BIRDSOF THE SANDHILLS AND BLUEBUSH PLAINS

Redthroat(Pyrrholaemus brunneus) 12 cm

A shy bird, the Redthroat is most often heard emitting scolding notesfrom the cover of thick bushes. Sometimes it will perch on a largeshrub and give forth its rich and varied song which includes mimicry.It feeds on insects, moving continuously through vegetation in searchof them. The Redthroat is mostly found where Acacia ligulata grows.The female lacks the orange throat.

Rufous Fieldwren(Calamanthus campestris) 12-14 cm

This small bird inhabits open country where it perches on a large bushand sings its sweet song over and over again. It uses the larger bushes(Maireana sedifolia and M. pyramidata) for nesting and perching. Thesedense bushes also provide shelter during extreme weather conditions.

Singing Honeyeater(Lichenostomus virescens) 17-22 cm

Despite its name, this very common honeyeater has a variety of callsthat are not at all musical. The Eremophilas in the garden provide nectarand attract insects for this bird which also eats the berries of saltbushplants (Enchylaena tomentosa and Rhagodia sp.).

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater(Acanthagenys rufogularis) 22-27 cm

This large honeyeater is attracted to the Eremophilas in the gardenwhere it feeds on nectar and insects. It also feeds on the fruits ofsaltbush (Rhagodia sp.), ruby saltbush (Enchylaena tomentosa) andmistletoe (Amyema sp.). It can often be seen singing its bubbly songfrom the larger shrubs and trees where it nests.

White-browed Babbler(Pomatostomus superciliosus) 20 cm

This bird lives in noisy, active family groups. It forages for seeds, insectsand insect larvae in leaf litter and under the bark of trees and shrubs.It often pulls the loose bark away or scatters the litter with sidewaysweeps of its beak. Each member of the group helps build dome-shapednests that are used for breeding and as communal roosts in cold weather.Large trees and shrubs are therefore as important for the Babbler asgood understorey and leaf litter.

Zebra Finch(Taeniopygia guttata) 10 cm

This small seed-eater needs to drink regularly. Pairsor small flocks are attracted to watering points aroundthe garden. In dry periods, this bird is also often seenfeeding on seeding grasses that grow near the drippers.

Black-faced Woodswallow(Artamus cinereus) 18 cm

Often seen feeding in open chenopod (bluebush) country, this birdalso needs larger shrubs and trees for roosting and nesting. It catchesinsects in the air or ‘still hunts’ them from a perch or fence post.A smooth, agile flyer, this is one of the few passerines (perching birds)that soars, and the only passerine that produces a dust called ‘powderdown’ which helps maintain its feathers to make them more waterproof.

Chirruping Wedgebill(Psophodes cristatus) 19-22 cm

Because it needs thicker vegetation for roosting and nesting, this aridzone whipbird is seen mostly in the western half of the garden whereit perches in taller trees and Acacia ligulata and delivers its creaky song.A pair will often sing ‘antiphonically’, that is, the male sings the firstpart of the song and the female sings the last part.

Crested Pigeon(Ocyphaps lophotes) 31-35 cm

As a seed-eater, this bird needs to drink regularly so it is attractedto watering points around the garden. While it likes dead bushesto roost and preen in, it prefers to nest in larger live shrubs andtrees, flying there with a distinctive rattle of wings.

Fairy-wren(Malurus sp.) 12-15 cm

The White-winged Fairy-wren (M.leucopterus leuconotus) lives onthe open chenopod plains but is also found on the western side ofthe garden. The Variegated Fairy-wren (M. lamberti assimilis) prefersthicker vegetation with plenty of leaf litter. Fairy-wrens live in groupsthat forage for insects and insect larvae. Each group consists of abreeding pair and several younger males (some of which ‘colour up’in the breeding season) that help defend the home territory and assistin feeding nestlings. These ‘helpers’ are the sons of the breedingfemale but they are not sons of the breeding male. Think about that!

Grey Butcherbird(Cracticus torquatus) 28-32 cm

This lovely songster is mostly seen singularly. It hunts small birds, insectsand reptiles. It uses the fork of a tree branch to hang up its prey whileit tears it apart with its strong beak. This is why it is called a ‘Butcherbird’.It is seen mostly where there are larger shrubs and trees on the westernside of the AALBG.

Nankeen Kestrel(Falco cenchroides) 31-35 cm

This small falcon preys on lizards, large insects, mouse-sized animals,and sometimes, small birds. It either ‘still hunts’ from a perch (a treeor man-made structure) or by hovering before dropping onto its victim.The AALBG provides a perfect habitat for this bird, having both opencountry for foraging and trees, and buildings for nesting and roosting(look for the white ‘bird lime’ under the eaves of the AridSmart Shop!).The slightly smaller male has a grey head and tail and fewer spots.

Brochure funded and produced byFriends of the Australian Arid LandsBotanic Garden, Port Augusta Inc.PO Box 2040, Port Augusta SA 5700.

Technical information and artworkby Peter Langdon. Buy AridSmart plants online!

www.aalbg.sa.gov.auVisit: www.australian-aridlands-botanic-garden.org

FREE ENTRY • OPEN 7 DAYS • LICENSED CAFEPhone (08) 8641 9116

PORT AUGUSTA . SOUTH AUSTRALIA

AUSTRALIAN ARID LANDS BOTANIC GARDENA PORT AUGUSTA CITY COUNCIL INITIATIVE

CITY COUNCIL INITIATIVE

AUSTRALIAN ARID LANDSBOTANIC GARDEN

Redthroat(Pyrrholaemus brunneus) 12 cm

Rufous Fieldwren(Calamanthus campestris) 12-14 cm

White -browed Babbler(Pomatostomus superciliosus) 20 cm

Zebra Finch(Taeniopygia guttata) 10 cm

Black-faced Woodswallow(Artamus cinereus) 18 cm

Crested Pigeon(Ocyphaps lophotes) 31-35 cm

White-winged Fairy-wren(Malurus leucopterus leuconotus) 12-15 cm

Nankeen Kestrel(Falco cenchroides) 31-35 cm

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater(Acanthagenys rufogularis) 22-27 cm

Grey Butcherbird(Cracticus torquatus) 28-32 cm

Variegated Fairy-wren(Malurus lamberti assimilis) 12-15 cm

›

To se

e some

of these

birds

you need to

be

very q

uiet!

›

Singing Honeyeater(Lichenostomus virescens) 17-22 cm

Chirruping Wedgebill(Psophodes cristatus) 19-22 cm