Fauna of Australia group of endemic parrots, order Psittaciformes. Australian parrots comprise a sixth of the world's parrots, including many cockatoos and galahs. The kookaburra is the largest species of the kingfisher family, known for its call, which sounds uncannily like loud, echoing human laughter. The passerines of Australia, also known as songbirds or perching birds, include wrens, robins, the magpie group, thornbills, pardalotes, the huge honeyeater family, treecreepers, lyrebirds, birds of paradise and bowerbirds. The satin bowerbird has attracted the interest of evolutionary psychologists; it has a complex courtship ritual in which the male creates a bower filled with blue, shiny items
The Australian Bird Guide is an extensive index at the back of the book. This is then followed by details on how the guide was constructed, their sources of information and specifically what area and species were covered. This is followed by sections on identifying birds and on birding in Australia. Before the detailed description of species commences there is a guide for birders to the evolution and classification of birds. While this may not be expected in such a work this section “it will get birders thinking”. This section was written by Dr Leo Joseph of the Australian National Wildlife Collection, CSIRO (Commonwealth