Category Archives: Dollarbird
Oriental Dollarbird surveying the world
It’s been a while since I last managed to photograph a Dollarbird. They tend to spend their time very high up on tall trees or poles, silhouetted against the harsh Australian sky. It was a delight to see one a little lower down in a bushy wetland.
Oriental Dollarbirds are migratory. We see them near Sydney, on the east coast of Australia, in the summer months. They spend the winter up north, in New Guinea and surrounding islands.
They’re quite pretty when you see them up close, dark with a blue-green sheen on their feathers. Their large heads tend to make them look cute and cuddly. They also have a gently curved beak, with the tip outlined in black , which adds a touch of nobility.
The bird changed position, and we can now see the blue-green colouring on its back too:
Common name: Dollarbird
Scientific name: Eurystomus orientalis
Approximate length: 27 cm
Date spotted: 30 December 2023 (summer)
Location: Manly Dam Park, NSW, Australia: 33°46’21.4″S 151°14’32.7″E
Dollarbirds courting
It’s that time of year for birds on the south east coast of Australia: breeding season! I heard a cosy chattering sound high in the treetops. My superzoom camera revealed two Dollarbirds getting friendly:
Dollarbirds are migratory. They travel down to the south east coast of Australia for the summer months (roughly September to March) then fly up north to warmer climes for the winter.
They get their name from the white circular markings on the undersides of their wings. The white circles reminded people of the old silver Australian one-dollar coins. You can see the flash of white nicely when the male flies off at the end of the video.
This still photo shows the blue-green colouring of the birds. They have soft brown heads and pretty purple shading under the beak:
Common name: Dollarbird
Scientific name: Eurystomus orientalis
Approximate length: 30 cm
Date spotted: 29 November 2021 (late spring)
Location: North Harbour Reserve, Balgowlah, NSW: 33°47’59.4″S 151°15’57.8″E
Dollarbirds are in town again
Dollarbirds are migratory, coming down to the Sydney area for the summer months after wintering on islands further north. I spotted this one this morning, perched high on a dead tree:
The Dollarbird was behaving exactly as my bird book says it’s supposed to behave. They typically sit high up on a dead branch and watch for insects to catch.
My photos are a little fuzzy, alas, because the bird was so far away and my camera wason maximum zoom. Luckily it’s quite a large bird, at approximately 30 centimetres from head to tail, which makes it easier to spot.
Here’s a picture of the front of the bird, showing some of its blue/green colouring:
Its throat is a lovely purple colour:
The next bit amused me. The bird was grooming, and seemed surprised and even a little piqued when a feather escaped:
The Dollarbird gets its name from the white patches on its wings, which look like silver dollar coins when the bird is flying. Here you can see a bit of the white patch as the bird stretches its wing:
As well as the white patch, this photo shows the feathers on its back nicely:
In this short video clip, you see the flashes of white on the wings as the Dollarbird flies off:
Dollarbirds make a strange, insistent chattering noise. I didn’t catch this one in a noisy mood, but you can hear another Dollarbird in my post from five years ago. Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve seen one of these birds!
Common name: Dollarbird
Scientific name: Eurystomus orientalis
Approximate length: 30 cm
Date spotted: 14 December 2019 (summer)
Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia: 33°47’02.2″S 151°15’18.3″E
Dollarbird in Sydney
Update on 25 December 2014: It’s a Dollarbird, also called a Broad-billed Roller. Thanks to Hamish Robertson for identifying this bird! They’re migratory, arriving in Australia in September/October every year and leaving again in March. They spend the winter in New Guinea and other northern islands.
Does anyone know what bird this is? I heard it making an insistent chattering noise the other day. It was high up on an electric cable, so I couldn’t see it very well. It’s dark in colour, with a red beak. I’d guess its size to be roughly that of a magpie. Here’s the best shot I got of it:
Here’s a video, useful mainly for the sound. I had the camera on high zoom without a tripod, so it’s quite shaky, but you can hear the sound very well.
Common name: Dollarbird (Thanks to Hamish Robertson for identifying this bird!)
Scientific name: Eurystomus orientalis
Approximate length: 30 cm
Date spotted: 21 December 2014
Season: Summer
Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia
Latitude/longitude: 33°46’36.4″S 151°15’16.1″E
Sydney Birder 