I just heard at 12:30am 2 April 2014 in north Turramurra through an open bedroom French door what I would swear was a woodpecker if I was still living in Usa.
i have never heard this before in Australia.
any idea what this might be?
-- Eric ulevik
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what does a woodpecker sound like?
cheers Beef.
The only woodpecker sound I know of is Woody woodpecker. Do real woodpeckers sound like that?
Cheers
Tim
Brisbane
What woodpecker are we relating to? Are you referring to a woodpecker's vocal calls or the drumming on trees?
More information required...
Brandon (aka ihewman)
I remember hearing on a bird quiz not long ago that the only type of bird that isn't represented in Australia is the woodpecker. We have ducks, owls, a stork and so on, but not one native species of woodpecker. Can anyone confirm?
There must be other bird groups not in Australia, hummingbirds for one.
I heard the drumming on the trees. Very much like woodpeckers in North America, nothing like anything I had heard in Australia. I estimated it at about 3 trees back.
Could it have been the call of the white-throated nightjar? http://www.graemechapman.com.au/library/sounds.php?r=&c=347&p=171&s=1297...
Birding Blog: Close Encounters of the Bird Kind
It looks like you're right and the bird quiz was wrong! I wonder what other groups are not represented in Australia... is a vulture a bird group?
My original query about the woodpecker being the only species NOT represented in Australia was wrong, Rick, so I can't comment with any validity.
The question that occurred to me, though, was: who translated the Gabi word in the first place? If a European couldn't identify the bird in any way other than likening it to a bird she was already familiar with, then the English translation may have no relevance to the bird at all.
If there are any Gabi speakers left, maybe finding a way to ask them which bird it is would help uncover the identity. (I'm not suggesting that would be an easy thing to do!)
Hi Rick,
It is indeed correct that there are no woodpeckers in Australian however the closest resembling bird species I can think of would be the Treecreeper family consisting of: White Throated Treecreeper, Brown Treecreeper, White Browed Treecreeper, Red Browed Treecreeper, Black Tailed Treecreeper and Rufous Treecreeper.
Cheers Babybirdwatcher
Another group of birds not found in Australia would be the Auks (puffins, guillemots etc) They are only found in the northern hemisphere. I am sure there must be plenty of other bird groups not in Australia.
Hi there I heard a woodpecker today on the northern beaches, I then saw it fly over my head. I'm from England so thought that's cool I wonder what kind of woodpecker it was so I went on Google, to my suprise there are no woodpeckers in Australia. I was a keen birdwatcher when I was younger and I'm not thinking maybe I saw a woodpecker I did see one. It was black and white with a red head, it had the distinctive shape when in flight where the wings spread forward while gliding. Slightly smaller than a kookaburra. Now I'm baffled, has any one else seen one ????
Black & white with red head, wings spread foward when gliding, all fit Brush Turkey.
Believe it or not people to smuggle rare birds and animals into australia, u never know what the neighbours might have. Either that or someone was playing a joke on you, too easy to get a woodpecker recording.
Link to my Flickr Account
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14869355@N07/
A Brush Turkey smaller than a Kookaburra?
Well zosterops, 4 out of 5 is not bad. The best I could come up with, and people often mis-judge size, was the bird right beside a Kookaburra for comparison at the time, and might I add that, like chooks, young Brush Turkeys can look like smaller versions of adults.
Shayservices, sure it wasn't a Red Whiskered Bulbul? Introduced from India.
Hahaha no it was not a brush Turkey. It was also not a red wiskered bulbul either. Woodpeckers were one of my favourite birds from th UK. They are very distinct and the sound of th hammer on a tree is unmistakable. It looked looked like one you may see in North America.
Ok this is what i saw, a pileated woodpecker found in north america. I found this picture of one flying on google and is exacatly how i saw it glide over my head.
Vas, i think what you said could be on the right track about people smuggling animals into Australia.
I honestly know my birds.
Any chance it chance it had an ivory coloured bill?
A critically endangered/possibly extinct Ivory-Billed Woodpecker would be quite something Steve!
You say you know your birds but do you know Australian birds? I am seriously sceptical of a Woodpecker in Australia though I can't say you're wrong without having seen the bird myself. As said earlier in this forum Treecreepers are probably the closest relative of the Woodpecker here but that doesn't seem to fit your description (black/white with a red head).
I haven't heard of any escapee/smuggled Woodpeckers in Australia, has anyone else? I can't imagine what anyone would get out of smuggling a Woodpecker.
Let us know if you see it again and try for a photo if possible so we can clear things up.
I don't know Australian birds as well as European birds as I've only lived here 9 years, But This was not an Australian bird or this discussion would be pointless. Steve M, no ivory bill, that woodpecker would be too big, plus even less of a chance as it is possibly extinct and also native to America. I know people may not believe me or think I may have got this wrong but the same may of happened when the first fox was spotted in Australia.
I'm going with Pied Oystercatcher.
It wasn't a pied oystercatcher and it was in the bush.
A woodpecker?! Wow! Amazing first record for Wallacea - congratulations!! Probably a White-bellied Woodpecker considering that's the closest species to the Northern Beaches geographically :)
That's a possibility twitcher 13, I just researched them and very similar to what I saw, and similar to the pileted woodpecker. Geographically your right, would make it far more possible for Asian woodpeckers to end up here as with other non native birds we have in Australia. Thanks for that. I really want Somone else to see one or report on here they have heard the drumming or seen one them selfs. The case continues haha
Ecologist Tim Low believes that Australia may acquire more SE Asian bird lineages in the future, including woodpeckers as habitat destruction eg. for palm oil plantations results in avian refugees from the north.
Hard to believe anything so unusual without a photograph.
Maybe you should post this sighting to Birdline to get the salivating twitchers out there.
Most will find it at any cost if the bird is in the area.
Hey guys, I'm currently living in central Victoria in Australia and all morning this bird has been calling. Sounds just like a woodpecker drumming which is weird to me. Have also heard the same noise but at a different pitch? Could it be a mating call?
The most common bird in eastern Australia that gives a repeated rat-tat-tat call is Lewin's Honeyeater.
Always look for the most common suspect.
graeme chapman
Maybe the sound Eauz heard wasn't a bird at all. Could it have been a gecko, frog, cricket, etc???
I joined up to ask about woodpeckers in Australia. I am familiar with woodpeckers in uk but we are hearing a short version at home near Bathurst. The uk ones go on for many seconds or longer. What we are hearing is about 4 beats, and spaced minutes apart. Is there another specie that excavates or hammers in Aust? Thanks
It seems that all of the woodpecker sightings have been people who have originated overseas!
From what you have described I feel the European Goldfinch ticks a few of the boxes... Doesn't explain the woodpecking sounds though.
RT
The wood pecking sound could be a frog? Some of them sound like that.
Wimmera mally region, Vic.