Hi ,
I like being outside, especially when I'm surrounded by nature. Then I have the chance to see different animals and birds as I walk. Noticing the birds here has been very interesting. Many I know from Australia, even though they aren't true Australians.
Let's start with sparrows, starlings and blackbirds. They weren't in Australia before Europeans came, but they are now. I don't know if it was on purpose (were they kept as pets?) or if a couple of birds 'accidentally' travelled with the early sailing ships from England. Whatever the story, they've definitely made Australia their home!
Just like in Frankfurt, in the cities there are pigeons. Even the small-ish city where I lived in Tasmania had pigeons. The city officials had reduced the numbers (that happened before I lived there), but a few still remained. Australia has some native pigeons, but the ones in the cities are European imports.
So, what are typical Australian birds, you may ask. Possibly the best known are the ones in the parrot family. In the country, even in Tasmania, we sometimes saw cockatoos. Black cockatoos and white cockatoos.
There are also galahs. (In Australian slang 'galah' has become a word for a sweet but stupid person.)
In Tasmania we don't have really colourful parrots, like the crimson rosella (1). But we have green rosellas.
A bird that lives in urban (2) areas as well as in the country is the plover. My flat was behind a school, with grassy playing areas and sports fields. Plenty of space for a pair of plovers or two. Like all birds, they have a special call. It's one of things that I miss from Australia, or that shows me I'm in a different country now!
Another famous Australian bird that we saw on the farm is the kookaburra. They eat small animals like lizards (3) and even snakes! But the unique thing about them is the noise they make. It sounds like a laugh, so they're called 'laughing' kookaburras.
Do you look at the different birds when you are outside? Have you seen anything really special or unusual? Please share 😀!
'Bye for now,
Andrea
(1) crimson - a rich, deep red colour
(2) urban - an area with buildings, roads etc. A city or town. Opposite to 'rural'.
(3) lizard - long, thin animal with scaly skin like a snake, but with legs.
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