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The diversity of Australia's birdlife is amazing. They vary greatly in size and shape, ranging from the enormous Emu (some are nearly 2 metres tall and weigh in at up to 50 kg) to tiny birds such as the dainty Southern Emu-wren (some weigh just 5 grams). Some, like the Red-necked Stint, are able to fly many thousands of kilometres from their breeding grounds in the wilds of Siberia to the shores of southern Australia and back again every year, while others cannot fly at all, but instead, run over the ground, like the Southern Cassowary, or swim to great depths in the ocean, like the Little Penguin. Yet, when we see a bird, most of us can instantly identify it as a bird. What is it, then, that distinguishes birds from all the other animals?
The feature which sets birds apart from all other animals is that they have feathers.
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Southern Cassowary © Sandy Carroll
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