ABSTRACT
Australian Aboriginal stories abound with depictions of birds. In more than 400 stories across 106 language groups, 116 species of birds could be identified, some more easily than others depending on the ornithological awareness of the recorder. The information in some of these stories reveals that Aborigines had knowledge of bird behaviour long before it was ‘discovered’ by ornithologists. Stories are a part of the fabric of Aboriginal culture, often indicating expected cultural behaviour, but also account for plumage characteristics, calls, habitat, food, the relationships between Earth and extraterrestrial objects, and interspecific behaviour of birds. Rarely is the Aboriginal knowledge linked with ‘scientific’ studies that would be the richer for embracing the ecological interrelationships that are a natural part of the holism of Aboriginal stories.
