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Lake Sylvester
The Lake Sylvester System comprises a system of ephemeral lakes on the Barkly Tableland of the Northern Territory of Australia about 180 km north-east of Tennant Creek. Description The whole Sylvester system consists of Lakes de Burgh, Sylvester and Corella, with an unnamed basin to their west, linked by a network of interconnected wetlands. It includes two semi-permanent freshwater billabongs. Corella, de Burgh and Sylvester are ephemeral freshwater lakes which are seasonally inundated, sometimes retaining water for over a year after substantial flooding. At normal capacity the lakes are separate water bodies, though in wetter years they can fill and become connected. During exceptional flood events all water bodies in the system can merge to form a single lake with an area of up to 2000 km2. The lake system lies on deep-cracking grey clay soils that support open shrublands and savanna woodlands with scattered coolibahs, tussock grasslands and mats of aquatic pl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phaps Histrionica 1
''Phaps'' is a genus of bronzewing pigeons in the family Columbidae that are native to Australia. The genus was introduced in 1835 by the English naturalist Prideaux John Selby with the common bronzewing (''Phaps chalcoptera'') as the type species. The genus name ''Phaps'' () is the Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ... word for a wild pigeon. The genus contains three species: References Bird genera Endemic birds of Australia Taxa named by Prideaux John Selby {{Columbiformes-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Letter-winged Kite
The letter-winged kite (''Elanus scriptus'') is a small, rare and Irruptive growth, irruptive bird of prey that is endemism, found only in Australia. Measuring around in length with a wingspan of , the adult letter-winged kite has predominantly pale grey and white plumage and prominent black rings around its red eyes. Its name derives from its highly distinctive black underwing pattern of a shallow 'M' or 'W' shape, visible when in flight. This distinguishes it from the otherwise similar black-shouldered kite. This species is also the only nocturnal species within the order Accipitriformes despite few differences found in its visual anatomy to other closely related kites. The species begins breeding in response to rodent outbreaks, with pairs nesting in loose colonies of up to 50 birds each. Three to four eggs are laid and incubated for around thirty days, though the eggs may be abandoned if the food source disappears. Chicks are fledged within five weeks of hatching. Roos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Waterbird
A water bird, alternatively waterbird or aquatic bird, is a bird that lives on or around water. In some definitions, the term ''water bird'' is especially applied to birds in freshwater ecosystems, although others make no distinction from seabirds that inhabit marine environments. Some water birds (e.g. wading birds) are more terrestrial while others (e.g. waterfowls) are more aquatic, and their adaptations will vary depending on their environment. These adaptations include webbed feet, beaks, and legs adapted to feed in the water, and the ability to dive from the surface or the air to catch prey in water. The term ''aquatic bird'' is sometimes also used in this context. A related term that has a narrower meaning is waterfowl. Some piscivorous birds of prey, such as ospreys, sea eagles, fish eagles, fish owls, and fishing owls, hunt aquatic prey but do not stay in water for long and live predominantly over dry land, and are not considered water birds. The term waterbird ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Australian Bustard
The Australian bustard (''Ardeotis australis'') is a large ground-dwelling bird that is common in grassland, woodland and open agricultural country across northern Australia and southern New Guinea. It stands at about high, and its wingspan is around twice that length. The species is nomadic, flying to areas when food becomes plentiful, and capable of travelling long distances. They were once widespread and common to the open plains of Australia, but became rare in regions that have been used for farming. The bustard is omnivorous, mostly consuming the fruit or seed of plants, but also eating invertebrates such as crickets, grasshoppers, smaller mammals, birds and reptiles. The species is also commonly referred to as the plains turkey, and in Central Australia as the bush turkey, particularly by Aboriginal people, who hunt it, although the latter name may also be used for the Australian brushturkey, as well as the orange-footed scrubfowl. Taxonomy The species was first describ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flock Bronzewing
The flock bronzewing (''Phaps histrionica''), also known as the flock pigeon, harlequin bronzewing and the harlequin pigeonCrome, F., Shields, J. (1992). ''Parrots & Pigeons of Australia''. Angus & Robertson Publishers is a species of pigeon in the family Columbidae.Gibbs, D., Barnes, E., Cox, J. (2001). ''Pigeons and Doves – A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World''. Pica Press. East Sussex: Pica Press It is endemic to drier parts of Australia.Firth, J. H. (1982) ''Pigeons and Doves of Australia''. Rigby Publishers Taxonomy English ornithologist John Gould first described the flock bronzewing, known then as the harlequin bronzewing, in volume five of his book ''The Birds of Australia''. It was originally listed under the genus ''Persitera''. His first sighting occurred in 1839 along the Mooki River (upper section of Namoi River) within the Liverpool Plains, New South Wales. A syntype of ''Columba (Peristera) histrionica'' GouldBds. Austr., 1841. Pt.2. (March 1), pl. ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Australian Tern
The Australian tern or Australian gull-billed tern (''Gelochelidon macrotarsa'') is a tern in the family Laridae, native to Australia. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''gelao'', "to laugh", and ''khelidon'', "swallow". Taxonomy John Gould described ''Sterna macrotarsa'' from a specimen held at King's College, London in 1837. Although first described as a species, throughout most of the 20th and early 21st centuries it was generally considered to be a subspecies of the gull-billed tern, but was re-elevated to species status by the IOC World Bird List in 2019 in its Version 9.2. Description This is a fairly large and powerful tern, similar in size and general appearance to a Sandwich tern, but the short thick gull-like bill, broad wings, long legs and robust body are distinctive. The summer adult has pale grey upperparts, white underparts, a black cap, strong black bill and black legs. The call is a characteristic ''ker-wik''. It is in length and in wingspan. Its weight ran ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oriental Plover
The oriental plover (''Anarhynchus veredus''), also known as the oriental dotterel, is a medium-sized plover closely related to the Caspian plover. It breeds in parts of Mongolia and China, migrating southwards each year to spend its non-breeding season in Indonesia, New Guinea and northern Australia. Description Adult male in breeding plumage: white face, throat and fore-crown; grey-brown hind-crown, hind-neck and back; belly white, demarcated with narrow black band and then broad chestnut breast band merging into white throat. Female, juvenile and non-breeding male: generally grey-brown upperparts and white belly; pale face with white streak above eye. Measurements: length 21–25 cm; wingspan 46–53 cm; weight 95 g. Among the red-breasted Charadrius plovers, this bird is relatively large, long-legged and long-winged. Distribution and habitat Breeds in Mongolia, eastern Russia and Manchuria; migrates through eastern China and South-East Asia to Indonesia and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eurasian Coot
The Eurasian coot (''Fulica atra''), also known as the common coot, or Australian coot, is a member of the rail and crake bird family, the Rallidae. It is found in Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and parts of North Africa. It has a slaty-black body, a glossy black head and a white bill with a white frontal shield. The sexes are similar. Similar looking coot species are found throughout the world, with the largest variety of coot species living in South America. Taxonomy The Eurasian coot was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his ''Systema Naturae'' under its current binomial name ''Fulica atra''. Linnaeus specified the locality as Europe but this is now restricted to Sweden. The binomial name is from Latin: ''Fulica'' means 'coot', and ''atra'' means 'black'. Four subspecies are recognised: * ''F. a. atra'' Linnaeus, 1758 – Europe and north Africa to Japan, India, southeast Asia, Philippines and Borneo * ''F. a. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Straw-necked Ibis
The straw-necked ibis (''Threskiornis spinicollis'') is a bird of the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae. It can be found throughout Australia, New Guinea, and parts of Indonesia. Adults have distinctive straw-like feathers on their necks. Description Straw-necked ibises are large birds, around long, with a bare black head and a long, downcurved black bill. They have a distinctive, highly iridescent plumage, which can appear fairly uniform dirty dark brown in indifferent light; the wings are dark, with an iridescent, multicoloured sheen in sunlight. They have a shiny blue-black back, with a metallic purple, green and bronze glow, and a dark collar. The upper neck is white, as are the underparts and the undertail; their legs are usually red near the top and dark grey toward the feet. Adults have straw-colored feathers on the neck, giving the bird its common name. Their wingspan is about and weight is generally . Sexes are similar, although males have longer bills and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Australian Pelican
The Australian pelican (''Pelecanus conspicillatus'') is a large waterbird in the family Pelecanidae, widespread on the inland and coastal waters of Australia and New Guinea, also in Fiji, parts of Indonesia and as a vagrant in New Zealand. It is a predominantly white bird with black wings and a pink bill. It has been recorded as having the longest bill of any living bird. It mainly eats fish, but will also consume birds and scavenge for scraps if the opportunity arises. Taxonomy The Australian pelican was first described by Dutch naturalist Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1824. Its specific epithet is derived from the Latin verb , meaning 'to behold', and refers to the 'spectacled' appearance created by its conspicuous eye markings. Description The Australian pelican is medium-sized by pelican standards, with a wingspan of . Weight can range from , although most of these pelicans weigh between .''CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses'' by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Little Black Cormorant
The little black cormorant (''Phalacrocorax sulcirostris'') is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds. It is common in smaller rivers and lakes throughout most areas of Australia and northern New Zealand, where it is known as the little black shag. It is around sixty centimetres long, and is all black with blue-green eyes. Taxonomy The little black cormorant was formally described in 1837 by the German born naturalist Johann Friedrich von Brandt. He placed it in the genus ''Carbo'' and coined the binomial name ''Carbo sulcirostris''. The species is now placed in the genus ''Phalacrocorax'' that was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760. The genus name ''Phalacrocorax'' is the Latin word for a cormorant. The specific epithet ''sulcirostris'' combines the Latin ''sulcus'' meaning "furrow" with ''-rostris'' meaning "-billed". The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. The common name in New Zealand is the little black shag. A molecul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hardhead
The hardhead (''Aythya australis''), also known as the white-eyed duck, is the only true diving duck found in Australia. The common name "hardhead" has nothing to do with the density of the bird's skull, instead referring to the difficulty encountered by early taxidermists in processing the head. Hardheads are found in wetter, coastal regions of Australia, particularly in the south-east, but are known to disperse as far afield as New Guinea, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. Description Hardheads are smaller than most ducks, with body length typically between . Both sexes are similar in size, ranging with wingspans of .Carboneras, C. and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Hardhead (''Aythya australis''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.wheduc1.01 Both male and female are a fairly uniform chocolate-brown above, with rufous flanks a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
