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Dollarbird |
Sightings
Dollarbirds are easy to see in the tops of tall dead trees and their squawking makes them audible over considerable distances. They are summer season visitors to the place where we lived in 2005, 20 km south of Narrabri, New South Wales. In 2005 they arrived in October; there were several groups/family clans - at least one near our place and one on our neighbour's property. Spotted again in the same area in November 2006.
Seen 20 km east of Narrabri in November 2007, where they stayed throughout the spring and summer.
Photos
Since they normally stay high up in the trees, it is difficult to get a good photo of one without setting up camp in a treetop. In flight, they are easy to identify due to the dollar-size white spot on the underside of their wings which gave them their name.
Lateral view of a Dollarbird sitting high up in a tree top; due to the favourable light conditions, the bird's subtle colour pattern is visible
Closer frontal view of a Dollarbird; still, except for the bill and feet, the whole bird is very inconspicuous, with dark green/grey/brown colours
Look at a Dollarbird from below
Here a photo showing clearly the conspicuous orange bill
Not a good shot, but one can see on the wing the bird is stretching the characteristic, dollar-size white spot