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About Birds

People have been fascinated by birds for thousands of years. The Aborigines saw birds not only as a major source of food, but also as a regular feature in mythology, describing how the magpie became black and white (it was burnt in a fire), or how the Red-capped Robin got its red plumage (it was punched on the nose which then bled profusely). Shakespeare, too, often referred to birds, such as Macbeth talking of 'maggot-pies, and choughs, and rooks'.  And in the late 18th century the early settlers in Australia were captivated by the colourful parrots and the unusual calls of the kookaburras in the otherwise harsh land. Why do people find birds fascinating? The reasons are many and varied, and everyone is different: For many people, birds are their only connection with nature, as they are easily seen in every habitat from cities to rainforests Some people feel a special affinity with birds when they are able to feed them, whether it's Spotted Turtledoves, House Sparrows, or Australian Magpies in the garden, Silver Gulls at the beach or Rock Doves in the park For some, sheer beauty of Australia's birds, such as the brightly-coloured plumage of our many species of parrots, is irresistible.   Others are enthralled by birdsong, such as the vivid mimicry of the Lyrebird, the melodious warbling of the Australian Reed-Warbler or the raucous cackling of the Kookaburra. Many people are fascinated by the sheer variety of birds that have been recorded in Australia (over 860 species at last count) and enjoy going out into the great outdoors to look at them, and some (called 'twitchers') will go to extraordinary lengths to see as many different species as possible Some people are fascinated by feathers and the power of flight, and wonder at the migration that some birds undertake, such as the Red-necked Stint, which weighs about the same as a box of matches, yet flies from Siberia to Australia each spring, and returns in autumn People such as ecologists look at birds as indicators of what is going on in our environment, as they reflect changes that we have made to their habitats. If you are interested in birds please take some time to explore our website.