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I'd concur, juvenile female spotted pardalote
That should read "or a species of Pardalote"
I think it's a juvenile, did it sing? I can narrow it down to a Mistletoebird, a White-fronted Chat or a species or Pardalote.
Not too sure, possibly a Mistletoebird? Did it have a red ass?
Depends on your definition of a maniacal cackle I guess, I found this site, http://frogs.org.au/frogs/species/Litori... which has a recording of its call.
Possibly a Tern or a Jaeger, If I had to take a guess, I'd say Pomarine Jaeger
More information on the incident might help, was it in water?
Could be Polyphylla decemlineata, looks similar, native to the Americas though
It looks like a type of scarab
Thank you, Hope I can contribute