BIRDS INTRODUCED TO AUSTRALIA 
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patch on the cheeks, a second white bar across the wing. The sexes are 
alike. Length about 5 inches. 
Notes. — This Sparrow is by no means common. Found chiefly in 
the cultivated and cleared areas of Southern New South Wales and 
Victoria. Food : seeds and insects. 
9. House-sparrow Passer domesticus Linnaeus 
Distribution. — Europe to Siberia. 
Description. — Male ; crown, nape, and lower back, slate-grey, slightly 
washed with olive-green; back, brown; wings, brown with one white 
bar ; chestnut band on side of neck ; cheeks and throat, black ; under-parts, 
whitish. The female is duller above and darker on the under-parts than 
the male, and is without black on the throat. Length about 5 inches. 
Notes. — Also called Common Sparrow. The commonest bird 
throughout the cities, towns, and cultivated areas of Australia (except 
Western Australia). Food: insects and their larvae, and seeds. 
10. Starling Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus 
Distribution. — Europe to Siberia. 
Description. — Glossy black with metallic sheen; excepting the head 
and neck, the feathers of the upper-parts are tipped with buff, and those 
of the under-parts tipped with white. Young birds are greyish-brown. 
Length about 8 inches. 
Notes. — This bird is extremely common throughout the settled por- 
tion of Australia. It does much damage to fruit and crops, but never- 
theless destroys countless numbers of injurious insects. Food: insects and 
their larvae, seeds, and fruits. 
11. Common Myna Acridotheres tristis Linnaeus 
Distribution. — India and Afghanistan. 
Description. — Head and neck, black; upper-parts, brown with large 
white patches on wings, and white tips to the tail-feathers; under-parts, 
rich vinous-brown; a large patch round the eye; bill and legs, yellow. 
Length about 10 inches. 
Notes. — A fairly well-established species in Australia, chiefly in the 
coastal areas, where it keeps to the cities and towns. Food: insects and 
their larvae, seeds, and fruit. 
