A few days ago, I spent some time at Coolendel Campground in New South Wales. A group of White-winged Choughs strutted around the area, picking up grubs, taking dust baths, and chattering from the trees.

In this video, the adults are feeding grubs to two noisy youngsters.

White-winged Choughs look quite similar to currawongs and crows, but they belong to a different family. Along with Apostlebirds, they’re the only members of the Corcoracidae family. And like Apostlebirds, White-winged Choughs build nests by forming a bowl out of mud.

At first sight, these birds seem entirely black, but when they open their wings you notice the white wing flares. Adults have striking red eyes.

Here, two of them take a dust bath. It’s interesting to see that they pick up beakfuls of dust and dump it on their feathers, rather than lying in the dust:

Common name: White-winged Chough
Scientific name: Corcorax melanorhamphos
Length: 43-47 cm
Date spotted: 1 November 2024 (spring)
Location: Coolendel Campground, Buangla, New South Wales, Australia: 34°50’39.3″S 150°25’18.5″E