Australian gardens are loud, colourful and full of parrots and honeyeaters. Here's who you're likely to see at the window, how to tell them apart, and what actually helps them.
Species vary by region. These are common across much of the east and south-east, where most Australians live.
Look for: Blue head, orange-red breast, bright green back. Fast, noisy flocks that screech in flight.
Eats: Nectar and pollen from flowering natives such as grevilleas, bottlebrush and eucalypts.
Tip: Plant flowering natives. Never offer honey, bread or sugar water.
Look for: Deep crimson with violet-blue cheeks, wings and tail. Young birds in some areas are mostly green.
Eats: Seeds, fruit and blossoms, often feeding on the ground.
Tip: One of the parrots most likely to try a seed tray, so keep portions small and the tray clean.
Look for: Red head and breast, white cheeks, yellow belly and a scalloped black-and-yellow back.
Eats: Grass seeds, fruit and flowers.
Tip: Likes open, grassy gardens with a few trees for cover.
Look for: Tiny, with a cocked tail. Breeding males are electric blue and black; females brown with a rusty patch around the eye.
Eats: Insects, so they won't use a seed feeder.
Tip: Dense, low, prickly shrubs and a shallow bath bring them in.
Look for: Grey honeyeater with a black crown and a bright yellow patch behind the eye. Loud and bold.
Eats: Nectar, insects and fruit.
Tip: A native bird, but it chases small birds out of open gardens. Layered, dense planting helps the little ones.
Look for: Streaky black and white with bright yellow wing panels and a white eye.
Eats: Nectar, insects.
Tip: Grevilleas and banksias are the surest way to bring them close.
Look for: Large, brown and streaky, with pinkish-red wattles on the neck and a yellow belly patch.
Eats: Nectar and insects.
Tip: A sign your garden flowers are working. Noisy, but harmless.
Look for: Black and white, with a rich, carolling song.
Eats: Insects and grubs from lawns.
Tip: Don't feed mince or meat. A healthy lawn and a water bowl are what they need.
Look for: Black above, white below, with a white eyebrow and a tail it wags side to side.
Eats: Flying insects.
Tip: Will happily use a bird bath. Often nests near houses in spring.
Look for: Small and olive-green with a clear white ring around the eye.
Eats: Insects, fruit and nectar.
Tip: Moves in little flocks through shrubs. A bath with a shallow edge suits them.
Look for: Pink-and-grey cockatoo with a pale crown.
Eats: Seeds, mostly from the ground.
Tip: Too big for most window feeders. Enjoy them on the lawn.
Look for: Tiny, with white spots on black, a yellow throat and a red rump.
Eats: Small insects and lerps on eucalypt leaves.
Tip: Listen for a soft, repeated “sleep-maybe”. Eucalypts bring them in.
Bird organisations in Australia have long been more cautious about feeding wild birds than those in the UK or US. Done badly, feeding can spread disease, favour bold species over small ones, and offer birds the wrong food. Check BirdLife Australia's current advice before you start.
The things that help most are free: clean water, native plants that flower and seed at different times of year, and dense shrubs where small birds can shelter.
Used this way, a window feeder is less about feeding and more about watching: a small, clean tray that lets you see the birds already in your garden up close.
Australian bird groups are cautious about routine feeding. If you do feed, keep it small, occasional and appropriate (no bread, honey or mince), and clean feeders often. Water and native plants help more.
A small amount of good-quality seed mix suited to local seed-eating birds, refreshed often. Many people use their window feeder sparingly and rely on a bird bath and native plants to bring birds close.
For most backyard birds it's roughly late winter through spring and early summer, around August to January, varying by species and region.
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