Birds and birdwatching

Hi Jessica! Due to the sheer volume of species that would be endemic or migrate through Victoria, I imagine a comprehensive list would be difficult to compile. However, I suggest you contact some of the organisations listed in the infosheet above. Birdwatching associations would be your best bet for up-to-date sightings of native birds in any particular area.

Hi Samara, you might want to contact the RSPCA.  They will be able to put you in touch with a wildlife carer in your area.

Hi Lauren, the bird you saw in the Forest Gallery was the Satin Bowerbird.  The females and immature males are as you have described.

Hi Dave – Museum Victoria offers a free identification service. You can submit your identification request via our ‘Ask the experts’ webpage. Please provide us with images and, prior to sending us your enquiry, please read our identification guidelines.

Sparrows!

Hi Tegan, there are few studies directly based in Melbourne but available literature suggests that Common Mynas compete with some native birds for nest sites and, potentially, food resources. Also, they interact with other bird species. The best reference: Higgins, Peter & Cowling. (eds) Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 7: Boatbill to Starlings. Also, some information is available in H. Crisp & A. Lill, City slickers: habitat use and foraging in urban Common Mynas Acridotheres tristis. Some good websites for you to look at are Common Indian Myna website, Canberra Indian Myna Action Group Inc & Feral.org.au 

The literature lists the birds affected by direct competition for nest sites in eastern Australia: Galah, Eastern Rosella, Sacred Kingfisher, House Sparrow and Common Starling. Aggressive interactions have been noted between Red Wattlebird, Noisy Miner and Common Starling during the breeding season. They have been seen interacting with Silver Gulls, Rock Doves, Spotted Turtle-Doves, Superb Parrot and Australian Magpie. They have been seen interacting with a cat and killing honeybees. Common Mynas are  habitat generalists specialising in ground-feeding. They do not show any significant aggressive interactions with other bird species for food resources during the breeding season.

Hi Megan - We consulted our bird experts for some advice. It's best to let nature take its course, but saying that we can understand the situation and the desire to do something. Magpie parents are very protective of their young so take precautions if you do the following: First arrange to see if a local vet will check the bird if brought to the surgery. If yes, then catch the youngster and take it for examination. When ready to release it back into the area simply place it down and walk away, the parents will return to look after it.

Hi Margaret, the leg bands would be from an aviary breeding program. Therefore the bird has been born and breed for commercial purposes and it would be almost impossible to obtain details through our normal sources.

Hi Joanne, what you did for the young bird should be fine. The adult birds will hear their young and find it easily, and since most birds have a poor sense of smell, they will not abandon it because it has been handled by humans. The best thing to do for these young birds is to first of all observe them and confirm that their parents are around and still tending to them. When a bird is in obvious danger from other birds what you did was a good option. I hope it is still going well.  

Hi Mary, yes the wattlebird, all species, are like other like-minded honeyeaters in that they defend their food sources.  They are not as aggressive as the miner as usually it is simply one or two birds being obnoxious rather than the gangs that appear with miners.  So in essence yes they will chase other species from the foods but they do allow others to frequently intrude it would appear that they like to be boss but are not that obsessive about it.

Hi Ian - Our Ornithologist has given us the following information for you: 

Without seeing the bird or its image it is difficult to make any qualified statement on this matter.  Melanism is reasonably common in birds and is usually detected as soon as the first feathers appear, so to be a truly melanistic bird this plumage would be carried from the time your colleague first obtained the bird.  If however the plumage has changed since its receipt then I would look for other causes such as the food it is being fed.  The apparent smaller size too could be attributed to its diet, if it has not had the correct food in its very early stage of growth then that could be the reason for its apparent diminutive size (remember the first food that pigeons receive is a special ‘pigeon milk’ produced by the parent).

Good question, Annette - our ornithology specialists say that Crested Pigeon chicks fledge from the nest 2-3 weeks after hatching. The fledglings are quite independant, however it might be worth trying to keep your dog away from the nest if you notice the chicks have just fledged.

Hi Marc, the breeding season for the Common Blackbird can last from September to January, depending on the weather conditions. During this period, they rear 2-3 broods; in a good year, a fourth may be attempted. The normal clutch size is 3-5. The incubation period is 14 days, which is also the usual time fledglings spend in the nest. The same nest is often used again if it has been a safe location for previous broods.

Hi Col, Museum Victoria offers a free identification service, you can read the details and guidelines here.

Hi David, firstly we would say that the cat, as a predator, is after the wattlebird rather than the bird tempting the cat. Wattlebirds are known to exhibit a strong defensive attitude and would normally stay just outside the range of any anticipated trouble. As it stands there is nothing we can suggest to keep these two animals apart but would hope that the cat would soon grow out of the behaviour and the wattlebird move on - they tend to move during winter unless there is a good local food supply. Finally the bird, being a native species, is fully protected by state legislation.

Hi Rhiannon,

The behaviour is fairly normal and is a fact of life.  Often one of a group of nestlings hasn’t developed as much as others or may have been infected by internal or external parasites.  As such they may be found loitering and seemingly doing nothing.  Eventually they will move off to rejoin the group or by themselves.

 It is often, sadly, best to leave nature take its course and not interfere in these matters.

Hi Chelsea, the best option is probably to use our identification service. You can either send in photos or the specimens themselves. Full details are available on our identifications page.

Hi Prue, our staff in the Ornithology Department are a bit stumped as to the identity of the bird. They would need to see an image of it to provide an identification. If you see it again and manage to get an image you can send it to discoverycentre@museum.vic.gov.au One suggestion was that it may have been a young rooster.

Hi Hamish, we have checked with the Collection Manager, Mammalogy and Ornithology, and he has provided an explanation for you!  There is a simple answer to the first part of this enquiry.  The action of gulls flying above tall buildings has been a phenomenon that has occurred ever since man started building skyscrapers.  The birds are attracted to each and every one of them that has lighting affixed at the top.  I first noted it some 30 years ago when in Sydney and at the same time people started questioning the practice.  It would appear that gulls, like many other birds, are attracted to lights at night.  This is regularly seen in the northern hemisphere were huge numbers of migrating birds are brought to tall well lit buildings.  Once there they simply avoid the dark and cluster or gather about the light source.  This is part of the answer, the rest is that large lights produce heat and heat rises.  So birds such as gulls are lifted above the buildings where they can soar effortlessly for lengthy periods.  Why gulls in particular, well other birds are mostly darker plumaged and we simply miss them if they are present whereas a white bird on a black background stands out.

 

As for the gulls collecting on roads at night this again could be caused by warm spots (underground heat storage, sunshine warming areas which maintain the heat longer than surrounds…). This would have to be checked before a logical answer given

Hi Aaron, I would say the best thing to do would be to contact Wildlife Victoria for their advice and assistance. All the best.

Hi Minette, thanks for the question and the request for clarification.  We have spoken with the Ornithology Collection staff and they have provided the following information for you:

Victoria's native wildlife are protected under the Wildlife Act of 1975. This act regulates how people can engage in activities relating to wildlife found within the state, including requiring a person to possess a permit in order to collect wildlife or any part thereof, such as feathers.

Regulations on wildlife, such as the Wildlife Act 1975 and other similar legislation around the world, were created to protect and conserve species and promote biodiversity. In many cases, these regulations were necessary to prevent the large scale loss of wildlife, including endangered species. Regulating who and under what conditions people can possess wildlife is one way of promoting conservation of our native fauna. That is why collecting feathers, eggs, nests, and animals are all illegal without proper authorisation. It may seem excessive to regulate picking up feathers you've found on the ground, but law enforcement cannot make the distinction between feathers that have been moulted naturally by the bird or those collected from the illegal harvest of birds from the wild.

Picking up and admiring a feather is not an offense but taking it back to your home is. Other birds often use moulted feathers to line their nests - nature finds uses for these "discarded" items.