Hello Birdy

HELLO BIRDY is the 'Boofhead's Guide To Birdwatching', according to its star, the inimitable Australian actor William McInnes. In this six part series, William gets up close and personal with some of Australia's diverse birdlife like never before. Have you ever seen a birdwatcher in a malleefowl suit or a giant yellow codpiece? Or someone using the mythical rubber red-bellied black snake to scare off a brush turkey? Have you ever wondered what to say to a horny male emu while brandishing an artificial cloaca (bird's reproductive organ)? No, well, William doesn't have much idea either, and the results are hilarious! -- Australia has an amazing variety of wildlife and in particular our bird species are like no other in the world. Our continent has an incredible diversity of ecosystems from the tropics in the north to the temperate regions in the south. Luckily we still have large tracts of wilderness. Conversely, there is a lot our country that has been developed and the land has been cleared for human habitation and use. Our land usage has resulted in extreme paradigms for Australia’s birds. In some instances humans have created perfect habitats for certain species. The introduction of grain crops and watering places for livestock has seen and explosion in some parrot species, to the point where they are classified as pests and have to be culled. In other instances the removal of native vegetation along coastal marsh areas has led to a decline in one parrot that is driving it to extinction, where now it is recognized as one of the rarest and most endangered species in the world. Hello Birdy takes the audience on a journey around Australia to meet our fantastic birds and also the people who are studying and looking after them. Whilst the series is fun and light, the over riding theme of the program is to draw out attention to the plight of our winged neighbours and where they sit in our landscape today. It is hoped that William McInnes’ fun-loving

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0 trackers | Status: Ended | Airs on ABC1 | Saturday 6:30 PM