Pied Heron

The male is a striking, medium-sized, mostly dark bustard with a bold white cheek patch and a reddish bill. The female has a black belly and is elsewhere finely barred. In flight it has a conspicuous white window on both the upper and lower sides of the wing. Scattered individuals, sometimes associated in small groups, inhabit arid savanna and Karoo scrub. It singscalls a strident, ratcheting “kraak-kraak-kraak” which leads into a maniacal “raa-cha-ka-ka-ka....cha-ka-ka-ka” display as the male flies around 20–30 m above the ground, with legs dangling. In flight, Black Bustard’s lack of large white wing patches separates it from the similar White-quilled Bustard.

Large dark-backed gull. Few similar species in much of its range. Usually coastal. Adults have black backs and wings with very little white in the flight feathers. The bill is very strong and robust and the legs are greenish-yellow. Juveniles have a dark brown back mottled with white, a black bill, and a dark band on the tail.

Elegant long-winged shorebird equally at home in flight and on the ground. In flight note very long pointed wings with black tips and a square tail. When perched note red bill; lacks the facial mask of Oriental Pratincole. Typically occurs on dry grasslands (including airports, paddocks, ephemeral wetlands, and in the middle of roads) across inland Australia.