Australian Native Birds

Radio Record, Volume VI, Issue 19, 18 November 1932, Page 3

Australian Native Birds

A Talk from 2ZW

by

Mr.

S. W.

Stilling

HE emu, together with the kangaroo, completes the picture of the Australian Commonwealth Coat of Arms. . This bird, like the kangaroo, is regarded in some parts of the country as a pest, indeed only quite recently .farmers in a wheat-belt area, in ‘Western Australia, requisitioned for machine-guns with which to slay these birds, and:in many parts of Australia, where the Kangaroo. has become a nuisance, parties have been organised to round up and destroy large numbers. It will

thus be seen that two of Australia’s national creatures have becomé a pest in certain parts of the Commonwealth. Fortunately, however, this is not,so all over the country, and many people still delight to see and observe both the emu and the kangaroo. The emu is the second largest living bird, and is considered ong of the most primitive. The single species that is still living is con« fined to the mainland of Australia, having been exterminated iq Tasmania and King Island. The emu is gracefully proportioned, standing from 50 to 60 inches in height, with soft, drooping grey-brown feathers, and possessing small appendages for wings. It is incapable of flight, but its legs, provided with three claws, are long and powerful, and enables it to travel quite as fast as a deer. The external difference between male and female is hardly apparent. Emus travel mostly in flocks and frequent open forests or plaiti country. To see a flock stalking majestically across the plains is a sight to gladden the heart of anyone, except perhaps a farmer who has suffered from their visit. The emu lives mostly on grass, herbage, wild fruit, grasshoppers and irisects, and anything else of a like nature coming their way. The nest is usually a bed of grass or trampled herbage, built of the ground, no attempt being made to make it inconspicuous. The eggs are dark green in colour, granulated and large, and may number from five to ten, and even up to sixteen if the season is favourable. Incubation by the male bird is the usual arrangement, and the sitting season ‘is about. ten weeks. , The young emu chicks are prettily striped yellow, brown and white, offering remarkable resemblance to long dry grass, nature’s protection against enemies. The. young. chicks are (Continued. on page 13.))

Australian Native Birds --oooe

(Continued from page 3.) able to care for themselves almost immediately after hatching, and do not remain long with their parents. The solé means of defence is speed or a heavy kick which it is capable of administering if cornered. ~ New South Wales is the only State in which the emu is at present protected by law. However, settlers at times disregard the law by smashing the eggs when discovered. Stock and rabbit fences have taken heavy toll of the bird; they run against the fences and kill themselves, or in attempting to jump these become entangled in the netting or wires, hanging suspended even for months after death. Unfortunately in Queensland some years ago the Prickly Pear Commission was responsible for the destruction of over 130,000 emus and over 100,000 eggs by means of the bonus system. after which the persecution ceased, it being discovered that the emu was not altogether responsible for the spreading of the pear, but on the contrary destroyed millions of insects, grasshoppers and caterpillars. Australia is rather fortunate in her song birds; there is no denying that to go into the bush land in Australia the bird life becomes at once apparent, beautiful birds of all colours and size and songsters, too, compel you to stop, look and listen. The lyre bird, or menura, which is classed with the wrens, is the master feathered mimic of the world, and can imitate any bird it hears. It is a very stately bird with a beautiful tail of delightfully coloured feathers, and whilst mimicing it struts about and turns, lifts and lowers its glorious tail whilst performing the graceful evolntions.

In May the male forms new dancing mounds and repairs last season’s, These mounds are situated amid bracken on hillside or in a thicket of disagreeable dogwood or nearby creek. They are not content with one playground, and often have several, going from one to the other to broadcast repertoires of borrowed pieces during the morning, or perhaps when in the mood. Strangely enough, it is very seldom that the lyre bird has an audience-although it has been said that he has had his actions viewed and songs listened to by adimiring females. Wooing time is early winter, and not spring, as with most birds. One eg¢ only is usually laid, and ‘very rarely have two eggs been discovered in a nest. The egg is large and beautiful, the ground colour, a rich purple grey, flaked and spotted with dark brown, and sepia or light purple slate hue; some eggs are dark and polished. The young bird begins voice production with ear-grating sounds, and if disturbed its siren call brings the mother back home quickly from foraging nearby. The male is quite unconcerned and keeps out of view. The mother, however, will boldly approach and even enter the nest while the intruder watches at close range, These birds are, of course, protected all over Australia, and in tourist resorts such as Jenolan Caves Reserve, N.S.W., they may be frequently seen either quite. close to the Grand Arch or up McKeown’s Creek, It is reported that a lyre bird has

lived on the far South Coast of New South Wales for over 24 years, and, further, that this particular bird was heard to give a realistic imitation of the sound of a circular saw cutting through wood, this occurring in a mountain gully about a mile from where a sawmill had been erected and worked for years. The mill was destroyed by fire 24 years ago-so it was i long time for the bird to remember the sound. This, however, is common to the lyre bird. "THE kookaburra or the great brown kingfisher or laughing jackass is perhaps one of the best known of Australia’s birds; he is a universal favourite and I have known visitors to Australia making a trip of 100 miles just to hear him jin his natural surroundings. It has also been my pleasant experience to be awakened every morning for a number of years by several kookaburras perched on a tree just outside my bedroom window, when residing at Jenolan Caves, and later on in the day these same kookaburras would await my visit of inspection to the meat house in order to be’ fed with small pieces of raw meat. The kookaburra has a very powerful bill or beak and is very quick on the wing; he waits alongside a stream on a nearby tree and swoops down like a flash to fly back into the tree with a small fish in his bill. He is well known as a_ killer of snakes, and his method is to pounce on the snake, take it to a great’ height, and drop it; pick it up again, and repeat the dose until the snake is dead. He lives mostly on small mammals, and lizards, large insects, and . even young babies of other birds.

Kookaburras have been known to attack a goanna up to four feet long, in the act of climbing a tree, where apparently he believed he would be rewarded by a feast of birds’ eggs or perhaps nestlings. ‘The birds. took it in turn to attack the marauder, striking him on the tail and partly lifting him from the tree, while in ‘between times sending out SOS to other birds, who quickly arrived to assist in the attack. When several birds are present. some strike the head and others the tail with their strong beaks until at last the goanna desists and retreats back down the tree more dead than alive. The kookaburra laughs alone and in company, but the solo is entirely: different from the duet. Both are gloriously mirthful, but the duet is far better than the solo, and it is easy to distinguish one from the other, Kookaburras laugh solo..in duet, quartettes, sextettes, and full orchestra. The heartiest laugh of all, however, and the one that the birds seem to like best, is the duet. .