Australian Animals
Take a peek at the unique animals from the Land Down Under.
A Crested Pigeon (Ocyphaps lophotes) — this punk bird is a common sight in Australian parks.
A Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) — this handsome fella has an ear-splitting cry.
A Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) & Pied Butcherbird (Cracticus nigrogularis) — locked in an intense stare down.
A Common Wombat (Vombatus ursinus) — emerging from its hideaway in the evening.
A Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) — looking cute for the camera.
A Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) — with the strongest bite of any carnivorous mammal, relative to body size.
A Grey-headed Flying Fox (Pteropus poliocephalus) — stretches its leathery wings, which can grow up to a span of 1 m (3.3 ft).
An Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) — famous for its vindictive swooping.
A Little Black Cormorant (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris) — drying its wings after a dip in the pond.
A Dingo (Canis familiaris dingo) — arrived in Australia over 4,000 years ago from South East Asia.
A Noisy Miner (Manorina melanocephala) — a very vocal bird.
A Greater Bilby (Macrotis lagotis) — looking deceptively calm.
A Little Black Cormorant (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris) — shows off its serpentine neck.
An Australian Water Dragon (Intellagama lesueurii) — is agile in the trees, on land, and in the water.
Silver Gulls (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae) — the most common gull in Australia.
Eastern Water Skink (Eulamprus quoyii) — often found hiding near creeks and ponds.
A Pied Cormorant (Phalacrocorax varius) — in the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney.
A Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles) — it has a sharp yellow spur concealed in each wing.
A Noisy Niner (Manorina melanocephala) — sunning itself on the warm sand.
An Australian White Ibis (Threskiornis moluccus) — also known as a 'bin chicken'.
An Eastern Snake-necked Turtle (Chelodina longicollis) — with a neck around 60% the length of its carapace.
A Magpie-lark (Grallina cyanoleuca) — a bird prone to attacking its own reflection in car mirrors and windows.
A Little Black Cormorant (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris) — atop a statue in the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney.
A Black Currawong (Strepera fuliginosa) — looks like a crow, but isn't closely related.
An Australian White Ibis (Threskiornis moluccus) — looks a lot like the sacred ibis of Africa.
A Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) — the darkest of all swan species.
A Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus) — has a bristly "brush" tongue for collecting pollen and nectar.
A Dusky Moorhen (Gallinula tenebrosa) — with massive feet and toes for wading through water.
A Willie-wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys) — atop appropriate signage (it's a very antagonistic bird).
The Great Southern Land plays host to some of the weirdest and most unique creatures to be found anywhere on our planet.
From marsupials like kangaroos, wombats, koalas, and Tasmanian devils, to fancy fliers like kookaburras and cockatoos, or cryptic reptiles like snakes and water dragons — Australia is populated by species furred, feathered, and scaled.
