BirdLife Australia in the media: February 2024

Find out more about our bird conservation work around the country with our monthly multimedia round-up.

1. Should our birds be named after people?

In Australia, dozens of bird species are named after people. But with so many of these historical figures tied to colonial violence, there’s a growing movement to have them renamed.Amid a review of eponymous bird names (led by BirdLife Australia’s Research and Conservation Committee), PhD student Felix Cehak delves into this cultural conversation.

To the right of the frame, a Pink Cockatoo is perched on a branch and looking towards the camera, its fiery crest extended against a dark blotched background. — *Pink Cockatoo by Daniel Venema*

2. Clear milk bottle lids a win for obsessive bowerbirds

It’s no secret that Satin Bowerbirds love blue – but their habit for collecting the blue lids and seals of milk bottles to decorate their bowers can prove deadly. A major supermarket’s move to clear milk bottle lids is a win for both recycling efforts and blue-loving bowerbirds.

To the right of the frame, a glossy navy-coloured male Satin Bowerbird is hunched over, tail raised, holding a blue bottle cap in his beak. He is offering it to a female Satin Bowerbird to his left, hiding between the twigs of his bower. — *A male Satin Bowerbird (right) tries to impress a potential mate with a blue bottle cap. Photo by Brian Jones*

3. Lakes’ Sea-eagle survey success

A summer census of White-bellied Sea-Eagle nests in the Gippsland Lakes shows promising signs of their breeding success.

A cropped close-up of a huge grey and white White-bellied Sea-Eagle in flight against a sky blue background. — *White-bellied Sea-Eagle by Leah Stanlake*

4. Join the Great Cocky Count

Preparations are underway for the 2024 Great Cocky Count (GCC) – the biggest single survey for black-cockatoos in Western Australia. Find out more about the Count and upcoming workshops training the next generation of cockatoo counters, and register for the 2024 Great Cocky Count today.

In the centre of the frame, two black and white Carnaby's Black-Cockatoos are perched in a shrub, The male (right, with pink eye-ring) is preening the female. — *Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo pair by Raeline Smith*

Related information

Bird profile

Satin Bowerbird

Satin Bowerbirds are renowned for decorating their bowers with all manner of blue objects collected from the vicinity of the bower

BirdLife Australia in the media: February