Spot on. They're the only bird call that bugs me.

If you're referring to Pied Butcherbirds, then better I'd say. I remember hearing them in Shothole Canyon in WA where their song resounded through the canyon. Amazing sound.

Up here in Cairns there's lots of great songsters:

Willie Wagtails have a sweet refrain and often sing at night.

Lots of the Honeyeaters have nice songs: Brown Honeyeaters make a variety of rich warbling sounds. My fave however is Varied Honeyeaters which you can hear on the 'Nade. Very loud and rich; always reminds me I'm back in Cairns when I've been away. Too bad no-one else in Aus can hear them.

Yellow Orioles have a deep fluty call that to me conjures up the essence of the tropics. Figbirds have a more nasal fluting sound which is almost as good.

We have our own Butcherbirds: the Black Butcherbird which has a harsh contact call, but also a beautiful song which almost rivals the Pied Butcherbirds. And yes I love the Kookaburras too!

Other faves include Yellow-breasted Boatbill, White-eared Monarch, Chowchilla and Helmeted Friarbirds.

I love the magpies call, not to keen on the ravens. We have the carnabys cockatoos - I love their call, the babies make a bit of a racket but thats fab as I know there are youngsters in the flock. The red tails have a nice call as well.

Just the sound of the birds is lovely - when I go camping, the kookaburra is the best for me, nothing like sitting in your tent at night and they all start at once. Although it does set the dogs off barking.

I was talking to a vet in Alice Springs and she said to me she knew of a pommie couple that actually moved back to the UK due to the noisy birds, although I cannot believe anyone would move back for that and just assumed she was having me on.

I guess it's all in the interpretation.

swallows are a good songbird that people sometimes overlook and the willie wagtail doesn't do to bad either.

sometimes in the very early hours (mostly at weekends) you can hear the wailing of the feral bogan bird too.

When do you all get to watch these birds actually singing?

The parrots I have identified, but not the others so far.

I thought this was a thread about Australian X Factor.

I'm not sure if I'm disappointed or not.

(I've been in the UK for a month.. I thought I'd missed the 'dawn' chorus until it woke me up again this morning )

Most bird species sound the same when they are in the mouth of the neighbours cat. He spends most of his time like a statue up on the rooves waiting for the next unsuspecting twitter.

For anyone interested in (feathered) Australian birds but not good at identifying them, this is a great tool.

http://birdsinbackyards.net/finder/

I wonder if there is an phone app that will identify them by sound or photo. That would be handy.

I wish Ibises would learn to sing....then, maybe, they would occupy themselves doing that rather than eating my fcucking avocados before we get up in time to collect them:curse:

I wish they'd all disappear. I loathe those feral things.

One swallow doesn't make a Summer.

It can make a damn fine night though.

They are known round here as 'tip turkeys':curse:

Surely two swallows would be better?

They mate for life.