John Young

John Young is an Australian naturalist and cinematographer.

Early life John Young grew up on a farm for cattle and sheep in New South Wales. As a boy, he began egg-collecting with his brothers as a hobby. While in his twenties, Young held several jobs, including as an electrician, truck driver, and a fencer. The photograph, depicting a bird similar to the red-browed fig parrot (Cyclopsitta diophthalma macleayana) with a blue forehead, was published in Brisbane-based newspaper The Courier-Mail. The authenticity of the photograph was called into doubt by a forensic photography expert from RMIT University, who noticed details indicating that the image may have been altered to change the colour of the bird's brow from red to blue. Young maintained that he did not alter the bird's colours, stating that he only lightened or darkened parts of the images.

Night parrot controversy

In 2013, Young reported that he had sighted and photographed the night parrot, an endangered Australian bird. Live night parrots had not been definitively documented since 1912, though two dead ones were found in 1991 and 2006. However, the appearance of mesh in one of Young's photos raised questions as to how he was able to get pictures and videos of such a secretive bird. Young denied that he captured the individual, which would have been illegal.

In 2016, Young was hired as a senior biologist for the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC). He resigned from his position in September 2018. Experts determined that an alleged night parrot nest photographed by Young contained fake eggs made of plaster or clay.

Documentaries Ghosts of the Forest (2001) The Kingfishers (2004) John Young and the search for the red goshawk (2004) Kingdom of the Jabiru (2004) Rainforest: a musical journey through an Australian rainforest (2004) Owls (2004) Birds of Prey Part 1 (2005) Birds of Prey Part 2 (2006) Shadows in the desert: unearthing the secrets of the desert (2006) Wings of silence (2006)