This is only the second time I’ve seen a Noisy Friarbird. We’d stopped at a picnic area in the Blue Mountains for a quick snack and a swallow of coffee from our thermos. I noticed this rather unprepossessing bird peering at me from a Banksia tree:

The bird was supping the nectar of the Banksia flowers, while checking for danger from above or below at regular intervals.

Noisy Friarbirds have a weird bump at the top of their beaks. It’s not visible in the photos, but you can see it in the video below, when the bird turns its head. The video shows the bird moving from branch to branch, pushing its beak into the flower heads. It’s probably taking insects from between the sticky tepals that make up the flower head. At one stage, I saw the bird grab a passing insect from the air too.

Common name: Noisy Friarbird
Scientific name: Philemon corniculatus
Approximate length: 30-35 cm
Date spotted: 20 January 2024 (summer)
Location: Pierces Pass Picnic Area, Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia: 33°34’13.2″S 150°20’17.0″E