Spirits of the Sky Trivia Quiz

Answer: Black kite

All members of the kite family have a forked tail, although that of the black kite is less dramatically forked than is the case for some species. They are diurnal predators (meaning they hunt during the day), but are actually happy to act as scavengers, and spend much of their time gliding through the air looking for fresh kill or small prey that they can grab in their talons as they swoop over it.

Answer: Sulphur-crested cockatoo

The yellow feathers (along with a yellow tinge to the feathers under the wing and tail) are roughly the same colour as powdered sulphur, leading to the name. Sulphur-crested cockatoos are found naturally around most of the eastern coastal regions of Australia, and are often considered a pest, as they love to chew wood, and can be quite destructive when they decide that the wooden parts of a house look like a tasty treat. Because they are quite long-lived (birds have been known to live over 70 years in captivity), they are popular pets despite (or perhaps because of, for some) their noisiness.

Like many species of cockatoo, sulphur-crested cockies (the familiar abbreviation of cockatoos) often feed on the ground. When there is a gathering of them, they may attract predators, and be easily caught. They have developed a flock technique to protect themselves in this situation - one or more birds perch on nearby trees and keep an eye out for any signs of approaching danger. These birds let out a shrill whistle of warning which allows the grounded birds to take flight and escape. This behaviour has become a part of Australian slang, and someone who keeps a watch for approaching police while illegal activities (such as gambling or a burglary) are taking place is called a cockatoo, or is said to be keeping cocky.

Answer: Major Mitchell's cockatoo

Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell spent several decades exploring and surveying the eastern part of Australia, from 1827 until his death in 1855. Many rivers, towns, governmental divisions, and other Australian locations and institutions have been named after him. He described the pink cockatoo thus: "Few birds more enliven the monotonous hues of the Australian forest than this beautiful species whose pink-coloured wings and flowing crest might have embellished the air of a more voluptuous region". (The quotation is from Wikipedia, which does not have any further reference information.)

Also known as Leadbeater's cockatoo, in honour of a British naturalist whose name has been applied to a number of Australian animals, 'Lophochroa leadbeateri' is distinguished by its brightly-coloured crest, which has bands of red and yellow between the pink at the base and the white tips of the feathers. Its body is covered by a mixture of light pink and white feathers. The Pitjantjatjara people call them 'kakalyalya', a name which echoes their cry.

Answer: Barking owl

Also called the winking owl and the barking boobook, this bird has a strident vocalisation that is, at times, very like a dog's bark. The sound grows in shrillness under stress, and has been likened to the sound of a woman screaming. As can be seen in the picture, they have a brown body with white spots on the wings. Barking owls hunt by perching in trees and swooping down on their prey, which can include animals as large as rabbits and brushtail possums (which can weigh up to a kilogram, which is larger than the 750-gram average size of the owl). They also prey on birds such as sulphur-crested cockatoos and ducks, some as large as themselves. If it moves, a barking owl will try to catch and eat it.

The legends of the Bunyip are said to have originated in the explanation provided to early European settlers by indigenous Australians for the strange noises often heard in swamps and along riverbanks at night.

Answer: Males and females have dramatically different bright colouring.

It is a shame I can only show you one picture - this was a female, with a bright red body, and blue and purple wings. The male is bright green, with an orange beak, and underwing and tail feathers that are a mixture of shades of blue and/or yellow, depending on the subspecies.

The difference in color is so dramatic that early European settlers identified them as being two separate species. It may have arisen in conjunction with their unusual mating habits. Each female occupies and protects the tree which contains her nest for most of the year, and relies on multiple males to provide her with food, so she needs to have a conspicuous colouring to attract the attention of suitable males.

The males visit multiple females to provide food, and both males and females mate with multiple partners.

Answer: Black-breasted buzzard

Also called the black-breasted kite, 'Hamirostra melanosternon' is a member of the Accipitridae family which includes buzzards and kites, but it is in a different genus, of which it is the only member. They are known for their use of rocks to break open eggs, which they love to steal from the nests of other birds.

A black-breasted buzzard will pick up a stone in its beak and drop it on the egg, repeating until the egg cracks open. The bird in the picture is about to go find a nearby stone and start the process.

Answer: Brown falcon

The brown falcon is an Australian member of a genus that includes peregrine falcons, kestrels and hobbies. Unusually for a member of the falcon family, they fly quite slowly, and generally take their prey from the ground rather than in flight. They come in a range of colors from light beige to dark brown, and often have a mixture of shades in their plumage, with the wings often spotted or striped reddish-brown on the top surface.

Answer: Long-billed corella

The long-billed corella has an unusually long and hooked beak, which it uses to dig for the roots and seeds which form the bulk of its diet. This has led to their being considered agricultural pests, but they are very popular as pets, because they are among the best 'talkers' of all Australian natives. Of course, their striking colouration is also an attraction.

The body is mostly white, with yellow feathers under the wing and tail. There is a bright pink ring around its neck, and reddish feathers in the region between the eyes and in the region between eyes and beak.

The eyes are surrounded by a circle of bright blue skin, making their eyes appear even larger than they actually are.

Answer: Wedge-tailed eagle

Wedge-tailed eagles, or wedgies as they are often called, have a wide wingspread and fully-feathered legs, but it is the distinctive triangular shape of its tail that gives the bird its common name and makes them easy to spot when in flight. They can often be seen gliding high in the sky, floating on thermals and searching for prey, often rabbits.

They can take quite large animals - they have been known to work in teams to capture a kangaroo, and regularly take sheep, especially lambs. They are also carrion eaters, and can be seen scanning roads in the bush looking for freshly-killed carcasses.

Answer: South-eastern red-tailed black cockatoo

The picture shows a male, with a black body and a tail with two red stripes. Females have dull orange and yellow stripes. The south-eastern subspecies is endangered, but the red-tailed black cockatoo is still widespread in the northern and western parts of Australia, where it appears in the myths of a number of indigenous people.

In the Tiwi islands, legend has it that they accompany the spirits of the dead to the afterlife. The birds are active during the day, and can often be seen flying in large and noisy flocks.

Their diet consists of seeds (mostly from eucalyptus trees) and nuts.