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Project Noah Nature School
Ptilonorhynchus violaceus
A medium to small bird with a short dark bill and blue-black eyes. A smooth head and back were an even bluey-green. Throat was a pale brown and wings a dark olive green with a single thin pale bar.
The belly could be described as pale covered with tiny olive green crescent-shaped flecks. Feet were pale. Tail was short relative to body length.
A rare visitor to a suburban garden.
These birds are seen in wet eucalypt forests and they are visitors to the Dandenong Ranges.
This bird was probably attracted to the area because of a multitude of others already there - there were magpies, cockatoos, wattlebird, rosellas and a couple of rainbow lorikeets. It stayed just long enough for me to take a couple of shots.
The bird had a short harsh call. This is perhaps a juvenile.
Family: Paradisaeidae
The complex courtship rituals of the male is fascinating and worth a read (Wikipedia) if you are not familiar with it.
Spotted on Jul 8, 2022
Submitted on Jul 8, 2022
1 Comment
Wow what an amazing sight in our back yard.
I would never have thought they were even in our area. Fantastic. Thanks for the visit mum.