You might think that an aggressive visitor making loud noises would be an unwelcome scene in your garden. The red wattlebird will have you thinking twice.
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They often hang out in conspicuous groups and their red wattle and yellow bellies will bring a splash of colour to your garden.
As one of the largest honey eaters in Australia, wattlebirds like to visit nectar producing flowers when it's time to dine out.
Here they use their superpowers in the form of a brush-tipped tongue to draw up nectar from flowers via capillary action. Bristles help to increase the tongue's surface area, allowing wattlebirds to suck up more juice at each flower they visit. Gum trees, banksias and grass trees are all good for it. Delicious treats abound.
From July to December boy wattlebird meets girl wattlebird and she lays two or three eggs, often in a twiggy nest up a gum tree. When the pair is busy defending their patch and bringing up the kids, they are at danger from a curious type of parasitism.
I'm not talking about small gnarly parasites like ticks and leeches that hang on and suck blood out of unsuspecting hosts. Instead, these are brood parasites, even bigger birds like koels and cuckoos that swoop in and lay their own eggs in the nest of red wattlebirds.
As one of the largest honey eaters in Australia, wattlebirds like to visit nectar producing flowers when it's time to dine out.
Needless to say they don't hang around to pay child support.
Not the evolutionarily sharpest of tools, parent wattlebirds raise the imposter's eggs and hatchlings as their own. This reduces the number of red wattlebird babies that are brought into the world. It seems to be a win for the freeloaders though.
Turns out wattlebirds are great to have around the joint if you also like freebies or discounts. Pollination of plants such as kangaroo paw are more effectively completed by wattlebirds than bees.
The wattle bird's head gets covered in pollen as they suck up the nectar and they take that pollen onto the next flower.
Wattle bird gets a free drink, the plant gets laid. Red wattlebirds will also dine on a selection of insect species. That's free pest control and pollination in one.
Red wattlebirds do not respond well to clearing of trees so if you are in a position to grow native vegetation and like the idea of having these cool birds around, it's time to get planting.
