White; wing-quills black; head, hind-neck buff; f., sim.;
young brown spotted. Fish.
F. 62. FREGATIDAE (2), FRIGATE BIRDS, Man-o'-war-bird,
2 sp.--2(0)A., 2(0)O., 1(0)P., 2(0)E., 1(0)Nc., 2(0)Nl.
(Tropical Seas).
2
2
=149 Frigate-Bird=, Man-o'-war-Bird, _Fregata aquila_.
Stat. r. _ocean_ 40
Brownish-black; about eyes, pouch on throat deep red; variable
in size, color; bill long, hooked; tail forked; wings very
long; legs very short; f., browner; breast, flanks whitish.
Stolen fish, young turtles.
F. 63. PHAETHONTIDAE(2), TROPIC BIRDS, Boatswain-Bird,
Straw-Tails, 7 sp.--4(1)A., 4(1)O., 4(0)E., 3(0)Nc., 4(0)Nl.
F. 64. PELECANIDAE (1), PELICANS, 10 sp.--1(1)A., 4(1)O.,
3(0)P., 3(1)E., 3(0)Nc., 4(1)Nl.
1
10
=150 Australian Pelican=, _Pelecanus conspicillatus_, N.G.,
A., T., N.Z. =vt. cos. bird.
c. _lagoons_, _bays_ 60
White; wings, tail black; bill pink, pouch yellowish; f., sim.
Fish, insects.
F. 65. _Cathartidae_, Condor, Turkey (American, New World)
Vultures, 9 sp.--3(1)Nc., 8(6)Nl. The largest of flying birds.
====
The well-known Birds of Prey, so keen of eye, so rapid of flight,
so fearless in courage, and so matchless in fight, have spread over
almost the whole known world. The Eagles of one land are, therefore,
much like the Eagles of another. The Harriers of England are
practically identical with the Harriers of Australia and New Zealand,
and, in fact, of almost any other land. The Falcon, so famous in
mediaeval times, is practically identical with the Falcon of Australia
and Tasmania. The Australian Fish Hawk is the universal Fish Hawk
or Osprey, for there is probably but one Osprey, having an almost
world-wide range. The naming of these birds, though, has been a
stumbling-block to us. To Australians they are all Hawks--even our
gigantic and glorious Eagle has been reduced to the ignominious level
of an "Eaglehawk," though our male Eagle is the largest male Eagle
known, outrivalling, as it does, both the Bald Eagle of America and
the Golden Eagle of Europe. A source of confusion, too, has arisen
from the introduction of so many of our popular names from America,
Thus, the Gum-tree (Eucalypt) is not a Gum, the 'Possum is not the
carnivorous Opossum of America, the Goanna is not the equivalent of
the vegetarian American Iguana; the "Wild Cat" is not a Cat, nor is
the "Native Bear" a Bear, nor even remotely related to one, nor is
the Kestrel a Sparrowhawk. It is an American error in popular naming,
which has given us the Kestrel as the equivalent of the American
Sparrowhawk, while the Sparrowhawk of the ornithologist is the
equivalent of the Sparrowhawk of Britain.
In one respect, we are unfortunate in this new land. No mass of
association and tradition has yet had time to crystallize about our
native animals and plants. Our poets have not been able to sing of our
birds for want of names and knowledge. Little has been done beyond
the giving and frequent altering of scientific names, and the
misapplication of names of animals and plants living in other lands to
often totally different animals and plants here, so that confusion
has reigned supreme. However, in bird matters, at least, we are on
a better footing, for the bird-lovers have provided a common, and in
most cases an appropriate, name for each bird.
The American Bobolink and Chickadee are famous birds, chiefly on
account of an appropriate name; so is the British Cuckoo, while its
even more noisy, more common, and practically identical Australian
cousin is still unknown, or rather was until recently. The
introduction of Bird Day has already produced gratifying results. We
need good descriptive names for our varied and beautiful birds--more
children's and poets' names, and less of the deadly formal
"Yellow-vented Parrakeet," "Blue-bellied Lorikeet," and "Warty-faced
Honeyeater" for some of the most glorious of the world's birds.
The old Order _Raptores_--birds of prey--included Hawks and Eagles,
and Owls. These are now placed in two orders as "Diurnal Birds of
Prey"--Hawks, and "Nocturnal Birds of Prey"--Owls. They all seize prey
with the very well-developed talons, and not with the bill. Hence
they were called _Raptores_--seizing birds. They use these talons when
flying, and do not catch prey in scrub, or very close to the ground,
unless in a clear space.
The two Harriers are typically Ground Hawks. The name is said to be
derived from the habit these birds are said to possess of _harrying_
birds. They are generally called "Swamp Hawks," and may frequently be
seen flying low over bushes, to beat birds out.
The Goshawks--_i.e._, Goosehawks--possibly received their name by
confusion, as possibly a Falcon to hunt Geese was kept in olden days,
but probably it was not this bird. Three of these birds are rare.
The White Goshawk is a fine bird, and is confined to Australia and
Tasmania. The Australian Goshawk is said to be the only troublesome
Hawk to the poultry farmer, and he bears a bad name generally. The
Lesser Goshawk is a casual visitor in the Eastern States.
The Sparrowhawk of the ornithologist is much feared by small birds. He
lurks in ambush, suddenly flashes out upon his prey, and is away
with it instantly. The male is one of the smallest of Hawks. It is
an almost universal rule in this order of birds that the females are
larger, often much larger, than the males, and that there are several
changes of plumage before the adult plumage is finally donned, so it
is often a matter of difficulty to determine exactly the name of one
of these birds.
Eagles are found the world over except in New Zealand. Our Eagle has
the honor of being, as already stated, the largest Eagle in the world.
It is also of undoubted courage, as its specific name, _audax_ (bold)
would lead one to suppose. It is, further, Gould says, of a "far more
pleasing and elegant contour" than the Golden Eagle, the "pride and
pest of the parish." Whoever heard of an Australian who was proud of
his Eagle, though it is something to be proud of? Let our noble bird
appear near a house, and there is a rush for a gun. On Eyre Peninsula
we found the Eagles fed their young on rabbits, a serious pest in
Australia.
The equivalent of our Sea Eagle is the White-headed or Bald Eagle of
America, the female of which is the same length as the male of our
Eagle, 38 inches. Many of these glorious Sea Eagles were floating,
with their peculiar butterfly-like flight, over the Brisbane River,
and added much to our enjoyment of a recent bird excursion there. We
found one nest on each island in the Capricorn Group. On Mast Head
Island the nest was in a tree about 60 feet high. On tiny Erskine
Island, where there were no big trees, it was built on the ground,
though it had been added to until it is now over 6 feet high. The
fully-feathered dark-brown young bird sat on the edge of the nest, and
formed a good photographic subject. Eagles were ruthlessly slaughtered
in the British Isles. There is a shadow of an excuse there, perhaps,
with their game preserves, where rabbits and birds are bred for
sporting purposes. These reasons do not exist here. But it is pleasing
to find on record that, even there, "Lord Breadalbane, who died in
1862, thought that the spectacle of a soaring Eagle was a fitting
adjunct to the grandeur of the Argyllshire mountain scenery, and a
good equivalent for the occasional loss of a lamb."
Though the Sea Eagle lives mainly on fish and refuse cast up by the
sea, it is pitiful to read that, though this interesting, picturesque,
and valuable bird was once common, not one is left on the mainland
of Scotland. Could blind, unreasoning slaughter do more? Why kill a
harmless bird? But it is not only harmless; it is of distinct value
in its sphere in Nature. Hawks altogether are misunderstood and
misjudged. It is doubtful if it pays a farmer, aye, even a poultry
farmer, to shoot Hawks. They might steal a few chickens, but they
do not live on them. They live mainly on rabbits, mice, rats, and
insects.
The Whistling Eagle whistles while flying about in the fine large
flight-houses of the Adelaide Zoological Gardens. One fine specimen
accompanied the Federal trawler _Endeavour_ down Gladstone Harbor, but
not far from shore, for it returned when we headed for the open ocean
and the fairyland of the Great Barrier Reef.
Kites used to be excessively common about many English towns, where
they acted as scavengers. The introduction of the shot-gun has
exterminated them. They are world-wide in distribution, so what
you read about European Kites will fit Australian Kites. They are,
perhaps, the most graceful of flyers, gliding, soaring, hovering,
and performing all sorts of aerial evolutions. The toy kites of our
childhood were suggested by the flight of these once common birds.
Now, alas! they are very rarely seen. Being mainly insectivorous, they
are invaluable birds, and we can ill spare them in this country, where
insect life is so abnormally prolific.
The Black-breasted Buzzard is the third largest of our Diurnal Birds
of Prey. It is a rare visitor in Southern Australia, but in seasons of
drought it comes down from Central Australia.
The Falcon, which our ancestors trained for hawking, is almost
identical with our Falcon, while our Little Falcon is, for its size,
the "boldest and swiftest of all birds of prey," for it has been
observed to decapitate a flying Duck with a blow of the edge of its
wing. In Brisbane we had the pleasure of spending an interesting
afternoon with Mr. J. Bell, who formerly practised falconry with
trained Australian Falcons.
The Kestrel of Australia is almost identical with the Kestrel of
Europe. You must have noticed with interest its habit of hovering. One
incident of the 1909 Ornithologists' Congress will show that, even
in the midst of a crowded city like Adelaide, it is possible for
scientific work in ornithology to be done. While the Director of
Education, Mr. A. Williams, Mr. Le Souef (ex-Pres., A.O.U.), Mr. A.
J. Campbell (Pres., A.O.U.), Mr. Robert Hall (Vice-Pres., A.O.U.), and
myself were walking from the Education Office to Grote Street School,
a Kestrel was seen on the grass in a small square. The members of
the party were astonished to see the Kestrel rise carrying a
bird, possibly a Sparrow, in its talons. Now, the interest of this
observation is that most of our ornithologists were prepared to state
that the Kestrel is entirely insectivorous, and never touches small
birds. However, an observation in the heart of Adelaide is of value
in this matter of scientific interest. This bird, unfortunately,
is generally called the Sparrowhawk, a name which belongs to a much
bolder Australian bird of prey (No. 157), which does eat small birds.
Kestrels are very fond of mice, and would, if allowed, spend time
protecting the farmer's haystacks, but if a Kestrel comes near the
farmhouse the gun is at once produced, and so the farmer loses the
services of one of his best friends.
Jeffries and other Nature-lovers have written on the marvellous
powers of hovering possessed by these birds. In fact, the Kestrel is
frequently called the Windhover. In Australia Kestrels frequently nest
in a hollow tree, but do not lay the usual white egg.
The Osprey is another example of bad naming. The word is said to be a
corruption of Ossifrage, the "bone-breaker." As it feeds on fish,
it has no big bones to break. It is spread from "Alaska to Brazil,
Lapland to Natal, Japan to Tasmania, and even out to the Pacific
Isles," and it may be the same bird throughout, though Dr. Sharpe
has allowed three species in the "_Handlist of Birds_." "_The A.O.U.
Check-list of North American Birds_, 1910," however, recognizes the
North American bird as a sub-species only, so it is possible the
Australian bird will be also listed as a sub-species when the Royal
Australasian Ornithologists' Union adopts its check-list in Sydney
this year. These birds eat living fish, which they catch by plunging
into the sea. Occasionally they drive their talons into too big a
fish, and, not being able to withdraw them, are drowned.
Flinders, in his journal, wrote about the enormous nests he met on
rocky points, and considered they were built by a great "Dinornis."
The Osprey and the White-bellied Sea Eagle, however, build on rocky
points if no trees are available, and add to the nest each year. It
is interesting to read in the Western Australian Year Book article
on birds that the Government has placed an Osprey's nest in the
cave district, "under the protection of the Cave Warden." A pleasing
interest is growing in Australian nature in its many forms.
====
[Page 72]
[Illustration: [151] [152] [153] [154] [155] [156]]
ORDER XV.--ACCIPITRIFORMES, DIURNAL BIRDS OF PREY.
F. 66. _Serpentariidae_, Secretary-Bird, 2 sp. E.
F. 67. _Vulturidae_, Vultures, 17 sp.--8(5)O., 6(0)P., 9(5)E.
F. 68. FALCONIDAE (29), HARRIERS, GOSHAWKS, EAGLES, FALCON,
etc., 485 sp.--99 (86) A., 106(58)O., 70(19)P., 118(91)E.,
53(17)Nc., 144(112)Nl.
2
18
=151 Spotted Harrier= (Jardine), Spotted Swamp-Hawk, _Circus
assimilis_, Cel. to A., T.
Stat. c. _plains_ 22
Facial disc, hind-neck, back, chest dark-gray; crown rust-red
streaked black; shoulders, rest of under rich-chestnut spotted
white; tail barred dark-brown, gray; legs long, yellow; m.,
smaller, duller. Lizards, mice, small snakes, birds.
[Page 73]
=152* Allied Harrier= (Gould), Swamp-Hawk, Kahu, _C. gouldi_,
A., T., N. Cal., Norfolk Is., Lord Howe Is., N.Z., Fiji =vt.
Eur. Marsh-Harrier.
Stat. v.c. _swampy_ 20
Upper, head dark-brown; facial disc indistinct brown; under
buffy-white streaked and tinged red-brown; upper base tail
white; rest tail brownish-gray; f., larger. Reptiles, mice,
birds.
5
63
=153 Gray Goshawk= (New Holland, Gray-backed), _Astur clarus
(cinereus)_, A.
v.r. _dense brushes_ 16.5
Upper gray; throat, under white finely barred gray; feet
yellow, claws black; f., larger. Reptiles, mice, birds.
=154 White Goshawk=, _A. novae-hollandiae_, E.A., S.A., T.
r. _timber_ 16.5
Pure white; m., much smaller. Food as 153.
=155* Australian Goshawk=, Chicken-Hawk, _A. fasciatus
(approximans)_, A., T., Norfolk Is., N. Cal. =vt. Eur.
Goshawk.
Stat. c. _timber_, f., 20; m., 15
Upper dark-brown; shoulder thigh rust-red; tail dark-brown
barred black; throat buff; under buff barred brown; f.,
larger. Food as 153.
=156 Lesser Goshawk= (Western, Chestnut-colored), _A.
cruentus_, V. (acc.), W.A., N.W.A.
Stat. c. _timber_ 17
Back, wings, tail slaty-brown; chestnut-red, indistinct
collar; under barred brown white; chin buffy-white; f., upper
brown. Birds, mice, lizards.
[Page 76]
[Illustration: [184] [185] [191] [193] [194] [196] [197] [198] [199]]
=184= Blue Mountain Lorikeet
=185= Musk Lorikeet
=191= Gang-gang Cockatoo
=193= Pink Cockatoo
=194= Rose-breasted Cockatoo
=196= Cockatoo-Parrot
=197= Superb Parrot
=198= Black-tailed Parrot
=199= King Parrot
[Page 78]
[Illustration: [200] [202] [203] [204] [205] [206] [209] [213] [214]]
=200= Crimson Parrot
=202= Rosella
=203= Mallee Parrot
=204= Blue Bonnet
=205= Many-colored Parrot
=206= Red-backed Parrot
=209= Grass Parrot
=213= Swift Parrot
=214= Warbling Grass-Parrot
[Page 80]
[Illustration: [157] [158] [159] [160] [161] [162]]
1
42
=157* Collared Sparrow-Hawk=, _Accipiter cirrhocephalus_,
N.G., A., T. =vt. Eur. Sparrow-Hawk.
[~157 _Astur cirrhocephalus._]
Stat. r. _timber_, f., 14; m., 12
Head, upper brownish-gray; tail barred deep-brown; obscure
collar reddish-brown; throat, under, thighs rufous barred
white; f., much larger. Mice, birds.
[Page 81]
1
1
=158* Wedge-tailed Eagle=, Eaglehawk (e), _Uroaetus audax_,
A., T. =vt. Eur. Golden Eagle (32in.).
Stat. c. _timber_, _plains_ 38
"Noble bird;" largest eagle known; upper, under
blackish-brown; feathers edged pale-brown; hind-neck
golden-brown; f., larger. Rabbits, rats, carrion.
1
4
=159 Little Eagle=, _Eutolmaetus morphnoides_, N.G., A.
r. _timber_ 22
Back of head, under rufous striped black; back, rump, wings
brown; tail grayish-brown, barred blackish-brown. Carrion,
rats, mice.
1
10
=160 White-bellied Sea Eagle=, _Haliaetus leucogaster_, Ind.
Malay to A., T., Oceania =vt. American Bald Eagle.
r. _shores_ 30
"Noble species;" white; wing-quills, base-tail blackish-brown;
f., larger; young; head buff; upper wings chocolate-brown;
under buffy-brown. Dead fish, shellfish. "Floats like a great
butterfly."
2
4
=161 Whistling-Eagle= (-Hawk), _Haliastur sphenurus_, A., N.
Cal.
Nom. c. _swamps_, _shores_ 24
Under light sandy-brown streaked white; back, wings brown
marked lighter, spotted white; tail ashy-brown; head, neck
sandy streaked lighter; f., larger. Caterpillars, mice, rats,
floating food.
1
6
=162 Allied Kite=, _Milvus affinis_, Sunda Is., Cel. to A.
=vt. Eur. Black Kite.
Nom. c. _open country_ 20
Upper glossy brown; wing-quills black; slightly-forked
tail brown; under rufous-brown; chest dark lines; f., sim.
Scavenger, birds.
[Page 82]
[Illustration: [163] [164] [165] [166] [167] [168]]
1
1
=163 Square-tailed Kite=, _Lophoictinia isura_, A. =vt. Eur.
Common Kite.
r. _timber_, _plains_ 19
Neck, shoulders, under reddish-orange; chest marked black;
head streaked black; abdomen, flanks barred lighter; upper
blackish-brown; square tail brownish-gray; f., larger.
Caterpillars, birds.
1
1
=164 Black-breasted Buzzard=, _Gypoictinia melanosternum_, A.
(interior).
v.r. _timber_, _plains_ 23
"Fine species;" crown, face, chest, abdomen black; flanks
chestnut; hind-neck light-brown; upper brownish-black;
wing-quills white base, rest black; this white patch gives
appearance of window in wing when flying; f., larger. Animals.
2
5
=165* Australian Black-shouldered Kite=, _Elanus axillaris_,
A.
Mig. r. _open plains_ 12.5
Upper delicate-gray; head, under white; jet black shoulder,
patch under wing; tail grayish-white; f., sim. Insects,
reptiles.
=166 Letter-winged Kite=, White-breasted Sparrow Hawk (e), _E.
scriptus_, E.A., S.A., W.A.
r. _plains (interior)_ 12.5
Like 165, but more black on under angle of wing gives letter W
when wings expanded; f., sim. Insects.
4
37
=167* Black-cheeked Falcon=, _Falco melanogenys_, A., T. =vt.
Eur. Peregrine Falcon.
Stat. c. _plains_, _coast_, _rocky_ 15
Crown, side of head black; upper-breast creamy spotted black;
rest of under barred black, reddish-gray; upper, wings, tail
dark-gray; tail barred brown, gray; f., larger. Birds.
[Page 83]
[Illustration: [169] [170] [171] [172] [173]]
=168 Gray Falcon=, Blue (Smoke) Hawk, _F. hypoleucus_, A. =vt.
Eur. Gyrfalcon.
v.r. _timber_, _plains_ f., 17; m., 12
"Rare beautiful falcon;" bluish-white below; grey above; tail
barred gray, brown. Birds.
=169 Black Falcon=, _F. subniger_, A.
v.r. _plains (inland)_ 17
Dark, sooty-brown, paler below; chin whitish; f., larger.
=170* Little Falcon= (White-fronted), Duck Hawk (e),
Australian Hobby, _F. lunulatus_, A., T., =vt. Eur. Hobby.
Stat. c. _plains_ f., 13.5; m., 11.5
Forehead white; upper grayish-black; cheeks black; tail barred
gray, chestnut; throat buff; chest reddish-buff, striped
dark-brown; under, thighs reddish; incomplete whitish collar;
f., larger. Birds, insects.
2
3
=171 Striped Brown Hawk= (Western, Orange-speckled),
_Hieracidea berigora_, A.
[~171 _Ieracidea berigora._]
v.c. _swampy_, _plains_ 17
Upper dark-brown; wings spotted reddish; incomplete collar,
under buff-white striped dark-brown; throat whitish; naked
skin round bill yellow; tail barred dark-brown, gray; f.,
larger. Caterpillars, insects, birds.
=172* Brown Hawk=, _H. orientalis_, A., T.
[~172 _Ieracidea orientalis._]
Stat. v.c. _timber_ 17
Head, upper dark-brown; line over eye, throat buff; under buff
spotted rust-brown; tail brown barred rust-red; Skin round
bill bluish; f., larger. Food as 171.
1
28
=173* Nankeen Kestrel=, Windhover, Mosquito Hawk, Sparrowhawk
(e), _Cerchneis cenchroides_, A., T., N.Z. =vt. Eur. Kestrel.
Stat, v.c. _timber_, _plains_ 11.5
Upper cinnamon-red, spotted black; tail rufous, faintly banded
black above, tipped white, then black bar; side neck, throat,
abdomen, under tail white; chest buff striped black; f.,
larger. Insects, mice.
F. 69. PANDIONIDAE (1), OSPREYS, 6 sp.--3(0)A., 5(1)O.,
1(0)P., 1(0)E., 1(0)Nc, 1(0)Nl.
1
3
=174 White-headed Osprey=, Fish Hawk, _Pandion leucocephalus_,
Mol., N.G., A., T. =vt. cos. bird.
Stat. r. _shores_ 23
Crown, hind-neck, throat, abdomen, under tail white; upper
dark-brown; chest mottled brown; side-neck dark-brown, marked
white; wing-quills black; dives; f., sim. Fish.
====
[Page 84]
[Illustration: [174] [175] [176] [177] [178]]
Just as the Diurnal Birds of Prey (e.g., Hawks) are closely related to
those of the Northern Hemisphere, so are the Nocturnal Birds of Prey
(Owls) very closely related to those of the Old World. The different
kinds of Owls are so closely similar that there are many disputes as
to their classification, and it is not likely that we shall ever be
able to recognize in the living, free state all the species recognized
by scientists.
Indeed, I was much interested at the Adelaide Museum to see our
leading ornithologists fail to pick out the skins of two English Barn
Owls when they were placed with three Australian Lesser Masked Owls,
and yet ornithologists give our birds such widely-different names that
literature is useless to us. These names have seriously hampered the
popularization of bird-study in Australia. If ornithologists, with
skins in hand, cannot separate them, what is the use of manufacturing
species?
As Owls are active late in the afternoon or at night, there has
always been a certain amount of mystery regarding them, and, speaking
generally, the ordinary observer knows little of them. Two of the
Australian birds have forced themselves on our notice to some extent.
The Powerful Owl, the largest of our Owls, has alarmed many by means
of its blood-curdling screeches heard in quiet forest gullies.
The Boobook Owl, though not often seen, calls "Mopoke," which sounded
like "Boobook" to the aboriginal ear, but became "Cuckoo"--the
best-loved bird-call of their far-distant home to the ears of the
homesick first white residents. And was it not, they asked, what one
might expect in a country where Christmas came at the wrong time
of the year, where the trees were always green, and shed their bark
instead of their leaves--where the leaves grew vertically, instead
of horizontally, and so gave no shade--was it not natural that the
Cuckoo, a day bird in England, should become a night bird in this land
of paradoxes and contradictions? Thus Australia's reputation was added
to even by the Boobook Owl.
Confusion was caused, for, when daylight came, and the Frogmouth was
seen sitting in the tree, the Frogmouth was supposed to be responsible
for the frequent calls of the previous night. However, some reliable
observers, notably Mr. C. H. McLennan, "Mallee Bird," and Mr. T. H.
Tregellas, claim that the Frogmouth does call "Mopoke'" occasionally,
but the Boobook Owl is the bird that is responsible for the frequent
"Mopoke" on calm evenings.
The Owls are divided into two families. The members of the first
family--the Owls Proper, or Hawk-Owls--have the facial disc almost
absent, while in the second family the facial disc is complete. In
each, the eyes are directly obliquely forward, and, since they are not
capable of much movement, the bird turns its head from side to side.
Though mainly nocturnal, Owls are sometimes seen hunting for their
prey by day. As they feed mostly on mice, rats, and insects, they are
very valuable birds. The feathers are very soft, with a weak central
axis, so that no sound is made when flying. They are thus able to
approach their prey without giving warning. The Powerful Owl well
deserves its name, as it possesses great strength, and is a formidable
enemy if wounded. However, Owls are, fortunately, seldom shot at.