There are quite a number of birds that live in our area where the male and female have different colours in their plumage.
In the past, I have been asked about a particular bird and in different cases, the person has known the male and didn’t realise that the bird they were asking about was the female of that species. In this column, we will cover some of these birds.
The male member of the cuckoo family, the Koel, who may drive us mad with its repetitive call both day and night, is black with a red eye.
The female which we have looked at in a previous column, is more brownish all over and looks nothing like the male.
The Red-backed Wren and the Variegated Blue Wren males have the colouring while the females are brown all over.
At our Botanical Gardens one morning, I came across the pair of Australian Wood Ducks pictured, also called the Maned Goose, that were wandering along near the edge of the water.
The illustration shows the female in the foreground and the male behind her. They are not unalike, but certainly have different plumages.
Another common local bird that I have been asked about, is the Figbird. The male is conspicuous with its greenish back colouring and red eye while its mate is a speckled brown all over.
Some of our Bowerbirds have different colouring also. The Male Regent Bowerbird is most distinctive in his yellow and black while his female is brown on the back and speckled brown underneath. The female of the rich blue male Satin Bowerbird is very similar to the Regent female.
Also, as covered in a previous column, the male Peewee has a black face while the female’s face is white.
