Participate in the Aussie Bird Count
It’s like grand final day for bird watchers – here’s how to get involved.
Got 20 minutes to spare? That’s all you need to be part of this year’s Aussie Bird Count, taking place from 14-20 October.
Get outdoors and submit your count for a chance to win a digital camera package worth $5,798!
The count helps BirdLife Australia find out about the common species that live near us, providing a snapshot that can be compared from year to year. Understanding trends in our bird communities is a great indicator of the health of the environment.
Participating is easy. All you need to do is find a spot in nature – it can be from home, a local wetland or bird hot-spot – and record any birds that you see and hear. You never know what you might spot, and tools are available to help you identify less familiar birds. Simply submit your count via an app or web-based form.
There are approximately 482 bird species recorded in South Australia - here are some fun facts about common birds you might find:
Rainbow Lorikeets (Trichoglossus haematodus), have a unique tongue like a bristle brush, perfect for extracting sweet nectar and pollen from deep within native flowers. Whilst Rainbow Lorikeets are known for their bright ‘rainbow’ colours, juveniles have black beaks, which gradually brighten to orange in adults.
Australian Magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen) are intelligent birds which occupy the same territory for their entire life and can recognise at least 100 different people by their faces. This means they can form long-lasting connections with humans who treat them with kindness. They can mimic other bird and animal sounds and their pitch may vary as much as four octaves! Despite their reputation of swooping behaviour during Spring, less than 9% of Magpies swoop people, and usually this is only to protect their young.
Superb fairywrens (Malurus cyaneus) are common across south-eastern Australia. Generally, these small birds are grey-brown in colour however, the breeding male adopts a highly visible plumage of iridescent blue, which reflects ultraviolet light!
Love birds? You might also like these stories: How to bring birds to your garden, 10 birds of prey to see in SA, and 7 tiny birds to look for in SA.
