No, not Twitch streamers (though we’re sure they’d be excited about this too)—we’re referring to twitchers:
twitcher
noun Colloquial a birdwatcher who lists sightings of different species of birds and is especially concerned with adding new personal sightings to the list.
If you haven’t heard the term before, odds are you haven’t heard of the Gouldian finch either. Sightings of the Gouldian finch have decreased over the last few decades and since then the colourful little birds have been considered rare and endangered.
The finches have recently reappeared in northern Darwin, with twitchers and other eager sightseers flocking to catch a glimpse.
You can read the full story about the Gouldian finch’s reappearance on the ABC News website.
Want to get involved?
If a trip to the Top End to see the Gouldian finch is a bit out of reach, there are plenty of other ways you can get involved in some casual birdwatching.
To attract more birds and butterflies to your garden, check out the GroNATIVE gardening app, which Griffith developed in partnership with environmental company Natura Pacific. The app is available to download for free from Google Play or the App Store.
For more information about creating a welcoming habitat for birds, you can visit the Birds in Backyards website to learn how to:
- build a nest box
- safely provide water
- make your garden safe
- feed the birds that visit your garden
- and more.
You can also read more about birds and birdwatching via Griffith Research Online (GRO). Here’s a selection of the research available via GRO:
- ‘Although I use science, it’s an emotional thing’: conservation practitioners’ use of positive affect to frame messages about threatened birds
- An appetite for connection: why we need to understand the effect and value of feeding wild birds
- A threatened species index for Australian birds
- Why Didn’t the Bird Cross the Road?
