Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeffkop
How big are they ??? look about maybe touch under galah size in the pics. Do they fly south to breed ? Wonder why they would leave PNG and fly to southern QLD for the summer .. gotta be too hot for them at that latitude .. or they just like a holiday.
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Hi Jeff,
They are not as large as a galah. Probably about 29cm. More like a kingfisher
without the long beak. They are certainly commonplace here in the Kuring-Gai
Chase National Park in the northern part of the Sydney at this time of year and
recently we have seen them most days or hear their characteristic "kak kak kak"
machine gun rattle. I think they might even make it further south into southern
NSW along the coast. I believe they head south to breed. We commonly see them
in pairs and they take alternating turns at going on insect hunting sorties whilst the
other waits, typically on a branch of a tall dead tree. They seem to be looking
out for insects. It is interesting how even a dead tree takes its place in the scheme
of things as far as habitat.
What is pretty is when you catch a glimpse of the blue circle under their wings - the
dollar.
There are a few other raucous visitors at this time of year including the channel
bill cuckoos who also come down from PNG. I've witnessed one swallow a
currawong's egg whole with its enormous beak.
The channel bills of course do their infamous egg-laying trick into the nests
of other birds.