Being in the tropics provides us with a surfeit of tropical birds as well as
more widely distributed Australian species. We have ten species of parrot
recorded from campus. Over 350 species of birds occur within 100 km of
Townsville Post Office, about 250 species have been observed in the Town Common
refuge area. Therefore there is little point in attempting a full bird list for
the campus (would anyone read it?).
The 1999 Australian 'twitchathon' was won by a Townsville team of 4 (including
one of our graduates), who found 234 species of bird in 24 hours. They beat 5
member teams from throughout Australia. (The Australian all time record is 248
species in 24 hours, obtained some years ago by a 5 member team from Cairns ).
We have three bird biologists on staff:
Brad Congdon in Cairns and
Richard Pearson and
Chris Johnson in Townsville.
We offer an advanced level subject on tropical bird biology. This
intensive-mode subject is conducted from the Cairns campus in December of
odd-numbered years (visit our Cairns campus).
Birds also feature prominently in the following semester-long subjects:
Australian vertebrate fauna (ZL3203), Biology of Australian vertebrates
(ZL3400) (Cairns), and Animal behaviour (ZL3026).
Bird research in recent years has focussed on rainforest and tropical woodland communities and population dynamics of tropical seabirds, but as well there have been studies of goshawks, cisticolas, cassowaries, bowerbirds, Gouldian finches and thick-knees.
The following are some of the more interesting species that occur on the Townsville campus (links are to 20kb .jpg format photos):
Parrots
Red-tailed Black
Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii) resident flock for many
months of year
Best place to see - day follow the calls, late afternoon near vet school
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
(Cacatua galerita) - resident flock for many months of year
Best place to see - day grass verges, late afternoon Palmetum roundabout
Galah (Cacatua
roseicapilla) - irregular
Little Corella
(Cacatua sanguinea) - occasional flocks
Best place to see - day grass verges, late afternoon Charles Barton bridge
Rainbow Lorikeet
(Trichoglossus haematodus)- very common - multiple pairs
Best place to see - any flowering gum trees
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
(Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus)
Best place to see - flowering gum trees, rainforest strip
Red-winged parrot
(Aprosmictus erythropterus)
only one pair on campus - usually in a vine thicket gully, rarely around
buildings.
Cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus) - rare, pairs
Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) - rare, in large
flocks
Pale-headed Rosella
(Platycercus adscitus) - frequent pairs
Megapodes
Brush turkeys
(Alectura lathami) - resident flock
Best place to see - bludging on refec lawn
Kingfishers
Kookaburra (Daleco novaeguineae) - common, family
groups
Best place to see - bludging near refec
Blue-winged Kookaburra
(Daleco leachii) - common, family groups
Best place to see - woodlands, harsh raucous voice when disputing space
Sacred kingfisher
(Todiramphus sanctus) - common in woodlands.
Bower birds
Greater Bower bird
(Chlamydera nuchalis) - very common
Best place to see - females on fruiting trees, males near bowers
Others:
Rainbow bee-eater
(Merops ornatus); common throughout the town, both resident
and migratory populations co-occur
Cotton pygmy-geese (Nettapus coromandelianus); common
during winter months in Ross river
Bush stone-curlew
(Burhinus grallarius); common on campus. Under low trees during day (nesting), follow sound at night.
Nankeen Kestrel (Falco cenchroides); most years nest on
Chemistry building
Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus); breeds on Castle
Hill (downtown) and Mt Stuart, overfly campus
Wedgetailed eagle (Aquila audax); sometimes visible
soaring over Mt Stuart
Also: Brown falcon, White-breasted Sea-eagle, Brahminy kite,
Little eagle, Whistling kite, Square-tailed kite, Fork-tailed kite, Pacific
baza, Australian Black-shouldered kite, Brown goshawk, Harrier, Osprey
(overflying)
Australian bustard
(Ardeotis australis); common in patches of grassland around outskirts of
Townsville
Common Koel (Eudynamis scolopacea); common around
campus during summer. In trees, follow male song.
Dollarbird (Eurystomas orientalis); commonly seen
perched high in eucalyptus trees around campus.
Magpie lark (Grallina
cyanoleuca); known as the 'peewee' to north Queenslanders, is common almost
everywhere
Sunbird (Nectarinia
jugularis); mostly in pairs, here a female (male has blue-black metallic
bib). Nest around buildings
Barking Owl (Ninox connivens); lives on campus but only
occasionally seen. A more reliable pair occupy the mango trees in the Palmetum.
Lemon-breasted flycatcher (Microeca flavigaster);
common during summer in gardens around campus
Rufous Whistler (Pachycephala rufiventris); common all
year anywhere on campus.
Spectacled Monarch (Monarcha trivirgatus); a few pairs
occupy secluded thickets along gullies around the campus.
Leaden Flycatcher (Myiagra rubecula); common in dry
sclerophyll forest around campus.
Red-backed fairywren (Malurus melanocephalus); a few
pairs live in native grasslands around the edge of the campus.
Blue-faced honeyeater (Entomyzon cyanotis); this large
cooperatively breeding honeyeater is common throughout Townsville.
Pied Butcherbird (Cracticus nigrogularis); common
resident around campus but is particularly fond of visiting picnic tables near
the nursing building during morning tea.
Then there are things like pelicans at the river ...
Return to the Department of Zoology & Tropical Ecology home page
