Eastern Rosella

Originally uploaded by ianmichaelthomas

Today’s bird of the day is the Eastern Rosella, also known as Platycercus eximius. It is native to Australia and Tasmania but now is also found in New Zealand.

I read you can have this bird as a pet but it is not very “cuddly”. Hahahaha.

This bird photograph is from flickr user ianmichaelthomas. Here is what he had to say about this photograph (direct copy and paste):

Another wild and free Australian native parrot! Australia can rightly be called the land of parrots.

There are about 80 species in Australia.

Eastern Rosella

Another iconic Australian native parrot, the Eastern Rosella is spectacularly coloured, and similar in size to the Crimson rosella.
Eastern rosellas are the mascot/emblem of Aussie food company, Rosella – A beautiful eastern rosella was featured on tins of jam, soup etc – a joke I used to tell my friends is that the secret ingredient is the eastern rosella – they give zest to the jam! Purely a joke…
Eastern rosellas are quite common within their range on the eastern Australian seaboard, but I have found them a VERY difficult bird to get good photographs of!

They are usually extremely wary of people, very flighty and easily spooked by other birds in the area, let alone people.

This day was most unusual at Pound Bend, Warrandyte State Park – I found this Eastern Rosella happy to stay still and pose for my photos! And I took heaps! This was the first and only time in 2 solid years of trying to take photos of these birds in the wild that I found one who co-operated! Unfortunately, where it sat was in very deep bush, and my camera had great trouble getting proper focus. Manual focus stopped working months ago – so I am forced to rely on auto-focus – which is unreliable at best in such busy and complicated backgrounds such as this found in thick bushes.
Even so – it was a thrill, nearly beyond works to have this time.

The bird of the day is the Cassowary. It is a shy, flightless bird and has no problem getting aggressive, if needed. It prefers to live deep in the forest far away from people. And it should stay that way. I read that hand-feeding the cassowary is extremely dangerous to the animal and aiding in its demise, so don’t do it!

These birds are very interesting indeed. One of the cassowaries (the Southern) is the 2nd heaviest extant bird in the world after the ostrich and third tallest (after ostrich and emu). It sorta looks like it is in that family of birds, doesn’t it? Interestingly enough the females are both bigger and more brightly colored. This is different than many birds. YAY! WOMAN COLOR POWER! =) And these birds are 5 to 6 feet tall and weight about 150lbs…some females even get up to over 6 1/2 feet!! Even their eggs are big (3 1/2 to 5 1/2 inches). Goodness! Can you imagine facing this bird down!?!?! Frightening! To add to its powerful height, it has very sharp and hard claws at around 5 inches each! This would be extremely frightening!

The female cassowaries are unique in another way as well. They do not incubate their eggs, the males do but once their chicks are hatched, you better watch out. They are fierce protectors. =) Good mama!

All of that aggression and size and fear built up and guess what they eat? Fruit mainly (though they do eat small insects and such from time to time). Cassowaries are predominantly frugivorous. And when the fruit is recycled through them the seeds are redistributed throughout the land and so they replenish the fruit in the jungles and tropical forests where they live. Isn’t that nice? And we thought they were so mean.

Despite their gentle diet and dietary recycling these birds are large, wary of people, extremely protective of their young and unpredictable.¹ They should not be approached. Besides as I said before, it is not a good idea to hand-feed them. It endangers them and apparently you too. If you ever encounter one it is recommended that you put something between you and the bird (preferably not your significant other or children — maybe a backpack or stick) and back away slowly, allowing it to go on its merry way.²

They have this hard head decoration. It fascinates me. Almost like a beak material but it goes up over their head. These are called casques. It is not definitively known why they have these but scientists are trying to figure it out. There are two theories that I found. One speculating it is to protect the cassowary’s skull when running at high speeds through plants and forests and such and the other speculates what role the casque plays in sound reception or acoustic communication.³

And two last tidbits…they have a very low frequency call, so low that it is on the “edge of human hearing,”⁴ and they are endangered. Gah! What is with picking all the endangered birds first. How sad. Let’s see what we can do to help keep this bird alive.

Read here for more information on the cassowary.

1. http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/nature_conservation/wildlife/threatened_plants_and_animals/endangered/cassowary/
2. http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/nature_conservation/wildlife/threatened_plants_and_animals/endangered/cassowary/
3. wikipedia
4. wikipedia

Kiwi (Creative Commons)

Kiwi (Creative Commons)

The kiwi is a flightless, endangered bird found only in New Zealand (and is also their national symbol). It is sad to think of any bird going extinct. I cringe at the thought. I am saddened by the loss of life.

(I am sharing the following information directly from Wikipedia)

Currently, there are five accepted species (one of which has four sub-species), plus one to be formally described.

* The largest species is the Great Spotted Kiwi or Roroa, Apteryx haastii, which stands about 45 cm (17.7 inches) high and weighs about 3.3 kg. (Males about 2.4 kg) It has grey-brown plumage with lighter bands. The female lays just one egg, with both sexes incubating. Population is estimated to be over 20,000, distributed through the more mountainous parts of northwest Nelson, the northern West Coast, and the Southern Alps.
* The very small Little Spotted Kiwi, Apteryx owenii is unable to withstand predation by introduced pigs, stoats and cats and is extinct on the mainland because of these reasons. About 1350 remain on Kapiti Island and it has been introduced to other predator-free islands and appears to be becoming established with about 50 ‘Little Spots’ on each island. A docile bird the size of a bantam, it stands 25 cm (9.8 inches) high and the female weighs 1.3 kg. She lays one egg which is incubated by the male.
* The Rowi, also known as the Okarito Brown Kiwi or Apteryx rowi, is a recently identified species, slightly smaller, with a greyish tinge to the plumage and sometimes white facial feathers. Females lay as many as three eggs in a season, each one in a different nest. Male and female both incubate. Distribution of these kiwi are limited to a small area on the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand.
* The Tokoeka, Apteryx australis, relatively common species of kiwi known from south and west parts of South Island that occurs at most elevations. It is approximately the size of the Great Spotted Kiwi and is similar in appearance to the Brown Kiwi but its plumage is lighter in colour.
o The Stewart Island Tokoeka, Apteryx australis lawryi, is a subspecies of Tokoeka from Stewart Island.
o The Haast Tokoeka, Apteryx australis ?, is the rarest species of kiwi with only about 300 individuals. It was identified as a distinct form in 1993. It only occurs in a restricted area in South Island’s Haast Range at an altitude of 1,500 m. This form is distinguished by a more strongly downcurved bill and more rufous plumage.
o The Northern Fiordland Tokoeka ( Apteryx australis ?) and Southern Fiordland Tokoeka (Apteryx australis ?) live in the remote southwest part of South Island known as Fiordland. These sub-species of Tokoeka are relatively common and are nearly 40 cm (16 inches) tall.
* The North Island Brown Kiwi, Apteryx mantelli or Apteryx australis before 2000 (and still in some sources), is widespread in the northern two-thirds of the North Island and, with about 35,000 remaining, is the most common kiwi. Females stand about 40 cm (16 inches) high and weigh about 2.8 kg, the males about 2.2 kg. The North Island Brown has demonstrated a remarkable resilience: it adapts to a wide range of habitats, even non-native forests and some farmland. The plumage is streaky red-brown and spiky. The female usually lays two eggs, which are incubated by the male.

New Zealand Kiwi Map (Creative Commons)

The following information is from savethekiwi.org:

Thanks to New Zealand’s ancient isolation and lack of mammals, the kiwi evolved to occupy a habitat and lifestyle that elsewhere in the world is occupied by a mammal.

It means that in many ways the kiwi is a very unbird-like bird. Its skin is tough as shoe-leather, its feathers are like hair, its bones are heavy, its wings end in a cat-like claw and its body temperature is 38° Celcius, lower than most other birds.

While most birds depend on sight, the kiwi is one of the few birds with a highly developed sense of smell. At night, kiwi can be heard sniffing around in the dark. Alarm them during the day and they run off until, at a distance, they stick their bill in the air, sniffing to see if they are safe from pursuit, just like a wolf or other mammal.

Not only does the kiwi not look like other bird species, many of its characteristics make it more like a mammal than a bird.

Some people speculate that these characteristics are a result of kiwi’s evolution in mammal-free New Zealand. This meant it developed to fill niches filled by mammals elsewhere.

Great Sense of Smell

First, the kiwi is the only bird in the world with external nostrils at the tip of its beak. Its sense of smell is exceptional, second only to the condor, and not by very much.

It can locate food by smell alone. This is thanks to a very well developed olfactory bulb.

Second, the kiwi’s sense of hearing is also well-developed. Its ear openings are large and visible, and a kiwi can often be seen cocking its head to direct its ear at soft or distant noises.

Marrow-filled Bones and Fleshy Footpads

Third, the kiwi skeleton differs from that of other birds, including other ratites. Undeveloped flight muscles give its body a cone-shape, topped with a strong neck and a small head.

Like other ratites, the kiwi does not have a keeled sternum to hold the flight muscles, but it has gone a step further. Because it does not fly, its bones do not have to be super light. So, instead of air sacs, the kiwi’s bones contain marrow. This makes the kiwi’s legs powerful and muscular – they make up a third of its total weight. And, unlike the other ratites, the kiwi has four toes instead of only two or three.

Its large, dinosauric feet mean it can walk almost silently, its tread muffled by fleshy footpads

Fourth, the kiwi’s eye sockets are not separated by a plate as most birds are. Instead, they are divided by large nasal cavities – just like most mammals. Kiwi eyes are small, and are built for nocturnal habits, but they can see well in daylight, and some Southern Tokoeka on Stewart Island emerge from their burrows to forage by day.

Low Blood Temperature

Fifth, kiwi’s blood temperature is much lower than most other birds which range from 39oC – 42oC. The kiwi is more like a mammal, with a temperature between 37oC and 38oC.

Sixth, females have two functional ovaries, unlike other birds… and more like a mammal. If a female produces more than one egg in a clutch, ovulation occurs in alternate ovaries.

Seventh, they build burrows like a badger.

Eighth, its plumage is shaggy and hair-like and it has cat-like whiskers on its face and around the base of its beak – like a mammal.

The Laughing Kookaburra, Dacelo novaeguineae, is an Australian carnivorous bird in the Kingfisher family. This species of kookaburra is well known for its laughing call.

Taxonomy
The Laughing Kookaburra was first described by French naturalist Johann Hermann in 1783, its specific epithet novaeguineae refers to New Guinea. For many years it was known as Dacelo gigas. Previously known as the Laughing Jackass it is now best known by its aboriginal name.

Distribution
It is found throughout eastern Australia, and has been introduced into the south-west corner of Western Australia, Tasmania, Flinders Island, Kangaroo Island.
Furthermore, some were also introduced into New Zealand between 1866 and 1880, but only those liberated on Kawau Island by Sir George Grey survived. Descendants are still found there today.

Description
The Laughing Kookaburra is a stocky bird of about 45 cm (18 in) in length, with a large head, a prominent brown eye, and a very large bill. The sexes are very similar, although the female averages larger and has less blue to the rump than the male. They have a white or cream-colored body and head with a dark brown stripe through each eye and more faintly over the top of the head. The wings and back are brown with sky blue spots on the shoulders. The tail is rusty reddish-orange with dark brown bars and white tips on the feathers. The heavy bill is black on top and bone colored on the bottom.

Ecology and behaviour
Kookaburras occupy woodland territories (including forests) in loose family groups, and their laughter serves the same purpose as a great many other bird calls — to demarcate territorial borders.

Call
The “Laughing Kookaburra” is known by its name for its “laugh” which it uses to greet its mate after periods of absences. It can be heard at any time of day but most frequently shortly after dawn and especially when the colour drains from the forest after sunset.
One bird starts with a low, hiccupping chuckle, then throws its head back in raucous laughter: often several others join in. If a rival tribe is within earshot and replies, the whole family soon gathers to fill the bush with ringing laughter. Hearing kookaburras in full voice is one of the more extraordinary experiences of the Australian bush, something even locals cannot ignore; some visitors, unless forewarned, may find their call startling.

Diet
Kookaburras hunt much as other kingfishers (or indeed Australasian robins) do: by perching on a convenient branch or wire and waiting patiently for prey to pass by. Common prey includes mice and similar-sized small mammals, large insects, lizards, small birds and nestlings, and most famously, snakes. Small prey are preferred, but not infrequently do kookaburras take surprisingly large creatures, including venomous snakes a good deal longer than the bird itself.

Life
Juvenile in a garden in Swanbourne, Western Australia
Most species of Kookaburra tend to live in family units, with offspring helping the parents hunt and care for the next generation of offspring.

During mating season, the Laughing Kookaburra indulges in behaviour similar to that of a Wattle Bird. The female adopts a begging posture and vocalises like a young bird. The male then offers her his current catch accompanied with an “oo oo oo” sound. They start breeding around October/November. If the first clutch fails, they will continue breeding into the summer months.

They generally lay three eggs at about 2 day intervals. If the food supply is not adequate the third egg will be smaller and the third chick will also be smaller and at a disadvantage to its larger siblings. Chicks have a hook on the upper mandible, which disappears by the time of fledging. If the food supply to the chicks is not adequate the chicks will quarrel and the hook can be used as a weapon and the smallest chick can be killed by its larger siblings. If food is plentiful the parent birds spend more time brooding the chicks and so the chicks are not able to fight.

Interaction with humans
The Laughing Kookaburra are a common sight in suburban gardens and urban settings, even in quite built up areas, and are so accustomed to humans that they will quite often eat out of their hands. People often fed them pieces of raw meat and gristle. It is not recommended to feed them however as it interferes with their basic dietary requirements and can lead to disease.

laughing_kookaburra_bribie

Direct Source: Wikipedia

You really must listen to this audio clip. When I heard it…I joined the Kookaburras in a laughing fit! =)
Laughing Kookaburra