Artist: George Raper
Circa: 1789
Location: Sydney Harbour
A striking 18th century cockatoo depiction by George Raper. Among the fourteen species of cockatoo in Australia, the black cockatoo are more regal in flight, appearance and voice than their screechy common white cousin. Witnessing a slow flying flock of black cockatoos, gracefully gliding over treetops, husky calls echoing through a forest valley, evokes a prehistoric scene where dinosaurs once roamed.
Artist: George Raper
Circa: 1789
An exquisite rendition of a Swift Parrot with native flower, perched on a distinctive hollowed log, a preferred habitat of this critically endangered bird. Ranging across Victoria and NSW, returning annually to breed in southern Tasmania, where logging and the introduction of the Sugar Glider, a nocturnal predator of Swift Parrots nests, has brought it close to extinction. Having evolved without this danger, they have no means of protection from attack. Decades of research provides a solid understanding of their behaviour and threats, yet government and logging companies have been unable to address their decline.