The RBA's new $5 note includes
new security features and a depiction of a native bird that bears little
resemblance to the real thing.
12 APR 2016 - 12:04 PM
UPDATED 12 APR 2016 - 12:04 PM
The design for the new note,
released on Tuesday, is aimed at thwarting counterfeiters but twitchers - as
birdwatchers are known - could be just as miffed as the crooks.
"Each banknote in the new
series will depict a different species of Australian wattle and a native bird
within a number of the elements," the Reserve Bank of Australia said in
its announcement of the new note.
"On the $5 banknote, these
are the Prickly Moses wattle and the Eastern Spinebill."
What's not mentioned is that the
Eastern Spinebill has had something of a makeover.
In real life, the bird has a
subdued palette ranging from white, through tan, darker brown, and black.
The RBA's version is a riot of
colour - a patchwork of nearly every hue in the rainbow.
Steve Anyon-Smith, a professional
birdwatching guide and author of a book on birdwatching for the NSW National
Parks and Wildlife Service, described the bird's depiction as bizarre.
"It's only similarity to an
Eastern Spinebill is the general shape," Mr Anyon-Smith said.
The RBA said in its announcement
the design followed "a process of extensive consultation with subject
matter experts".
Mr Anyon-Smith says it seemed
unlikely that those experts included ornithologists.
The Eastern Spinebill was a
beautiful bird in its own right and did not need enhancement, he said.
"Yeah, if it was a boring
bird, jazz it up a bit, but it looks like a hybrid between a spinebill and
something from South America," he said.
The RBA said anti-counterfeiting
measures built into the new notes will be explained in a public awareness
campaign in coming months.
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