What is Australia's most commonly spotted bird?

March 26, 2024 8:39 PM

Lorikeet, miner or magpie — what is Australia's most commonly spotted bird? Last October, 60,000 people spent at least 20 minutes outside to identify the country's bird species and submit their tallies into the Aussie Bird Count app
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries (10 comments total)

Very cool project :-)

Based only on my own backyard and surrounds, I would have guessed either magpies or crows, but we also have several swans and ducks that regularly beg for food in the canal at our back boundary and see lots of plovers in the park across the road. I did wonder if the winner would be Ibis, but won't spoil the suspense ;-).
posted by dg at 9:01 PM on March 26

This is very interesting, and I wonder what the answer would be here in S. Korea. Ignoring pigeons, in my neighborhood it would be magpies, sparrows, crows, then some long necked birds (herons?) that are probably a variety of different species, but I don't know anything.

Also, if you will please pardon me, Greg Ace, but I looked at the pictures in the link and none of these birds seem to have spots at all.
posted by Literaryhero at 9:27 PM on March 26 [4 favorites]

I know nothing about most things and even less about birding, but it strikes me that the winner has a natural advantage when it comes to visual surveys.
posted by ZaphodB at 11:53 PM on March 26 [4 favorites]

40-spotted pardalote: ... Australia's most spotted bird? A lorikeet? How many spots does it have? No spots?! Tell 'em they're dreaming!
posted by are-coral-made at 1:18 AM on March 27 [3 favorites]

I really would have thought it would be the magpie but I guess it's an Australia wide survey!

Sad that my mum's favourite bird (the fairy wren) is becoming less common.

Will have to mark my calendar for this year's survey in October!
posted by freethefeet at 2:24 AM on March 27

Bin chickens, pigeons and crows here in the city. I see lorikeets when the tree outside blooms every year. I'm seeing more and more scrub turkeys in the suburbs.

I used to see a lot of willy wagtails in the city 20 years ago, but they're completely gone now. Replaced with those bloody miners.

Lorikeets are definitely my favourite. Yes they are very easy to spot, look for any tree in bloom, but you can also find them by their distinctive broken car-alarm song. That photo doesn't look real, and they don't look real IRL. Same with Rosellas. The matrix is glitching.
posted by adept256 at 6:10 AM on March 27

The noisy miner photo in the article makes me smile. Noise making in action.

Literary hero, when I lived near SNU, magpies were definitely the bird I noticed the most. So elegant!
posted by spamandkimchi at 10:03 AM on March 27

I did not remember you all have house sparrows too. Is it invasive?
posted by eirias at 12:29 PM on March 27

I don't know how it's not noisy miners. I think people must just tune them out. I saw three before coffee this morning, and expect to see another dozen, minimum, before lunch is over.
posted by Audreynachrome at 2:23 PM on March 27

I did not remember you all have house sparrows too. Is it invasive?

Yes, most of the East Coast of Australia has invasive (feral) sparrows.

Fortunately they have not made it across the Nullabor yet.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 1:13 AM on March 28