This giant spider is the Golden Orb Weaver. It is an incredible thing to see in the flesh. It's web was more than 150cm across and it is golden, which is where the spider gets it's name. If I hadn't seen it moving myself I would have taken it for a decorative giant Halloween toy.
The smaller red humped spiders seen in the Golden Web spider are Silver Dew drop Argyrodes. They build no web of their own. This cheeky spider steals food from the larger host spider, sometimes from its mouth, at the risk of death.
The other small spiders in her web are the male of the species, 1000 times smaller than the giant female. The male steals food, often without her even noticing him. He lives a precarious life, stealing scraps and waiting for the female to feed at which point he creeps up and inseminates her! If he gets caught in the act, she simply eats him.
The venom of the golden silk orb-weaver is potent, but not lethal to humans. Its venom is a neurotoxin similar to that of the black widow spider; however, its venom is not nearly as powerful. Its bite causes local pain, redness, and blisters, but these symptoms usually disappear within a day (though the bite mark may leave a scar)[source from Wikipedia].
These spiders eat birds and after seeing them for myself I don't doubt it one bit.
A female (large) with tiny male
Whilst walking around someones garage I very nearly walked into this giant spider web, the spider can be seen in the middle of the junk.
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