Know Your Birds Quiz
Test your bird knowledge in this month’s quiz with the four questions below, then check the answers at the end of this eNews. Big thanks as always to quizmaster Ash Vigus.
Question 1 (Beginner): Multiple Choice
From the four bird species listed below, which species is not an emblem of an Australian State or Territory?
1. Gang-gang Cockatoo
2. Laughing Kookaburra
3. Australian Raven
4. Black Swan
Question 2 (Intermediate): Who am I?
• I’m a medium-sized (approx. 35 to 38 centimetres) ground-dwelling bird with an upright stance very similar to a wader.
• My colours are a brown buff upper, with a white neck, breast, and belly. I also have a black crown, black primary feathers, and a black stripe down each side of my neck.
• I’m a well-known bird who’s adapted well to human habitation, I can often be seen on ovals, school grounds, roadside verges, paddocks, and grasslands.
• My diet consists of insects, larvae, and earthworms, usually taken from below the soil surface.
• My nest consists of a simple scrape in the ground, sometimes in inappropriate locations like school grounds, or adjacent to car parks.
• I’m a vocal bird with a very loud metallic “kekekekeke” alarm call, sometimes heard at night.
• I’m notorious for the defence of my nesting site, I’ve even been known to dive on intruders who get too close.
• I have prominent triangular yellow lobes of skin on each side of my face, and prominent thorny spurs protruding from my wings.
Question 3 (Advanced): Spot the Feathers
All four species pictured below are found in the Castlemaine district. What do you think these four birds are?
Bonus Question 4 (Obscure)
Australia has a great many species of Cuckoo, many of whom are residents in Victoria. From the list of Cuckoos below, which species is not a brood parasite?
1. Shining-bronze Cuckoo
2. Fan-tailed Cuckoo
3. Eastern Koel
4. Pallid Cuckoo
5. Pheasant Coucal
6. Black-eared Cuckoo |