Frugivores

Many fruit-favouring birds live in the rainforests and wet sclerophyll forests of the tropics and subtropics, where food is available for much of the year.

This includes the southern cassowary, a number of our 24 species of pigeons and doves, the Australasian figbird and riflebirds. Rosellas, currawongs, orioles, friarbirds and many other ‘generalists’ also supplement their diets with fruit when it is available. Many forage high in the canopy of their preferred tree.

The size of their beak (and mouth) usually determines the size of the fruit they eat, as many birds devour it whole.

Frugivores may have pointed or hooked beaks. A good way to prevent fruit-loving birds from wiping out your crop of stone fruit, mangoes, and so on is to grow native or exotic plants with small sour fruits – such as dianellas, lillypillies, native figs and emu berries – which many birds actually prefer.

Palms such as the Bangalow palm (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana) also provide an abundant food source for birds and other animals. In the warmer parts of its natural range (along the coast from the middle of Queensland to the middle of New South Wales) it flowers and fruits year around. Grown further south, if warm enough, it flowers in either summer or autumn. The long inflorescences hold numerous small cream-to-lilac flowers and the small round fruit ripens to bright red. This is also a way of protecting birds such as lorikeets from becoming drunk after eating overripe sweet fruit that has started to ferment, for example from trees such as mango and the umbrella tree (Schefflera actinophylla).

A good way to prevent fruit-loving birds from wiping out your crop of stone fruit, mangoes, and so on is to grow native or exotic plants with small sour fruits, which many birds actually prefer.