Last week I spent three days on Magnetic Island in North Queensland. Magnetic Island is a small island just offshore from Townsville. That’s approximately 2,000 km north of Sydney. The ferry ride from the mainland takes twenty minutes on the foot-passengers ferry, or forty minutes on the vehicle ferry. The island is a relaxing, lovely place to be.

Although I was on Magnetic Island for only a short while (two full days plus one evening and one morning) I encountered quite a few birds. Here are 16 of them, in rough order of size from small to large.

Yellow-bellied Sunbird

Scientific name: Nectarinia jugularis | Approximate length: 10-12 cm

This is a female Yellow-bellied Sunbird, spotted at Picnic Bay on Magnetic Island:

The beak of the Yellow-bellied Sunbird is long and curved, adapted for feeding from flowers:

White-breasted Woodswallow

Scientific name: Artamus leucorynchus | Approximate length: 16-18 cm

Three White-breasted Woodswallows clumping together. It was a chilly morning (well, chilly for the tropics, that is) so I guess they were sharing body heat:

Peaceful Dove

Scientific name: Geopelia placida (striata) | Approximate length: 20-24 cm

The Peaceful Dove is a small dove with an apricot tinge to its feathers. It has a soft, pleasant call as you can hear towards the end of this video:

Here’s a still shot of the same bird:

Rainbow Bee-eater

Scientific name: Merops ornatus | Approximate length: 23-27 cm

Given the name of this bird, I was particularly excited to snap one actually eating a bee!

Here’s a bird in the act of catching a bug:

This trio of bee-eaters clumped cosily in the chilly air of the early morning. Even a tropical island can feel cold to inhabitants used to the warmer summer weather:

Rainbow Lorikeet

Scientific name: Trichoglossus haematodus | Approximate length: 26-31 cm

These colourful parrots are extremely noisy, especially when you have a tree full of them:

Spangled Drongo

Scientific name: Dicrurus bracteatus | Approximate length: 28-32 cm

Drongo – what a cute name! Yet in Australia if someone calls you a “Drongo” you want to look closely at them, as it’s a bit of an insult. It means they think you’re not all that bright.

This is a female Spangled Drongo, I think, as its eyes are brown whereas the male has red eyes:

It’s easy to confuse these birds with crows and ravens. In fact, I heard Australian Ravens calling on the island, but didn’t get a photo of one.

The next photo is a pretty much a silhouette, but it shows off the Spangled Drongo’s forked tail:

Helmeted Friarbird

Scientific name: Philemon buceroides | Approximate length: 32-37 cm

This Helmeted Friarbird sat quietly on a branch listening to the birds all round. When it tilts its head you can see the odd-shaped knob on top of its beak:

Here’s another peering through the foliage:

Galah

Scientific name: Cacatua roseicapilla | Approximate length: 38 cm

Galahs are pretty pink and grey parrots. Australians sometimes call someone a “silly galah”, which I think is a slightly more affectionate term than “drongo”! I’ve seen Galahs in the Sydney area as well as up here on Magnetic Island. This one was picking up seeds on the ground. There’s another Galah nearby, which you can hear chirping to its mate towards the end of the video:

Here’s a still photo:

Masked Lapwing, also called a Spur-winged Plover

Scientific name: Vanellus miles | Approximate length: 35-39 cm

Masked Lapwings are strange-looking birds with yellow faces that seem to have been stuck on as an after-thought.

Their alternative name of “spur-winged” is apt, because they have hooks on their wings, one on each, which they use as weapons, stretching the wings then dragging back to wound their enemy.

In the next photo, the bird at the back is a juvenile. Its legs are brown instead of the red of the adult, and its mask has not yet fully developed:

Blue-winged Kookaburra

Scientific name: Dacelo leachii | Approximate length: 38-42 cm

The kookaburras up north are different from the Laughing Kookaburras that we see around Sydney. Blue-winged Kookaburras look leaner and meaner. They have bright blue markings on their wings, and they lack the wide dark strip that marks the eyes of Laughing Kookaburras. Here’s a Blue-winged Kookaburra on Magnetic Island:

They do look just as silly as our local birds when they gaze at us straight on:

The cackling laughter of the Blue-winged Kookaburras seemed harsher and higher pitched to me. I didn’t manage to record any of the noise. This video shows a bird sitting on the top of a high post, swaying backwards and forwards as they do to retain their balance:

Silver Gull

Scientific name: Larus novaehollandiae (also called Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae) | Approximate length: 38-42 cm

A Silver Gull warning off another Silver Gull:

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

Scientific name: Cacatua galerita | Approximate length: 45-50 cm

Sulphur-crested Cockatoos abounded on the island. Here are a couple peeking out from the branches of a huge palm tree:

A closer look at one of the birds:

Bush Stone-curlew

Scientific name: Burhinus grallarius | Approximate length: 55-60 cm

If you’re lucky enough to be on Magnetic Island at night, you’ll hear an eerie wailing in the lonely hours. Report has it that the local police regularly receive calls from visitors to report screaming in the night. Don’t be alarmed. It’s just the Stone-curlews.

Bush Stone-curlews have amazing camouflage, even during the day. Spot the bird if you can (click on the image to zoom in):

Here’s a close-up picture of the same bird:

Bush Stone-curlews have lovely big eyes:

Bush Stone-curlews tend to move slowly and timidly, then make a quick dash. Here’s one moving slowly along a fence:

Brahminy Kite

Scientific name: Haliastur indus | Approximate length: 55-60 cm; wing span 1.2-1.3 m

I watched this Brahminy Kite for a while early one morning. The bird was perched on top of a very high post above a stone jetty. I had to use full zoom on my camera, and the resolution isn’t wonderful. Still, the photo gives a good idea of the bird’s appearance:

These kites are common around the northern shores of Australia. At first I confused the bird with an eagle, but then I noticed the striking white chest and head feathers, and the rich chestnut colour on the back and wings, which are characteristic of Brahminy Kites. Here’s a photo of the bird flying – again, fuzzy, but you get the idea of the shape and colour:

Whistling Kite

Scientific name: Haliastur sphenurus | Approximate length: 50-60 cm; wing span 1.2-1.5 m

This bird was high in the sky, circling above the ocean and the hills:

Here’s the same bird from another angle:

Australian White Ibis

Scientific name: Threskiornis molucca | Approximate length: 65-75 cm

These ibises are affectionately known as “bin chickens” because in cities they spend a lot of time raiding dustbins. This group was prowling around the beach area, no doubt in search of scraps from the nearby restaurants:

Koala

Not a bird! But I can’t leave a post about Magnetic Island without showing a picture of a Koala. The island has the largest population of wild koalas in Australia:

I hope you’ve enjoyed my post about the lovely Magnetic Island!