Most residents at Paluma are avid bird watchers and as the seasons change, so does the variety of bird species that come and go round the village. As winter approaches, many of our favourite species are becoming regular visitors to local gardens and verandahs as they check out what’s on offer at the bird feeder.
Last weekend was a great time for a spot of bird watching, with Jan and Peter Cooke taking up their favourite vantage point on their elevated verandah set adjacent to the rainforest. Some splendid feathered visitors arrived to enjoy the free fruit and easy pickings at the bird feeder.
Below are some of Peter Cooke’s fantastic photos from the verandah. What a way to spend the weekend!
Lewins HoneyeaterA hungry CatbirdFemale Riflebird or a young male Riflebird? Can you tell the difference?A male Riflebird at his iridescent best!
Photos by Peter Cooke & Text by Michele Bird(A ‘Cooked-Bird Collaboration’).
Trees are the principal structural element of rainforests, creating a variety of climates and microhabitats for numerous plants and animals. The Wet Tropics hosts a huge diversity of trees (about 920 species) with over 100 species typically found in just 1 hectare.
The main visible parts of trees in a mature rainforest are the trunks, which are not particularly different among most species. This makes tree identification difficult for the inexperienced visitor. Three of the 5 easy species listed here are among the few with highly distinctive trunks and bark. The remaining two are common along the main roads of the village where their distinctive leaves and fruit are easy to see.
1. Paperbark Satinash (Syzygium papyraceum)
This is one of the most distinctive trees in the Paluma rainforest and is quite common, especially along the Andrée Griffin Track. It has bright orangey-brown flaky bark and roots. It grows to a height of 20 to 30 metres and often has buttresses. While the flowers are not very distinctive the bright purple fruit, which litter the ground under the tree from December to February, are readily identifiable. Leaves are glossy dark green obovate (with the narrower end towards the leaf-base).
Cassowaries, Bush Rats, White-tailed Rats and Musky Rat Kangaroos eat the fruit.
This tree gets its name because its trunk, when compared with other surrounding trees, is very cold to touch. It is also known as the Python Tree perhaps because its mottled green and tan colouring and slightly twisting trunk resemble the marking and sinuous form of a large python. This combination of a smooth mottled bark and cold feel is what makes the tree easy to identify.
Growing to a height of about 25 metres it this tree can sometimes form buttress roots. The simple leaves are about 80 to 105 mm long and elliptical or ovate in shape. When crushed they have a slightly eucalyptus smell.
While not abundant in the forest track around Paluma, specimens can be seen on the Rainforest Track, H-Track and the main track towards Witt’s Lookout. See if you can spot them, growing among trees similar in appearance.
The striking feature of this tree is the scattering of brilliant red and orange heart-shaped leaves. Rather than a mass seasonal colouration change, only a few a leaves at a time turn bright red before dropping. Its leaves are simple with a smooth, glossy upper surface and a glaucous (pale) underside. The stems exude a milky sap when broken.
The tiny flowers are white or cream, have no petals making them difficult to detect. Flowering can occur in any month. The fruits which follow are small green to purplish. The fruit is eaten by many bird species, notably Rifle-birds, Bower-birds and Pigeons. Possums eat the leaves.
These trees are most easily seen along the roads in the village. A good example of the tree can be seen along the McClelland’s Lookout path and they are also commonly found along the village roads.
The Bleeding Heart is also the host tree for the Hercules Moth, which is the largest moth in the World.
This tree is also known as the Bull Oak. Although it is quite common along the forest paths, the trunk is not particularly distinctive, so it is most commonly identified from the carpet of “butterfly seedlings” that occur near mature trees during the late wet and early dry seasons. A month or so after germination the first true leaves develop and the butterfly shape is lost. Around the village roads there are several good specimens of the Northern Silky Oak that can be identified by the large prominent seed pods.
Photo by Andi Cairns
The fragrant white or cream flowers grow in terminal racemes or spikes, crowning the tree spectacularly from October to December. Then, in January, standing proud on long stems above the tree canopy, the large oval seedcases are silhouetted against the sky. The empty seed capsules are brown and woody and lie like miniature cobblestones on a bumpy pavement but they quickly decompose back into the soil.
Photos by Andi Cairns
The dark, oak-like timber of this tree is highly regarded and sought after for furniture and cabinet making. It once made up 15% of all timber production in the area.
This species is one of the larger common trees along the rainforest tracks, with a round symmetrical trunk whose diameter can exceed 1 metre in mature specimens. It can be identified by its distinctive trunk, which is covered in pale “pimples” or lenticels. Larger trees also have distinctive raised, round, sinuous roots extending out several metres from the trunk.
All species in this genus have separate sexes with individual trees being either male or female. The orange fruit on female trees are small, solitary and oval. They are eaten by pigeons.
About 162 species of reptiles can be found in the Wet Tropics. The concentration of endemic species (that are found nowhere else) is greater (18 species) than anywhere else in Australia. Likewise, the Wet Tropics hosts an impressive variety of frogs (amphibians). Out of the 212 species known to Australia nearly 29% can be found in the region[1]. Unfortunately, reptiles and amphibians tend not be as visible to the casual Paluma visitor. Frogs are most active at night during the wet season, while many reptiles seek the shade of logs and rocks when the sun is high. Nevertheless, there are two species of reptiles that are often out and about in gardens and along the roads and open tracks of the village. Two of the frogs listed here are best found by going out with a torch at night and listening first for their distinctive calls. With luck you may be able to trace the call to its origin and be rewarded with a view of the frog itself. The third frog can be found along the H-Track using a torch to look for eye shine on warm, wet, summer nights
1. Red-bellied Black Snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus)
Red-bellied Black Snake showing red markings on its side
This is the most commonly seen snake around Paluma village, and can often be found sunning itself on a rock in gardens and along the road. They hibernate during the winter but can be found most other times of the year. They are relatively thick bodied and a uniform dull black above and pale below with a series of red blotches long the side.
Although it belongs to the venomous elapid family, for its sizethe Red-Bellied Black Snake is probably the least dangerous elapid snake in Australia. Despite the number of bites received every year, very few human deaths have resulted. You should still be very cautious when encountering this snake. Keep your distance and stamp your feet to encourage it to move away.
During the morning they can often be seen sunning themselves on a rock
Red-bellied Black Snakes are the only species in the genus Pseudechis that have live young (the other species are all egg-layers). They feed on a variety of vertebrates including fish, tadpoles, frogs, lizards, snakes (including its own species), and mammals.
For a more detailed account of the Red-bellied Black Snake and it’s habits see the post by Colwyn Campbell. Addition notes and observations by Linda Venn were also presented in a recent post here.
2. Eastern Water Skink (Eulampris quoyii)
Skinks are small, smooth-bodied lizards, with most species having no defined neck. They are the most common type of lizard seen around gardens throughout Australia and there are about 389 different species. The Eastern Water Skink is a large species (28cm long) that can often be seen and heard rustling in the leaf litter in search of small prey.
They shelter in holes and burrows, under logs and rocks, and near streams and ponds feeding on a diet of water beetles and other aquatic insects, snails, tadpoles, spiders, small fishes, smaller lizards, and native fruit. They can become quite tame and will quickly learn to eat small bugs and meal worms out of your hand. Birds, big lizards, and black snakes all prey on these skinks. Eastern Water Skinks breed in spring and as many as nine live babies are born in summer.
Further notes and observations on the Eastern Water Skink by Linda Venn can be found here
3. Orange-thighed Tree Frog (Litoria xanthomera)
This frog is arguably the most photogenic in tropical Australia, with a deep green upper surface, deep red-orange eyes, and lemony-orange sides to its legs and toes. It is quite common in Paluma and during rainy nights it can often be heard calling near garden ponds and gutters around the village.
A male calling
Its call is very distinctive, and you are more likely to hear this species than see it. However, if you are able to trace the calls, you should be able to find a male perched on a leaf or twig near a pool or puddle. Watching a male inflate its yellow throat as it calls is a great reward for diligent searching.
Litoria xanthomera calling near a small pond in front of a house in the village
During the day these frogs hide in the foliage and can have very different pale green and white skin and whitish eye colour.
4. Mottled Barred Frog (Mixophyes coggeri)
This large mottled frog can frequently be found beside the road on Lennox Cr. and along the H-Track at night during the wet season. They can be picked up from their eye-shine using a torch and tend not to move when approached, so it is easy to get close enough for a clear identification.
Mixophyes coggeri showing two different colourations
They are also found (and heard at night) around the Village Weir. The call is a loud croak that can be heard at some distance.
Mixophyes coggeri calling in the early evening from the weir near the Community Hall
There is one other species of mottled frog (Northern Barred Frog – Mixophyes schevilli) that can be found around Paluma that looks very similar but has a distinct continuous stripe down its back, whereas M. coggeri has an irregular and discontinuous series of dark blotches.
Photo by Reiner Richter (Creative Commons Attribution International CC BY 4.0)
This tiny frog has an amazingly loud call that is so common in the evenings at Paluma that it becomes part of the background soundscape. It hides out in the foliage and on the forest floor and is seldom seen. Even tracking down a calling male can be a frustrating and often futile exercise. However, the call itself is so distinctive that you can confidently claim you have identified one just by hearing it.
Cophixalus australis calling near a house in the village
There are 13 species of nursery frogs in the Wet Tropics and many of them have highly restricted distributions with some occupying only a single mountain top forest. Consequently, Nursery Frogs are considered to be one of the most threatened groups of vertebrates in the Wet Tropics bioregion. However, the Southern Ornate Nursery Frog has a much wider distribution and is not considered threatened.
Nursery Frogs have direct development (eggs are deposited under rocks or logs in moist soil and the froglets hatch directly from the eggs). The male has been known to guard the eggs during development – hence the common name.
Katydids, also known as bush crickets, belong to the Tettigoniidae Family and are closely related to grasshoppers. Around the world, apart from Antarctica, there are 6400 species known, of which 900 live in Australia.
This little critter is a Leafy Katydid that I found hanging on my bedroom curtains. It is the biggest katydid I have seen and I thought it may be unusual, however after consulting Google, I discovered that 6 cm is a normal adult size for this species, Paracaedicia serrata. Their life span is a year or less, with most being eaten by birds and small mammals before they reach adulthood. However in the tropics, some can live longer.
The wings are green and leaflike with a fine yellow streak along the edge. The hind legs are finely serrated. Leafy katydids inhabit rainforests and feed on leaves, grass, flower petals and sometimes fruit and aphids. When disturbed, they will remain motionless and can barely be distinguished from the surrounding leaves.
Eggs, looking like tiny seeds, are laid along the edges of leaves or along stems and when hatched, the nymphs will go through 5 successive moults before reaching maturity. The stridulous mating call is achieved by rubbing the front wings together.
So, next time you are gardening, see if you can find one of these cleverly camouflaged critters.
Over the years my garage has provided a refuge and habitat for a diversity of critters, some welcome and some not-so-welcome. Regular visitors have included leaf-tail geckos, eastern water skinks, rodents of all shapes, sizes and dispositions, as well as an occasional red-bellied black snake.
Just lately I have noticed that earthworms are visiting, mostly at night. Not only I have seen worms of many sizes, but evidence of their nightly forays are left in silvery tracks and trails across the garage floor.
The mother of all worms visited last night! The photograph below shows this specimen is a giant. The ruler in the photo is a standard 30 cm or 12 inch ruler. So, she measures at least 27 cm in length. I tried to measure her girth, but she was way too wriggly to hold and measure at the same time. I estimate she was about 1.5 cm round the body.
Late evening I decided to relocate this worm to a leafy, secluded spot in the garden, hoping that she would find a safe place to settle in before the family flock of chortling Chowchillas arrived as usual to forage the next morning!
Fungi
are an amazingly diverse group that includes not only mushrooms, coral,
bracket, stinkhorn, and jelly fungi (to mention but a few), but also yeasts,
moulds, and an assortment of nasty parasitic organisms that prey on both plants
and animals. There is also a range of fungi that specialise in symbiotic
relationships with other organisms e.g., lichens (fungus + alga + other
micro-organisms), and mycorrhizae that are an important symbiont with the roots
of many Australian trees. There are about 13,000 species of fungi formally
named and recorded in Australia, although estimates put the real number closer to 250,000, including 5,000 species of
mushrooms (of which only 5% have been named)1
Note:
Many of us enjoy the edible mushroom which we usually purchase from the
supermarket. There are other edible Australian wild fungi but we do not
recommend that you try any of the fungi mentioned below or indeed any that you might
find around Paluma – they are likely to be toxic and can cause serious harm!
Fungus identification often requires experience and technical skills, but there is a reasonable number that are so visually distinctive that almost no skills other than a good eye are needed to make an identification. The following 5 easy species are very distinctive, and at least during the wet season, they are fairly common along Paluma’s tracks.
1. Cyptotrama asprata (Golden Scruffy Collybia)
This distinctive and beautiful orange mushroom can be found along the H-track as well as other local tracks. The colour and prickly-looking surface of the cap are diagnostic. It grows in small groups on dead wood on the forest floor and is found worldwide in the tropics.
This dainty (and fragile) mushroom starts off with a rounded bell-shaped cap that becomes flat then slightly convex with age. The cap is generally cream coloured with varying degrees of yellow in the centre. It is quite common on local forest tracks. Even a gentle touch is likely to damage the cap. It is found on all continents.
3. Filoboletus manipularis – Soldier Pore Fungus
This common wet-season mushroom forms large clumps on both living tree trunks and old fallen logs. It has a pale brown central cap surrounded by pale cream to white, with a white speckled stem. It differs from other clumping fungi on trees in that it has distinctive reticulate pattern of pores under that cap instead of linear gills. Some strains of this mushroom are bioluminescent; however, this does not seem to be true of the ones around Paluma.
4. Stereum ostrea – Golden Curtain Crust
This fungus is commonly found on fallen logs. When still
growing and the weather is damp, they form deep orange concave fans that grow
out and up from a narrow base that remains attached to the log. The lower
surface of the thin fan is smooth while the upper surface often displays
concentric rings that vary in shade. In older specimens that are starting to
dry the colours change to rings of grey, brown and green. Eventually they
completely dry out and become papery crusts that crumble away. The fan can
sometimes split radially as it grows. Individuals can occur singly or cover the
length of large logs.
This is a beautiful and common fungus that can be found as small yellow/orange blades poking out of cracks in dead wood or as larger convoluted fans. It has a rubbery texture and often grows in clusters following grooves in old lumber. It may even be found on the wooden exterior walls of local buildings.
Bryophytes, the collective name for mosses, leafy and
thalloid liverworts, and hornworts, are generally small, inconspicuous plants.
They are often overlooked but are extraordinarily diverse. Most people will
walk past a mossy log in the rainforest without giving it a second glance…but
did you know that there could be 5 or more species of bryophytes there? And
they aren’t all ‘moss’!
Diversity is particularly high in the rainforests of the Wet Tropics. Of the 950+ species of mosses listed for the Australian continent, over 414 species have been recorded for north-eastern Queensland – almost 45% of the total! They are uncommon on the forest floor as they are quickly covered by fallen leaves, so look for bryophytes on earth banks, rotting logs, rocks, in streams, on the bark of trees and vines and on tree fern trunks (epiphytes), and as tiny communities on the upper surface of leaves (epiphylls).
Characters that separate bryophyte species are often difficult to identify without the aid of a microscope but there are several taxa that are easy to recognise with the naked eye – so for the Bryophytes section we’ll go with ‘5 easy genera’!
1. Leucobryum – moss
A rotting log covered withLeucobryum , H-track, Paluma
Leucobryon leaves appear pale green or whitish
Many rotting logs in the Paluma rainforest provide substrate for Leucobryum. The genus takes its name from the Greek leukos = white and bryon = moss. Six species of this white moss have been recorded from the Wet Tropics, of which four may be found at Paluma, growing on tree trunks and roots, dead wood, rocks, and occasionally on soil. Most mosses have leaves that are one cell thick but Leucobryum is an exception. Leaves are up to 3-, sometimes 4-cells thick with small cells containing chloroplasts sandwiched between large, hyaline (clear) cells – which is why Leucobryum looks pale green or whitish compared with other mosses
2. Lopidium – moss
Loppodium struthiopteris, Witt’s Lookout walk
Lopidium grows on saplings and tree trunks and could easily be mistaken for a miniature fern. Fronds can be up to 9 cm long but are often shorter. Unlike most mosses, which have leaves in a spiral arrangement around the stem, Lopidium has leaves that appear flattened in one plane. Australia has two species of Lopidium – L. concinnum and L. struthiopteris. Both are recorded from Paluma.
3. Hampeella – moss
Two species of Hampeella are known from the Wet Tropics – H. pallens, also known from Malesia and Taiwan, and the endemic H. concavifolia. Both species occur in the Paluma rainforest, attached to saplings or twigs (epiphytic), and occasionally growing along leaf margins (epiphylls). Stems of this bright green moss are 3–7cm long, often shorter.
Hampeella pallens growing on a sapling at Paluma
4. Rosulabryum – moss
Rosulabryum is a genus of mosses recorded from most Australian States. Eleven species have been listed for the Wet Tropics but only five species occur in the vicinity of Paluma, growing on tree trunks or on the forest floor, often in large mats. Spirally arranged and usually clustered in a rosette, leaves are quite large (up to 6 mm long) – if you look closely you may see that each leaf has a central midrib (known as a ‘costa’).
Rosulabryum sp growing on a tree trunk at Rosulabryum sp leaf McClellands Lookout the central midrib = costa
5. Bazzania – leafy liverwort
A closer
look at the ‘mossy’ trunks of trees will reveal they are often not covered with
moss at all!
The leafy liverwort Bazzania is common on tree trunks and branches or growing intermixed with mosses such as Leucobryum. Look closely at the log covered with Leucobryum along the H-track. At the lower edge of the log you’ll find a band of Bazzania adnexa. Twenty-nine species of Bazzania have been recorded for the Wet Tropics, many of which occur in the Paluma rainforest. All Bazzania species have two rows of lateral leaves, a row of ventral leaves (underleaves), and fine branchlets with minute leaves arising from the axils of underleaves. The shape and size of the underleaves aid in identification of Bazzania species.
Bazzania sp. covering a tree trunk, Witts Lookout walking track
Bazzania adnexa showing underleaves and fine branchlets with reduced leaves
Bazzania adnexa, one of the many species of Bazzania recorded from Paluma
Found an interesting bryophyte in your garden? Andi would be happy to identify it! Contact Andi: andi.cairns@bigpond.com
Ferns are common plants found almost everywhere in the rainforest, from the forest floor, on logs, in tree canopies and on trunks, and growing as tall ‘tree ferns’. Ferns are a group of vascular plants that lack flowers and seeds. (The term ’vascular’ refers to specialised structures that conduct water, minerals, and nutrients around the plant.) The life cycle of a fern has two distinct stages – the larger plants that we are familiar with produce spores on their leaves, spores later germinate in damp areas into tiny plants that sexually reproduce – thereby completing the cycle to form new spore-producing plants. Some ferns can be tricky to identify and require inspection of the placement of spores on the fronds, but there are quite a few that have distinctive features, readily distinguishable by a careful novice observer.
1. Rebecca’s Tree Fern (Cyathea rebeccae)
Frond of Rebecca’s Tree Fern
Although many gardens around Paluma have tree ferns with robust trunks reaching up to 10 metres or more in height (Cyathea cooperi) the most common tree fern you will encounter along the shady walking tracks near the village is Rebecca’s Tree Fern. This species has a distinctive slender trunk and deep green glossy fronds that are ‘bipinnate’ (see leaf types below). Rebecca’s Tree Fern is also commonly found along the sides of smaller roads (eg. back of Lennox Cr.) where its ability to produce suckers around the main stem (an unusual feature in a tree fern) allows it to form small clumps. These young suckers can be mistaken for some other fern since the fronds don’t form secondary leaflets (they are pinnate rather than bipinnate). Uncommon in the Paluma rainforest but more widespread in the north, Cyathea robertsiana is the only other species of tree fern that has a slender trunk . It can be distinguished from Rebecca’s tree fern by its more delicate fronds, with leaflets that are deeply lobed.
Types of fronds
Deeply lobed leaflets of the Lacy Tree Fern
2. Bird’s nest fern (Asplenium australasicum)
The bird’s nest fern is a well-known feature of the Wet Tropics and easy to recognise by its elongate simple fronds arising from a central area that often accumulates leaf litter and the occasional seedling of other plants. This fern is generally epiphytic (growing on other plants) and along the walking tracks is usually found on tree limbs high up in the forest, although in well-lit areas (and gardens) it can be found on logs or tree trunks near the forest floor. Asplenium australasicum is by far the most common bird’s nest fern around Paluma and can be identified (if it is low enough) by checking the mid-rib of one of the larger fronds. A. australasicum has a prominent triangular raised mid-rib on the lower surface of the frond, while the upper surface is much smoother. Another species (A. nidus) which is less likely to occur has a prominent rounded mid-rib on the upper surface of its fronds while the lower surface is smooth.
3. King Fern (Angiopteris evecta)
While it is not a tree fern with a defined trunk, this fern
has the largest fronds in the world (up to 9m long) and its base can be 3m
across. Such giant specimens are more common around the Daintree, but smaller
specimens (fronds up to 1.5m) can be found reliably along the banks of most
creeks around the village. It is most
easily recognised by the large glossy pinnate fronds and by their bulbous base.
There are examples of this fern on either side of the foot bridges halfway
along the H-Track, and at the far end of the Rainforest Track.
4. Elkhorn Fern (Platycerium bifurcatum)
This is a common epiphytic fern around Paluma and can be found on trees from nearly ground level to the crown. It can grow to an enormous size and will occasionally overbalance a small tree and cause it to fall over. The primary erect fronds are flattened and divided into large fingers or lobes at the margin. The fronds are initially erect but then hang down to cover the base. The base is formed from flat guard leaves that turn brown. The elkhorn fern has multiple centres of frond growth, which distinguishes it from the staghorn fern (more likely found in open forests) which has only one centre.
5. Gristle Fern (Blechnum cartilagineum)
The gristle fern is a glossy leaved fern of the forest floor that has beautiful pink new fronds. The fern can be distinguished from most others along the Paluma tracks by the shape of the leaf and the fact that the lobes or leaflets of each frond extend onto the central axis and merge with the adjacent leaflet. Most other ferns of this shape and habit have distinct leaflets arising from the bare central stem.
One other fairly common species of fern has this form of merged central leaflets along the stem but it also has small leaf-like lobes extending down the base, whereas in C. cartilageneum the base of the stem is bare. The patterns of veins on the leaflets are also quite distinctive – they occur in pairs that arise from a single point on the central stem.
Vein pattern on underside of leaflet Frond showing bare base
Rainforests are the most biologically diverse of all
terrestrial habitats, and the number of different species in just a small plot
of forest can be huge. For the
interested amateur, identifying the myriad of rainforest plants and animals can
be challenging! We don’t know exactly how many species of plants and animals
live in the rainforests of the Queensland Wet Tropics – for some groups e.g.fungi,
some insect families, there may actually be more undescribed species than ones
that have been formally identified. It is likely that during a short 15 min
walk along Paluma rainforest tracks you could be passing several hundred
different species of plants and animals. Some of these are large and
conspicuous while others could require much closer inspection (and perhaps a
hand lens) to identify.
Paluma is located at the southern end of the Wet Tropics
World Heritage Area. The WTWHA contains at least 663 vertebrate animal species,
and invertebrate fauna is the richest in Australia. Land snails alone are
represented by 222 species. It is estimated that the Wet Tropics probably has around
40,000 species of insect, including 230 butterfly species and 135 dung beetle
species. Plant diversity is equally remarkable with 2,800 species of vascular
plants – 700 of which are only found in the region[1].
All this seems very impressive but it leaves the casual
visitor somewhat overwhelmed – to the point where any interest in identifying
species can be lost in the enormity of the task.
The purpose of this series of posts is to enable even the
most casual and inexperienced visitor to identify the five most common and
distinctive species from each of 10 or so groups of plants and animals. By
breaking the task down in to 5 easy species from each group a weekend visitor
with a keen interest in the task might become familiar with 10 or 20 different
rainforest species, and after a few such visits might claim knowledge of 50 or
more species!
We will start with one of the easiest groups (birds) and then move on to other groups that may require a little more effort and patience. By the end of this series we hope to have compiled an online and downloadable guide to the 50 most common and easily identified species around Paluma village.
Birds are one of the most conspicuous rainforest animals and
many of them are quite easy to identify, so it is appropriate to start our ‘5
easy species’ series with this group. The five birds listed here were chosen because
they are very common around Paluma roads and walking tracks at most times of
the year. They are also easy to identify from photos and descriptions. All of
these birds are less common down on the coast and thus contribute to the
feeling that you have entered a whole new environment when you take the drive
up to Paluma.
1. Lewin’s Honeyeater (Meliphaga lewinii)
Lewin’s honeyeater is commonly seen flitting among low branches of trees and shrubs along road edges or in open picnic areas. While its soft green and grey colouring does not make it stand out, the yellow half-moon cheek patch and its staccato call make it easily to identify.
Lewin’s Honeyeater call. (recording by Andrée Griffin)
It is also a very common visitor to bird feeders around the village. A related species, the yellow-spotted honeyeater, can also sometimes be found in the village. It has a more rounded cheek patch and its call is very different (not staccato).
Lewin’s Honeyeater
2. White-cheeked Honeyeater (Phylidonyris niger)
White-cheeked Honeyeater
This strikingly bold black and white honeyeater is smaller than the Lewin’s and can be found flitting amongst shrubs and trees, feeding on flowers. It has a large white cheek patch and yellow streaks on the wings. It is one of the most common birds to visit bird feeders around the village. Here it displays a surprisingly bold demeanor, chasing much larger birds away from the food on offer.
3. Brush Turkey (Alectura lathani)
Photo by Michele Bird
This large black bird with a mostly bald red head is commonly seen around picnic areas, roadsides and along rainforest tracks where it uses its feet to scratch the leaf litter in search of insects. During the breeding season (August to December), males develop gorgeous yellow neck wattles to attract females. Eggs are buried in large mounds of leaf litter built and tended by the male. The heat of decomposition of litter in the mound provide the warmth needed to incubate the eggs.
4. Crimson Rosella (Platycerus elegans)
This beautiful crimson and blue parrot is commonly seen around Paluma but almost never in the nearby coastal areas. It is found in trees or shrubs, as well as on the ground when grass seed is available. The head and breast are deep red, while its back is red with blue mottling. The tail, wings and throat are blue. While this species of Rosella is found in forests throughout southern Queensland and the southern states, in north Queensland it is restricted mostly to Paluma and the Tablelands. The only other parrot of this size in the area with predominantly red colouration is the King Parrot, which is red and green, instead of crimson and blue.
Crimson Rosella calls (recording by Andrée Griffin)
1. Chowchilla (Orthonix spaldingii)
You are more likely to hear this bird than to see it. In the early mornings and evenings the forest often resounds with the raucous sounds of family groups of Chowchilla calling back and forth.
Chowchilla chorus around Paluma (recording by Andrée Griffin)
It is a small brown bird with mostly inconspicuous colouration – the female has a lovely orange chestnut throat, while in the female it is white. Both sexes have a distinctive white eye ring. During the daytime they are mostly silent but can still be heard, and with a bit of luck, seen scratching around in the leaf litter beside village walking tracks. It stays almost entirely on the ground although it will fly when disturbed.
Photo by Brian O’Leary
There are many other species of birds that occur in Paluma, and lots of them are both common and easy to identify. Visit the Birds section of the website to learn more about what can be seen in the area.
__K._Townsend.jpg?bwg=1588904726)
.jpg?bwg=1585014263)
