The Black Kite is a medium-sized, primarily brown raptor. Kites are characterized by their long wings and tails, buoyant and acrobatic flight, and ability to catch food in mid-air. Black Kites are widespread and adaptable and can be found throughout portions of Africa, Europe, and Australasia. They eat small mammals, other birds, carrion, and insects. Their most notable trait is the ability to catch and eat prey while still in flight and they have been observed catching large insects fleeing from wildfires. Unlike most raptors, Black Kites are a fairly social and gregarious species and often gather in large flocks to roost and feed.

The Silver Gull is the most common gull found in Australia. It is most common in coastal areas but can be found throughout the continent. They use a variety of habitats, from sandy and rocky shores to garbage dumps, and breed on small islands. Their diet is as varied as their habitats. The Silver Gull will eat jellyfish, crustaceans, small mammals, and items scavenged from garbage dumps. This species is not globally threatened and is in fact increasing.

The Masked Lapwing is also known as the Spur-winged Plover because of a unique feature: each of its wings has a yellow spur at the “elbow” (carpal joint) used to keep predators away from nests and chicks. Masked Lapwings are common throughout Australia, Indonesia, New Guinea, and New Zealand, where they inhabit marshes, mudflats, beaches, and grasslands. Within a few hours of hatching, Masked Lapwing chicks are able to leave the nest, swim, and feed themselves. Chicks may stay with their parents for 1-2 years, however, and may even assist with future nesting attempts. The nests of Masked Lapwings fail frequently due to destruction by cattle, human disturbance, mowing, predation, and flooding.

Tawny Frogmouths are comical looking birds with large eyes and wide mouths. They are found throughout Australia in a wide variety of habitats, from Eucalyptus forests to city parks. They inhabit areas with extreme temperature variation, with very cold nights and very hot days. To stay cool, Tawny Frogmouths engorge the blood vessels in the mouth, which helps to cool air as it is inhaled. In the winter, pairs roost together to share body warmth, and they will often sunbathe in the daylight, opening their beaks wide and moving their heads from side to side for sunlight to penetrate their thick feathers. In the winter, they spend much of their days and nights in torpor.

The spectacular Raggiana Bird-of-Paradise is found in lowland forest, hill forest and lower montane forest, secondary growth, forest edges and patches, and even gardens in New Guinea. Eating primarily fruits and arthropods, the species is an important dispereser of mahogany and nutmeg seeds. The male Raggiana Bird-of-Paradise’s tail has two long tail wires and cinnamon-colored feathers, which can be up to three feet in length. Like other birds in this family, this is a lekking species. A lek is a common area where multiple males compete using elaborate courtship displays in order to attract the attention of a female; as many as ten adult Raggiana Birds-of-Paradise have been observed at a single lek. Traditional lek sites tend to occupy prominent positions in local topography, such as a high ridge crest. The Raggiana Bird-of-Paradise is common and widespread with no evidence of significant potential threats.