BIRDS INTRODUCED TO AUSTRALIA 
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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 through¬ 
out 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. 
