelve-wired Bird-of-Paradise (Seleucidis melanoleucus) As you can see, it does have a brilliant lemon-yellow lower portion, it’s just paired with a jet-black headContinue reading “Bird 147 – Twelve-wired Bird-of-Paradise”
Birds-of-Paradise Part I: Marvels of Evolution
Don’t have time to read this story? Why not listen to the podcast. Of the 10,000 or so species of birds that roam our earth, there is no family as stunningly beautiful, yet staggeringly ridiculous as the Birds-of-Paradise. The family Paradisaeidae contains 42 species in 15 genera.1 These birds live in the cloud forests ofContinue reading “Birds-of-Paradise Part I: Marvels of Evolution”
Bird 146 – Green Broadbill
This week’s bird is brought to you by the colour green and the aptly named Green Boradbill (Calyptomena viridis). As promised, this is the greenest bird I could find that ever did live. These cute little guys are native to the island jungles of Borneo and Sumatra. I quite enjoy their fluffy little face tuftsContinue reading “Bird 146 – Green Broadbill”
Bird 145 – Grandala
A couple of weeks back I was scrolling about the internet when this stunner slid across my screen. And I thought, holy heck, you are the bluest bird that ever did live. And then I got thinking, well, what is the reddest bird that ever did live and the yellowest etc. So, for the nextContinue reading “Bird 145 – Grandala”
Bird 144 – Horned Screamer
So, remember when you were a kid and you found out unicorns weren’t real, and it was super disappointing? Yeah, I know, life is full of bummers. Well, good news, because now there’s a bird to fill that hole in your heart. Let me introduce you to the Horned Screamer (Anhima cornuta). That’s right, it’sContinue reading “Bird 144 – Horned Screamer”
Bird of the Week 