Isolation
of the Australian continent has allowed for the development of birds as unique
as are the kangaroo and the koala. About 400 species of birds found in Australia
are found nowhere else in the world. They range from tiny honeyeaters to the
flightless emu which stands nearly two metres (6ft 6in) tall. There are 55
species of parrots in Australia, ranging from the colourful rainbow lorikeets
and budgerigars through galahs, to the black cockatoo and the ubiquitous white
sulphur-crested cockatoo. One of several kingfishers, the kookaburra, is noted
for its raucous laughter. The fan-tailed lyrebird has great powers of mimicry.
Black swans, spoonbills, herons, and ducks frequent inland waters. Smaller birds
include wrens, finches, tits, larks, and swallows. Gulls, terns, gannets,
albatrosses, and penguins are the most common seabirds. The mutton bird is found
mainly on the islands of Bass Strait.
Isolation
of the Australian continent has allowed for the development of birds as unique
as are the kangaroo and the koala. About 400 species of birds found in Australia
are found nowhere else in the world. They range from tiny honeyeaters to the
flightless emu which stands nearly two metres (6ft 6in) tall. There are 55
species of parrots in Australia, ranging from the colourful rainbow lorikeets
and budgerigars through galahs, to the black cockatoo and the ubiquitous white
sulphur-crested cockatoo. One of several kingfishers, the kookaburra, is noted
for its raucous laughter. The fan-tailed lyrebird has great powers of mimicry.
Black swans, spoonbills, herons, and ducks frequent inland waters. Smaller birds
include wrens, finches, tits, larks, and swallows. Gulls, terns, gannets,
albatrosses, and penguins are the most common seabirds. The mutton bird is found
mainly on the islands of Bass Strait.