Common Sydney Birds Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sulphur-crested cockatoo

They are a large bird, about 50cm (20 inches) long, and very noisy! They have an upturned yellow crest, which gives them their name. An inquisitive and intelligent animal, they can often be seen in swarms, and they are actually considered a pest in some areas.

This trio was part of a group of about ten birds that often gather on my balcony for a feed.

The palm cockatoo is not found in Sydney; it inhabits the more tropical Cape York Peninsula in the far north of the country. It is the largest Australian cockatoo, and is coloured black, with bright red cheeks.

Budgerigars are much smaller parrots and are popular pets around the world. They breed in the millions in the drier areas of Australia and are mainly green and gold. In captivity, other colours have been developed, with blue and white a popular combination.

The kakapo is also a parrot, but it is native to New Zealand, and unusually, flightless.

Answer: Yes, but not very well

The brushturkey can fly but rarely does. It will fly into the branches of a tree to roost for the night, but spends most of its time with its feet firmly on the ground. Their nests are huge- often 4 metres (13 ft) across and a metre (3 ft) high. They are made of compostable materials, which helps with the hatching of the eggs- the warmth produced by the breakdown of the vegetation maintains the temperature at about 34C (93F), and the eggs are completely buried.

The chicks dig their way out and are left to fend for themselves, as their parents provide no support at all.

Answer: Yellow flower petals

They are cute little things, and full of energy. It is very rare to see one standing still- they are constantly hopping and bouncing around in pursuit of insects. Like many bird breeds, the male is brightly coloured, with the female being just a dull brown and grey. Both sexes have a upright tail.

The male will gather yellow petals to woo the lady, but both sexes are quite promiscuous. The bowerbird makes an offering of blue items to prospective mates.

Answer: Rainbow lorikeet

The rainbow lorikeet is yet another type of parrot (Australia has LOTS of them!).These birds are also visitors to my balcony. They are very active in the evening, with flocks of hundreds of birds flying between trees and squawking loudly. They are a bit unusual in that both sexes are brightly-coloured.

The noisy miner (not to be confused with the imported myna), is a common bird across much of Australia, but particularly in built-up areas. It is a species of honeyeater. The currawong is a large bird, similar in size to a magpie, but generally a sleek black colour, with white under the wings.

A cassowary would never be found in Sydney. They are a very large flightless bird found in the rainforests of northern Queensland.

Answer: True

Because early British settlers were exposed to many weird and wonderful flora and fauna, they used names that they were familiar with. Robins and finches are other examples of British names being assigned to totally different species in the two countries. The Australian and English birds are both black and white, but they are quite different in many other respects.

In the 1860s, magpies were introduced into New Zealand to help control pests. A well-known poem by Denis Glover, called 'The Magpies', describes the mature magpie's call as "quardle oodle ardle wardle doodle", which sounds more melodious than it looks in here! A group of maggies in full voice is a wonderful sound.

Answer: Whip

The eastern whipbird's call can be heard in scrubland and eucalyptus forests along the eastern seaboard. It belongs to the genus 'Psophodes', which appropriately means 'noisy'.

Answer: Bin chicken

It is related to the African ibis, but is definitely an Aussie native. A very bold bird that is comfortable around humans. It gets its nickname from its food scavenging habits, which usually involve strewing the contents of rubbish bins far and wide. They will also snatch items from picnicgoer's hands, as my daughter will attest- she does not like them at all!

'Laughing jackass' and 'bushman's clock' are both nicknames for the much beloved kookaburra.

Answer: LC- Least Concern

Ratings of conservation status is determined by the international organisation, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). LC is the category with the lowest risk rating.

It is another bird that shares a name with a European one, whilst being unrelated. They are a small bird, but with a large attitude. They will defend themselves against much larger birds, like kookaburras and eagles. Their nest is quite distinctive- it consists of grass, fur, leaves, held together with spider webs and mud.

Answer: Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)

Despite their name, Australian kingfishers do not usually eat fish, but will eat lots of other small animals, including mice, lizards, small birds and even snakes. They are known for their laughing call which is usually heard at dawn and dusk. They also feature heavily in Australian culture- the song 'Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree' was taught to generations of kids, they have appeared on currency and postage stamps, the men's hockey team is known as the Kookaburras, and a kookaburra's call was adapted to create the voice of Flipper in the 1964 TV series of the same name.

Answer: Galah

Galahs are very common, both in urban and rural settings. Its name comes from an Aboriginal word, 'gilaa', and they feed on seeds. The word galah has another meaning- it is a slang term for a fool or idiot.

Corellas are a smaller cousin of the galah, with mainly white plumage. Their distribution around the country is similar.

Lyrebirds are found in rainforests and national parks, and are known as superb mimics. They can imitate such things as chainsaws, possums, car alarms, barking dogs and even human voices. The male has a superb tail that he uses in courtship displays, and is where the species got its name- it is shaped like an ancient Greek lyre.

The jabiru is the only stork native to Australia, but inhabits the wetlands of northern Australia. It is also known a black-necked stork, and should not be confused with the American bird of the same name.