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Birds
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Birds are spectacularly diverse and found in almost every shape and size from tiny honeyeaters to imposing eagles standing at almost 1 metre tall. They occur in just about every colour and are loved for their songs and vocalisations. Some can even mimic human speech. All birds lay eggs to incubate their young, and all have feathers - a trait no other animals can claim. Birds also have wings, evolutionary adaptations of ancient forelimbs. Most use their wings for flight, but some like emus and penguins, are grounded. Most birds are insectivores (they eat insects), although some, like owls and eagles, are carnivores (meat-eaters). Others are herbivores (plant-eaters) or fruit-eaters. As they do not have teeth, birds cannot chew food. Instead they have a gizzard, a special grinding organ in their stomach that crushes their food. Birds have adapted to almost all environments in Victoria and occupy the air, oceans, rivers, seashores, forests and deserts. Victoria is home to over 450 different species of birds, including parrots, birds of prey, waders, waterfowl and songbirds. Did you know?
Download the following fact sheets for interesting facts and information on some of Victoria's bird species: Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
Emu
Galah
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