The whistling kite in full flight.
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Residents are invited to take part in the Aussie Bird Count, which is taking place again this month.
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It’s a great opportunity to head out and see if you can spot a whistling kite, the bird species featured this month in the Goulburn Broken CMA’s Year of the Raptor community awareness campaign.
Goulburn Broken CMA project officer Janice Mentiplay-Smith said Australia was home to 36 raptor species, with four of those being kite species that live in or visit the Goulburn Broken catchment.
She said the whistling kite was probably the most regularly observed in the Goulburn Broken catchment due to its signature piercing whistle that is followed or preceded by a series of rising notes.
“As both a predator and a scavenger, the whistling kite has an important environmental role. It helps to control populations of small animals, especially rabbits, and cleans up dead animals,” Ms Mentiplay-Smith said.
She said whistling kites were known to steal food from other animals.
“During the non-breeding season, it generally scavenges its meals and feeds from roadkill; however, when breeding season arrives, it prefers its food live and fresh. Rabbits, birds, insects, reptiles, small mammals and even fish are all fair game on the whistling kite menu,” she said.
The whistling kite helps to control populations of small animals.
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Male and female whistling kite pairs stay together for life. Before breeding season (July to December), both parents build their bulky nesting platform of sticks in a tall tree.
Two eggs are normally laid, with both parents undertaking incubation duty. Both parents will continue to feed the chicks up to eight weeks after they have fledged.
Last year, 64,000 people counted more than five million birds during the Aussie Bird Count.
The data collected helps BirdLife Australia understand local bird populations and trends.
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