Canberra Ornithologists Group

31/05/2026

Can you Find June’s Bird of the Month? The White-throated Treecreeper

As the name suggests, White-throated Treecreepers feed by hopping up trees and gleaning insects (mostly ants) from crevices in the bark as they go. When it nears the top of a tree, it often drops in a near vertical dive to a nearby tree and starts the process again. If you have binoculars when watching this behaviour, check out the extraordinary toes this bird has.

If you do go looking for and find a White-throated Treecreeper this month, please tell us about it by leaving a comment to this post. We’d love to hear your White-throated Treecreeper story.

What to Look For:

At 14-16.5 cm, the White-throated Treecreeper is a bit larger than last month’s Scarlet Robin. On size and superficial appearance it could be described as a little brown bird (lbb) but closer inspection reveals a bird full of character and beauty. A stark white throat contrasts with a brown head and back, and attractive black and white patterning on the belly and flanks. Also, you will almost invariably see it clinging vertically to tree trunks - the only bird commonly found in Canberra woodlands to do this on an almost continuous basis. Males and females are similar, but the female has a spot of colour that the male lacks - can you spot the difference in the two individuals pictured above? Juveniles are even more colourful, being similar to the female but also having a rufous rump. Treecreepers really are delightful birds; they are often quite unphased by people allowing for extended observations. Once you know them, you’ll start to notice and enjoy them throughout the forests of Canberra.

Their call is a carrying, piping trill which is sometimes given frequently, other times hardly at all-not a big help I know! That said, once you’ve learnt the call, it is often the first sign you have that they’re around.

Where to Look:

Similar places to where you found the Scarlet Robin last month: think Tuggeranong Hill, Cooleman Ridge, Narrabundah Hill, Mt Majura, The Pinnacle or Mulligans Flat - but they are really very widespread and can be found around Canberra in almost any wooded habitat.

Zoom into this eBird species map to find places to see White-throated Treecreeper and for sound recordings https://ebird.org/species/whttre3

And finally, what's in a name?

Ian Fraser and Jeannie Gray’s delightful book Australian Bird Names gives a bit of background to the White-throated Treecreeper’s scientific name Cormobates leucophaea.

All from ancient Greek:
Cormobates from Kormos tree-trunk or log, and bates-a walker, literally “tree walker”;
leucophaea leucos-white and phaios-dusky.

So, if you’re feeling poetic, you can tell your friends you saw a “Dusky-white tree-treader” when you find one!

Photo credits:Tobias Hayashi David Cook

28/05/2026

Friday attitude!

Thanks to Linda J Wilson for this wonderful photo of an Australian Magpie at the National Arboretum.

26/05/2026

Can you help us solve the mystery of the “buried” lyrebird feathers?

In What Birdo is That? A Field Guide to Bird-People, Libby Robin writes that the Superb Lyrebird “… takes the trouble to bury its discarded feathers …”

An intriguing behaviour - is the lyrebird very hygiene conscious or perhaps seeking to hide evidence of itself from predators?

Canberra Birds was keen to get to the bottom of it, however further references to this behaviour in the literature are surprisingly scarce.

One clue comes from Archibald J. Campbell’s 1900 work on lyrebirds, reproduced on the Museums Victoria website. Campbell noted that lyrebird nests were lined with the bird’s own feathers (https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/articles/1171)

Which raises an interesting possibility: could some observations of “buried” feathers actually have been feathers incorporated into nests, partly hidden under leaf litter or nesting material?

Or do lyrebirds genuinely dispose of discarded feathers deliberately?

Another possible angle is this - lyrebirds are prodigious “rakers” of the forest floor, moving huge amounts of litter and soil while feeding.

Is it possible feathers on the ground in fact become partly covered or incorporated into disturbed litter? (-https://theconversation.com/new-research-shows-lyrebirds-move-more-litter-and-soil-than-any-other-digging-animal-141737)

Calling all birders - has anyone here ever found lyrebird feathers apparently tucked away, covered, or incorporated into nests? We’d love to hear your observations and insights, and explanations for this fascinating behaviour!

Image credit: Lyrebird nest - A.J. Campbell - via Museums Victoria

Lyrebird - David Cook

13/05/2026

Suburbs in Canberra with older trees have more birds— here’s why

Canberra Birds recently heard from Philip Gibbons, Emeritus Professor at the Australian National University, who shared insights from 15 years of research on mature trees in and around Canberra.

His research shows bird richness and abundance in the ACT is most strongly associated with trees greater than 80 cm in diameter. This is because:
- They contain the most hollows - important for bird (and bat) nesting and shelter
- Birds prefer near-horizontal, small-diameter branches for perching and platforms — large trees have 7x more of these
- Dead branches are used more than live ones, likely due to clearer sightlines.

Sadly, trees greater than 80 cm in diameter make up just 2% of Canberra’s urban park trees, and we are losing these trees in an ongoing decline, with 60-80% of remnant native trees being removed in greenfield residential developments.

Fortunately, there are options for keeping old trees in new urban developments, for example, by planning around them or planting shrubs under trees so pedestrians don’t walk under them.

Even a single, isolated old tree can offer as much or more value than a clump of many trees.

If you would like to know more about Philip’s research, check out this article: https://fennerschool.anu.edu.au/news-events/news/smart-city-planning-can-preserve-old-trees-and-wildlife-needs-them

Image credit: Geoffrey Dabb

11/05/2026

Listen to the songs and calls of some of Australia's birds. All but one of these species can be found in Canberra. If you can pick that bird, post its name as a Comment. Thank you jeremyfilmsthings for your posts. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWOM3YqiQ8Z/?. igsh=ZHpjeHM5cXpuOWRh

01/05/2026

Can you find the Bird of the Month? The Scarlet Robin

By now, the population of Scarlet Robins within the city limits of Canberra is near its peak. Breeding (mostly) in the Tidbinbillas and Brindabellas to the west, Scarlet Robins are altitudinal migrants that start to descend into Canberra in late March and remain until Septemberish. Some breed at lower altitudes so this species can be
observed year-round within the city limits as well as further afield in the ACT.

If you do go looking and find a Scarlet Robin this month, please tell us about it by leaving a comment to this post. We’d love to hear your Scarlet Robin story.

What to Look For
Scarlet Robins are small. Only about 12-13 cm. The male of this species might be thought of as pied (black and white) when viewed from behind, but when they turn, a small beacon is lit in the bush. A glorious scarlet splash of colour brings a gasp and a smile.

The female is subtler, look for a wash of orange on an otherwise pale breast. The orange is quite variable, being almost lacking in some female birds. Note also the brown back with buff wing bars and the upright perching stance which is common to all the robin species.

The juvenile is similar to the female but lacks the orange
wash.

Scarlet Robins are the most plentiful of the four robin species in Canberra, with Flame Robins also found around the city in winter. In some locations outside the city you might find other robin species as well. We are so lucky to have such a variety in and around the bush capital :)

For photos and more info see the Scarlet Robin page on the Canberra Birds website at https://canberrabirds.org.au/bird/scarlet-robin/

Where to Look
Bushland areas in Canberra with woodland and open forest: think Tuggeranong Hill, Cooleman Ridge, Narrabundah Hill, Mt Majura, The Pinnacle or Mulligans Flat - but they are really very widespread and can be found around Canberra in almost any wooded habitat. They occasionally venture into gardens.

Zoom into this eBird species map to find places to see Scarlet Robins https://ebird.org/species/scarob2

And finally, what's in a name?
Ian Fraser's delightful book Australian Bird Names gives a bit of background to the Scarlet Robin’s scientific name Petroica boodang
Petroica means Rock Dweller in ancient Greek. This is a bit of a misnomer as it refers to Norfolk Island where a "type specimen" for this genus originated, but it doesn't reflect the habitat of the genus at all.

Boodang is interesting, as it is one of the few instances I'm aware of where English ornithologists incorporated the Aboriginal name into the scientific name. Scarlet Robins were referred to as "boodangs" in the Sydney area.

And there you have it, our inaugural Bird of the Month. I should have also mentioned Scarlet Robins have a beautiful song, so have a listen to that on our website or in eBird as well!

Words by Peter Miller

Image credit 1: James Rolevink

Images credit 2: Julian Robinson

14/04/2026

“Bird watching reminds me that even the smallest observations can lead to meaningful insights.”

Meet Brendah Nyaguthii, PhD candidate at the ANU and Canberra Birds' member.

Brendah is a behavioural ecologist passionate about avian social systems, movement ecology, and the complex dynamics that shape group-living species.

Her interest in animals began in childhood, but her passion for birds truly took flight in 2012 when she joined the university wildlife club while studying wildlife management and conservation as an undergrad at the University of Eldoret in Kenya.

With her consistency and enthusiasm for showing up early to weekend bird walks, Brendah was soon appointed as the birdwatching leader for the club in 2014 and 2015, where she led walks and upped her skills in identification and observation.

Brendah then interned at the National Museums of Kenya in the Zoology Department, ornithology section, before joining Mpala Research Centre as a project manager for the Vulturine Guineafowl project.

“I was involved in long-term behavioural and movement studies, contributing to research on one of the few bird species known to form multilevel societies.”

Brendah later joined ANU to study the social behaviour and movement ecology of the White-winged Chough, where she has learnt much about this highly social, aggressive, vocal, red-eyed stalwart of Canberra.

For instance: “Flocks formed during the non-breeding season can contain up to 100 individuals. Through banding and surveys, we’ve shown that distinct social groups maintain their identities within larger aggregations.”

“The breeding season is marked by intense inter-group interactions. I have observed high levels of aggression between neighbouring groups, including the striking behaviour of nest usurpation, where large groups take over the nests of smaller Chough groups nearby.”

Brendah’s favourite birding experience was in Tasmania, where she observed nearly all the endemic species.

“The best encounter was a Forty-spotted Pardalote at our very first stop.”

Her favourite places in the ACT for birdwatching are Jerrabomberra Wetlands Nature Reserve, the Australian National Botanical Gardens, and Mulligan’s Flat Nature Reserve.

Outside of birdwatching, she enjoys hiking and running.

Thank you for sharing your research and your story, Brendah!

Photo 1: Brendah at Mpala Research Centre in Kenya.
Photo 2: Brendah banding a white-winged chough in Lyneham Ridge as part of an ANU banding capture and release program.

06/04/2026

Honeyeater Migration Survey - calling for more volunteers!
Build your birding skills and take part in citizen science!
The 2026 Survey has been run each Saturday since mid March.
From April 11 we will survey nine sites to replicate the survey conducted in 2025. To survey nine sites required a minimum of 18 volunteers. Unfortunately for the survey of 11 April I have 16 volunteers, for 18 April 12 volunteers and for 25 April 14 volunteers. I AM THEREFORE CALLING OUT FOR ADDITIONAL VOLUNTEERS for the next three surveys.
You do not need to be an expert. We are keen to include people who'd like to improve their birding skills. If you are interested, please contact me on [email protected]. Further details of the survey are on the Survey web page
Chris Davey

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