The Glenn Harris Collection - Aussie and NZ Birds
White
Swan
The
mute swan is one of seven swan species found world-wide and was introduced
to New Zealand from 1866. It maintains a tenuous hold in the wild on
wetlands in Hawke's Bay, North Canterbury and lake Ellesmere. Some live
in a semi-feral state in town parks. They once numbered several hundred
in the wild but the April 1968 Wahine storm destroyed much of their
feeding habitat in their stronghold at Lake Ellesemere and the popluation
crashed. There are now perhaps only 100 in the wild.
96
x 66mm
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Palm
Cockatoo
The
Palm Cockatoo is a big black bird with red cheeks, a wild floppy crest
and an enormous beak. It lives in and around rainforest and feeds on
the insides of really tough nuts. To get to its food it has the strongest
beak of any bird in the world. Apparently confined to the northern tip
of Cape York Peninsula, although its exact distribution is yet to be
determined.
50
x 95mm
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N
Z Albatross
Using
the wind, albatrosses can achieve continuous flight without beating
their wings. This is known as dynamic soaring. The pattern begins with
a dive with the wind behind, a swoop low over the waves and a turn and
climb into the wind to attain original height. Dynamic soaring works
best in what is called a "good blow". Albatrosses are able to maintain
course in a moderate wind but make leeway when wind speeds exceeds 70kmp
95
x 84mm
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Pitta
versicolor
"Noisy
Pitta"
The
Noisy Pitta bounces around on the rainforest floor looking for leeches
and snails to eat. It has a creamy breast but bright orange belly, a
black mask with chocolate brown cap and, when it flies, brilliant turquoise
on its wings and tail and sudden white wing spots.
61
x 96mm
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Fruit
Dove
The
Wompoo Fruit-Dove is a big rainforest pigeon. It has a green back, yellow
belly, grey head and purple throat and breast. It feeds on fruit in
the tops of trees.
Lives
along the east coast of Australia
60
x 95mm
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Wedge
Tail Eagle
The
Wedge-tailed Eagle is Australia's largest living bird of prey and one
of the largest eagles in the world. It reaches 0.85-1.05m in length
and has a wingspan of 2.3m. The Wedge-tailed Eagle is found throughout
mainland Australia, Tasmania and southern New Guinea, from sea level
to mountainous alpine regions. It prefers wooded and forested land and
open country, generally avoiding rainforest and coastal heaths. Eagles
can be seen perched on trees or poles or soaring overhead to altitudes
of up to 2000m.
95
x 47mm
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Magpie
Goose
The
Magpie Goose is widespread throughout coastal northern and eastern Australia.
It can be seen in floodplains and wet grasslands from Fitzroy River,
Western Australia, through northern Australia to Rockhampton, Queensland,
and has been extending its range into coastal New South Wales to the
Clarence River and further south. Some individuals, mostly younger birds,
may be seen at quite long distances inland.
96
x 81mm
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Pay
in Aussie or USA Dollars.
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Falcon
With
eyesight said to be six times more powerful than humans, flying at speeds
up to 230 kmh and uttering a short terrifying scream, the falcon will
fall upon some hapless bird in mid flight. The manoeuvre is called a
stoop, a trademark of the attacking falcon. From there the falcon will
take its victim to some killing place to deliver the final stroke, the
dislocation of the bird's neck. The severing is done with the aid of
a specially notched tooth common to all falcons. Finches are fair game,
and so are starlings, blackbirds, thrushes and skylarks
46
x 95mm
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New
Zealand "Kea"
A
Kea stalks through the warren of shearwater nest holes, bending down
every now and then, head cocked to listen. The shearwater chicks crouch
silently in their burrows but occasionally they call. The Kea reacts
swiftly and starts to dig. Using its beak like a mattock it tears away
the earth around their burrow's entrance and reaches inside. The mutton-bird
is not entirely defenseless and may squirt fish oil into the Kea's face.
The beak that is so effective as a mattock now becomes a billhook and
rips the young shearwater to pieces.
95
x 77mm
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Haarst
Eagle
The
Haast eagle succumbed to the environmental damage resulting from Polynesian
colonisation. It became extinct probably several hundred years
94
x 88mm
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Harrier Hawk
Summer or winter, Kahu, the harrier hawk, can be
seen drifting over the countryside looking for something likely to eat.
The hawks soar over the country in wide circles with a slow steady flight,
remaining on the wing for hours without apparent fatigue. They fly slowly
into the wind, alternately gliding and flapping their wings as they
quarter the open country.
57 x 96mm
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New Zealand
Black Swan
The black
swan was introduced as a game bird from Australia to New Zealand in
the 1860s but also probably reached NZ naturally at about the same time
as the population grew and spread very rapidly.
98 x 61mm
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Chaffinch
For more information
of this and other Finches
Please Click Here
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Cassowary
Cassowaries
are Gondwanan in origin and were concentrated in the small part of the
supercontinent that later broke apart and became the present areas of
Northern Australia, Papua New Guinea and some of the eastern island
groups of Indonesia. Two separate populations of Australian cassowary
exist - one in the Wet Tropics area from Mt Halifax/Paluma through to
Cooktown and the other on Cape York Peninsula in the McIlwraith and
Iron Ranges, Jardine River area and the Eastern Dunes.
95 x 80mm
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Kingfisher
Kingfishers
are small unmistakable bright blue and orange birds of slow moving or
still water. They fly rapidly, low over water, and hunt fish from riverside
perches, occasionally hovering above the water's surface.
Young birds
are similar to the female, but have varying amounts of rusty-brown edging
to feathers on the collar and underparts, and buff edges on the wing
coverts.
The voice
of the Sacred Kingfisher is a loud "ek ek ek ek" repeated continuously
throughout breeding season. Birds also give a "kee kee kee" in excitement
and a series of chirring, scolding notes when alarmed.
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Laughing Kookaburra
An Aussie
icon, the Laughing Kookaburra is often heard from a great distance.
It's the worlds largest kingfisher and it's brown and white plumage
is easy to identify.
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Budgie
Budgie's live
in dry open inland places of Australia, near scrubby areas, they drink
the dew that forms on plants.
They also
fly in large flocks, sometimes in the thousands.
In Summer
months they travel to woodland areas to breed.
Also as a
popular household pet.
72 x 98mm
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Wren
The Blue Male
Wren is among the most striking Australian Birds. Shruby areas is the
preferred home.
There nest
is an untidy home with its entrance at the side.
They have
a pretty reeling song which they sound in the morning before daylight
and then shortly before dawn.
94 x 68mm
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Emu
The Emu is
Australia's tallest native bird, reaching 1.6-1.9m when standing erect.
It weighs 30-45kg, which is lighter than its closest living relative,
the Southern Cassowary Casuarius casuarius. Emus
are easy to identify. Adult Emus are covered with shaggy grey-brown
feathers except for the neck and head, which are largely naked and bluish-black.
The wings are greatly reduced, but the legs are long and powerful. Each
foot has three forward-facing toes and no hind toe.
90 x 98mm
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Pelican
The Australian
Pelican is found throughout Australia, Papua New
Guinea and western Indonesia, with occasional reports in New Zealand
and various western Pacific islands. In Australia it is widespread on
freshwater, estuarine and marine wetlands and waterways including lakes,
swamps, rivers, coastal islands and shores.
97 x 90mm
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