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Australia's Rainforest Birds
Isolated and unique from all other rainforests on earth
© Brian McCauley
The rainforests of Eastern and Northeastern Australia harbor many species of birds found almost nowhere else. This Eastern Whipbird — which is more often heard than seen — hangs out in the dense understory. Easier to lay eyes on is the large, pigeon-like Wompoo Fruit-Dove. Feathered in a stunning combination of green, purple, and yellow, this bird is clearly named for its voice. And a pig-like grunting on the forest floor tells us we’re in the company of the Southern Cassowary. Its helmet — called a casque — makes it look as much like a dinosaur as any living bird.
BirdNote®
Australia’s Rainforest Birds
Written by Bob Sundstrom
This is BirdNote.
[Eastern Whipbird song]
The rainforests of Eastern and Northeastern Australia are isolated from all other rainforests on earth. As a result, they harbor many species of birds found almost nowhere else.
[Eastern Whipbird song]
The Eastern Whipbird hangs out in the dense understory. It’s dark, crested, 10 inches long — and more often heard than seen. Like its neighbor, the Spotted Catbird, that’s nearly a foot long and emerald-green with white spots.
[Spotted Catbird calls]
Easier to lay eyes on is the large, pigeon-like Wompoo Fruit-Dove, perching high in a tree, gulping down small fruits. Feathered in a stunning combination of green, purple, and yellow, this bird is clearly named for its voice.
[Wompoo Fruit-Dove song]
It also calls New Guinea home.
While pig-like grunting on the forest floor tells us we’re in the company of the largest bird on the continent — the Southern Cassowary.
[Southern Cassowary calls]
On average, the female weighs 130 pounds and stands around 5 feet tall, looking like a giant, lush, black hairpiece on thick legs.
[Southern Cassowary calls]
A helmet called a casque makes it look as much like a dinosaur as any living bird. Check our website for a photo.
[Southern Cassowary calls]
For BirdNote, I’m Mary McCann.
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Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York: Eastern Whipbird [193295] recorded by David A McCartt; Spotted Catbird [189064] recorded by Cedar A Mathers-Winn; Wompoo Fruit-Dove [202015] recorded by Emma I Greig.
Southern Cassowary recorded by Marc Anderson, sourced from http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Casuarius-casuarius
BirdNote’s theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
Producer: John Kessler
Executive Producer: Dominic Black
© 2016 Tune In to Nature.org March 2018/2022 Narrator: Mary McCann
ID# australia-02-2016-03-21 australia-02(b)
Bob Sundstrom
Writer
Mary McCann
NarratorSights & Sounds
