Saturday Critters - Birds in Sydney

The following birds were seen during my recent visit to Sydney.
LINKING TO SATURDAY CRITTERS.

The Rainbow Lorikeet, a type of parrot found in Australia are very cheeky birds that love to eat fruit, pollen and nectar.

When we visited Dangar Island, north of Sydney, a few of them were picking on mulberries, while just below them we also ate them.

I get a lot of Lorikeets visiting my garden when our loquat tree is fruiting or when our fig tree is fruiting. We shoo them away but as soon as we turn our backs they come back 😊

The Indian Myna or Common Myna, is an Asian bird that is reaching pest proportions in some areas in Australia. I've not really noticed them in Perth, but in Sydney they are very common. They are very territorial, and have adapted extremely well to urban environments and food sources - I've seen them eating pollen, fruit, seeds and even pick on bones like on the photo below.

 The Kookaburra a species of Kingfisher, is native to eastern Australia and New Guinea and grows to between 28 and 42cm. They live from 11 to 15 years in the wild,  mate for life, live in pairs or small family groups. 
They feed on insects, snakes, small reptiles and even goldfish from garden ponds or sausages from a barbecue in a park. 
They have adapted well, and live in wooded areas, farmlands, parks and gardens. 

You can listen to their unusual "laughing" sound on this Youtube video:

 

Kookaburra at Dangar Island

Kookaburra at Bradley's Head (Sydney Harbour National Park)

   Another bird I've never seen in Perth is the Brush Turkeys (also knows as scrub turkey or bush turkey). They are mainly found in Eastern Australia from north Queensland to south of Sydney and they too have managed to adapt well to city life. 
They like to dig up leaf litter, twigs, etc. making a mess of gardens, which they use to build their nests which can go up to 1 to 1,5 metre high. The females lay about 20 eggs a year under the heap of mulch and the chicks are incubated by the heat of the composting mulch.
They are ready to fly a few hours after birth, and don't rely on their parents.

At one point they were almost extinct as their huge eggs were used in times of war and hunger, but they are now a protected species and their numbers have been growing in parks and urban areas, and they don't seem to fear humans. 

Brush Turkey at Bradley's Head (Sydney Harbour National Park)

The sulphur-crested cockatoo is a large white cockatoo found in wooded habitats in Australia, and New Guinea and some Indonesian islands. Like other birds they have adapted well to city life.

They eat seeds, fruits, nuts, roots, blossoms and even insects. They are known to raid farmer's crops, and can be considered pests when in large numbers. They also tend to be very loud.

A white cockatoo at Balmoral beach, Mosman

Have a wonderful weekend :)

Links to my recent Sydney posts where I saw these birds:

https://sami-colourfulworld.blogspot.com/2018/10/sydney-dangar-island-paradise.html

https://sami-colourfulworld.blogspot.com/2018/10/sydney-beaches-royals-and-food.html