Bush birds of the Botanic Gardens
Look and listen for these ‘bush birds’ around the Gardens. Dense shrubs and trees create habitat and safety from predators for these well-camouflaged birds.
Chestnut-breasted Mannikin
Lonchura castaneothorax - 12cm in size
Thick set birds with a bar across their chest, these birds of a feather flock together feeding on grass seeds, usually from the stalk rather than from the ground.
Yellow Honeyeater
Lichenostomus flavus - 17 to 18cm in size
Often hovering while feeding upon nectar and pollinating flowers, this nearly ‘all yellow’ bird is always on the move in foliage and flowering trees.
Bar-shouldered Dove
Geopelia humeralis - 27 to 30cm in size
With a distinctive reddish-bronze patch on the hind neck, they are bigger than Peaceful Doves.
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
Coracina novaehollandiae - 30 to 36cm in size
Their nickname is ‘Shuffle-wing’ as these black faced, slender birds have a curious habit of shuffling their wings upon landing. The nest is a shallow saucer of sticks and bark, bound together with cobwebs and is remarkably small for the size of the bird.
Helmeted Friarbird
Philemon buceroides - 32 to 37cm in size
Helmeted Friarbirds look a bit strange… with their dark grey bare-skin heads and necks looking out of proportion to their body and a gently sloping knob on their forehead. They love to feed on nectar rich flowers.
Peaceful Dove
Geopelia striata - 20 to 24cm in size
With eyes of blue and calling ‘doodle doo’ they are often seen feeding on small seeds on bare ground…but they are not so peaceful to other birds during breeding.
Magpie-lark
Grallina cyanoleuca - 26 to 30cm in size
Often referred to as Peewees, they are boldly black and white and make a bowl-shaped nest of grass, thickly plastered together with mud. They often sing in duets.
Australasian Figbird
Sphecotheres vieilloti - 28 to 29cm in size
The eyes have it... males have bare, red skin around their eyes while females have grey skin. They love to eat soft fruits, berries and especially figs.