Birds

The Australian brush turkey belongs to the family of birds known as megapodes because of their large feet. They construct large mounds of rotting vegetation to incubate their eggs.

Ever been swooped by a magpie in spring? It's only defending its family during the nesting season.

Bowerbirds are very closely related to birds of paradise, and bowerbird species are found in many parts of Australia and New Guinea.

The word 'emu' comes from the Portuguese word 'ema', which means 'large bird'.

The laughing kookaburra is the world's largest kingfisher. It measures up to 46 centimetres from the tip of its beak to the tip of its tail.

Penguins are flightless seabirds. The little penguin is the smallest of all penguins.

Lord Howe woodhens are flightless brown birds about the size of a bantam. Females of the species are slightly smaller than the males, and their chicks are covered with sooty black down.

The lyrebird is one of Australia's best-known birds and is a great mimic, capable of imitating almost any sound.

Malleefowl build nest mounds to incubate their eggs, using a complicated system to keep the mound at the right temperature.

The parrot family includes cockatoos, lorikeets, rosellas, ringnecks and budgerigars. There are 56 parrot species found in Australia.

Shearwaters are well-known wanderers of the sea. About 10 species can usually be seen along the NSW coast, diving into the water or skimming across its surface.

Woodlands are home to a great diversity of native birds, including robins, thornbills, honeyeaters and owls.