Red-tailed Black-cockatoos, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Red-tailed Black-cockatoos, Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Australia has a number of Black-cockatoo species, including the Red-tailed Black-cockatoo shown in today’s post. These impressive large parrots are not easy to approach in the wild, so when we went to Taronga Zoo in Sydney last year I was pleased to get these close up shots.
These birds are a part of the Free Flight Bird Show which is a feature of the programme at the zoo every day at noon and at 3pm. It is a great opportunity for zoo visitors to see some of our wonderful birds up close – and sometimes quite personal.
Red-tailed Black-cockatoos are found in their natural state in much of Queensland, the Northern Territory, parts of Western Australia and there is a small isolated population in western Victoria and SE South Australia. Seeing a flock flying overhead is an awesome sight, but seeing them up close like this at the zoo gave me a new appreciation of the delicate beauty of this stunning parrot.
Red-tailed Black-cockatoos, Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Red-tailed Black-cockatoos, Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Red-tailed Black-cockatoos, Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Helpful Galahs at Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Galah taking part in the Free Flight Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Over recent days I’ve been writing about the Free Flight Bird Show at Taronga Zoo in Sydney. This show is, in my opinion, a must see when visiting this wonderful zoo. The talk by the keepers about Australian birds is interesting enough, but the antics of the trained birds are not only entertaining but are highly educational as well.
One of the birds in the show is a clever Galah shown in today’s photos. It is trained to collect a coin or a note from a willing spectator in the audience and then bring it back to the keeper, who pockets the money. A few minutes later the Galah returns the money to the hapless audience member. After the show audience members can get up close to some of the birds, including the Galah. This time the bird is trained to collect coins donated by people and to deposit them in a money box. In this way, over $75,000 has been collected in recent years towards conservation projects. This also enable people like me to have excellent photo opportunities.
Further reading:
Galah taking part in the Free Flight Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Birds of Adelaide Zoo
Australian Pelican, Adelaide Zoo
I enjoy visiting the Adelaide Zoo on a regular basis. Not only does the zoo have a good selection of animals and reptiles, all kept in animal friendly and appropriate enclosures, but it also boasts an excellent collection of birds. Birding is one of my passions and you can read more about our birds on my blog called Trevor’s Birding.
On this post I feature only 4 of the species represented at the zoo; there are many more in the numerous aviaries. Some of the aviaries are walk-through, giving excellent close-up views of the birds.
The Australian Pelican shown above is a common water bird seen throughout Australia where there is suitable habitat. It is one of our most easily recognised birds and has featured in many books, documentaries and even feature films (Storm Boy).
Australian Bustard, Adelaide Zoo
Shown above, Australian Bustards (or wild turkey) are turkey sized birds of the inland regions of our country. Before land clearing for farming this species was far more widespread.
Below is a photo of the beautiful Princess Parrot, another bird of the arid inland regions. It is commonly kept in aviaries but is not often seen in its natural environment due to the remoteness of its preferred habitat. Another bird of the interior regions is the Flock Bronze-wing Pigeon, shown in the last photo.
Princess Parrot, Adelaide Zoo
Flock Bronzewing Pigeon, Adelaide Zoo
Bird aviaries in Pinnaroo
Red-winged Parrot in aviary, Pinnaroo, South Australia
I have recently written a series of articles on my birding blog (Trevor’s Birding) about the aviaries at the Pinnaroo Caravan Park. Instead of repeating all that information here, I will just link to the relevant articles below. Click on the link to read the article and see the photos I took of the beautiful birds seen there.
- Bird aviary, Pinnaroo Caravan Park
- Red-winged Parrot
- Cockatiel Parrots
- Two Galahs and a Corella
- Emus
- Pink Cockatoo
- What parrot was that again?
While you are there, have a good look around. You will find over a thousand articles, most with photos, about Australian birds.