I'm a member of a native wildlife rescue group and I rescued a fallout bird earlier this week. It appears to be a bird of prey, possibly a kite, but some of its characteristics are making it difficult to positively identify.

It's predominantly a caramel-orange-buff colour, with black scalloping on all feathers. Small round black eyes and a hooked short beak. The inside of the mouth is orange rather than pink. Head is solid buff colour, neck similar, underparts white. Legs are grey not yellow.

I'll try attaching a photo.

I am just posting about this to the Birding-Aus forum. - Stephen

Thanks Stephen, somone over there has identified it as a common koel (a bit of a shock, I was expecting it to be a kite of some sort!). I'm happy because koels are one of my favourites and I'm glad to be involved in saving a chick.

Thanks very much for your help!

xanthe.

Hi Madame X,

It is difficult to tell from you image - do you have others you can post (ie different angles).

My first impression was a kookaburra but, as I have said, it is hard to tell.

I'm not exactly sure, but definitely not a raptor family. I would probably agree with the koel comment or perhaps a pheasant coucal (but probably the wrong colouring).

Not a kookaburra, I am currently raising a kookaburra (from a 10 day old chick to now which is about a month and a half later) and doesn't look like any of the stages that my bird has gone through.

Love to see the pictures as the baby progresses!

hello,
we have got 2 of these birds exactly the same as in the picture. They have been on the balcony for 4 hours chirping at us through the glass. I have fed them some berries, they eat them like chicks, and will only eat if hand fed and the food is dropped into their mouths. There is no sign of the mother and RSPCA have told us to call back tomorrow if they are still there.
Should we do anything, or just ignore them, they have been chirping constantly all afternoon.
Would appreciate any quick responses with advise as we want to help them but don't know what to do.

The do look a bit older and may be fledging (?) - do they fly at all? Anyway The NSW Wildlife Information and Rescue Service (WIRES) is a good lot to get into contact with about this,

http://www.wires.org.au/

Lots of experience - they have around for years.

- Stephen

I concur with Stephen. Call WIRES, they are a group of trained volunteers that will assist you with your dilemma with the birds. They look like fledged juvenile pheasant coucals or koels.

Call WIRES and they can assist you with identification and they make come round and take them away to assist with their final requirements before full fledging status and then they will be re-released back to the wild.