Our Australian birds list contains many of Australia’s most famous birds, together with many other notable or unusual species.
Australian Birds List: Introduction
Australia is home to many incredible and unique animals, and its birds are no exception!
Included in this list are: birds with amazing plumage, birds that can build houses, birds that can attack humans, and birds that can mimic any sound they hear!
- See more amazing Australian wildlife here: Australian Animals List
- Find out more about birds here: Birds: The Ultimate Guide
List of Australian Birds
Australian Brush Turkey
Builds a huge nest mound
The Australian Brush Turkey is a large and rather strange-looking bird that is found throughout eastern Australia. Its body and tail feathers are black, and its head and neck are bright red. It has a yellow wattle at the base of its neck.
(A wattle is a fleshy growth of skin found on the faces and necks of many types of bird.)
The male Brush Turkey builds a huge mound out of leaves and earth for the female to lay her eggs in. Brush Turkey mounds can be up to 1.5 metres (5 ft.) high and 4 metres (13 ft.) wide!
Australian King Parrot
Large, colourful Australian parrot
Male King Parrots have red heads, chests and undersides, and green wings and backs. Females are similar, but have green heads and chests, with red undersides.
These large parrots live on the eastern side of Australia. They live in humid woodlands and rainforests, and make their nests in hollowed-out tree trunks.
Australian Magpie
Sounds like R2D2!
The Australian Magpie is a common bird throughout much of Australia. Its complex song is a familiar sound to many Australians – some say that it sounds like R2D2! (R2D2 is a robot from the Star Wars films.)
Whereas the European Magpie is a member of the crow family, the Australian Magpie is a member of the Artamidae family, which also includes butcherbirds.
Black Swan
Elegant water bird
Black Swans are large, elegant birds with all-black coats and striking red bills. They live in wetlands, near rivers and lakes and by the coast.
Black Swans are endemic to Australia – this means that they aren’t found in the wild anywhere else. A Black Swan appears on the flag of Western Australia.
Black-Necked Stork / Jabiru
Australia’s only stork
The Black-Necked Stork is the only stork found in Australia. It is also found in South and Southeast Asia. In Australia, it is sometimes called a Jabiru – however, this name is also used for another type of stork that lives in the Americas.
The Black-Necked Stork is a large, striking-looking bird. Its head, neck and bill are jet black, and its body and wings are black and white. It has long, pink legs.
Budgerigar
Colourful Australian parrot and popular pet
The Budgerigar is a small, brightly coloured bird that inhabits some of the drier regions of Australia. It is a member of the parrot family Psittaculidae.
Although native to Australia, the Budgerigar is found in captivity throughout the world, and is the world’s third most popular pet.
Its name is said to come from an aboriginal name meaning ‘good eating’.
Cassowary
Wears a crown and known to attack humans!
Cassowaries are large, flightless birds that live in New Guinea and northeast Australia. There are three species of Cassowary: the Northern Cassowary, Southern Cassowary and Dwarf Cassowary; only the Southern Cassowary is found in Australia.
The Southern Cassowary has a large body covered with bushy black feathers. Its long neck is bright blue, and two long red wattles dangle from its throat. On top of the cassowary’s head is a large bony ‘crown’, known as a ‘casque’.
The cassowary has powerful legs armed with dagger-like inner claws, and has been known to attack humans! However, such attacks are extremely rare, and usually only occur as a result of the bird being approached by the victim, rather than the other way round.
The cassowary is the largest bird in Australia by weight, and the second largest by height.
- Find out more about Cassowaries here: Cassowary Facts
Cockatiel
Smallest cockatoo and second most popular pet bird in the world
The Cockatiel is the smallest species in the cockatoo family. It is endemic to Australia, and kept as a pet throughout the world.
In the wild, Cockatiels are mainly grey, with yellow faces and orange cheeks. They inhabit wetlands and bushlands throughout Australia.
Emu
Australia’s tallest bird!
A guaranteed entry in any list of Australian birds, the Emu is a large flightless species that is only found (in the wild) in Australia. It has a long neck, long legs, and a large body covered with grey-brown feathers.
The Emu’s powerful legs allow it to run at speeds of up to 50 km/h (20 mph)
Found throughout the country, the Emu is largest bird in Australia by height, and the second-largest by weight.
Galah
Cockatoo whose name has become an insult
The Galah is a common Australian cockatoo. It is found throughout Australia, and is endemic to the mainland, and introduced in Tasmania.
The Galah has grey wings and tail, and its chest, head and neck are pink. The top of its head and feathered crest are a lighter pink.
Australians often use the word ‘galah’ as a (usually light-hearted) insult. In this context, the word means ‘idiot’.
Gang-Gang Cockatoo
Official bird emblem of the Australian Capital Territory
The Gang-Gang Cockatoo lives in the woodlands, forests and mountains of southeast Australia. Its plumage is a slate-grey colour, and the males have bright red heads and crests.
The Gang-Gang Cockatoo’s name is aboriginal in origin. It is the bird emblem of the Australian Capital Territory.
Gouldian Finch
Finch with amazing plumage
The Gouldian finch is a colourful songbird of northern Australia. Although it is a common pet, it is becoming scarce in the wild.
The Gouldian finch’s plumage is a wonderful mixture of yellow, green, blue and red. Males are generally more colourful than females.
Kookaburra
Is someone laughing at you?
No Australian birds list would be complete without the Kookaburra! Although this iconic Australian bird is a member of the kingfisher family Alcedinidae, fish don’t actually form a major part of its diet. However, it is carnivorous, and will eat mice, insects and small reptiles.
Is someone laughing at you behind your back? The Laughing Kookaburra, one of the four species of Kookaburra, is famous for its call, which sounds just like human laughter.
- You can find out more about Kookaburras here: Kookaburra Facts
Lyrebird
Incredible impersonator
There are two species of Lyrebird: the Superb Lyrebird, and Albert’s Lyrebird. The Superb Lyrebird is found in the rainforests and bushland of Eastern Australia. Albert’s Lyrebird is less common, and only found in a localised area of rainforest in Southern Queensland.
Both species of Lyrebird are excellent mimics. The Superb Lyrebird in particular is able to imitate not only the calls of other birds, but also human noises such as car alarms and machinery.
Plains-Wanderer
Endangered grassland bird
Scientific name: Pedionomus torquatus
The plains-wanderer is a small ground bird found only in Australia. The species inhabits grasslands and is found mainly in the Riverina region in southwestern New South Wales.
The plains-wanderer is related to wading birds in the order Charadriiformes. It spends most of its time on the ground and is a poor flyer. Its nest consists of a grass-lined hollow in the ground.
Why Are Plains-Wanderers Endangered?
The plains-wanderer is endangered due to habitat loss caused by conversion of its traditional grassland habitat to agricultural land.
Satin Bowerbird
Incredible house-building bird!
The male Satin Bowerbird’s black plumage reflects light with a deep blue shine. The female has brown wings, a pale, patterned chest, and striking blue eyes.
However, it’s not the Satin Bowerbird’s appearance which make it special.
The male Satin Bowerbird is famous for building an elaborate ‘house’ – or ‘bower’ – to impress females. This structure is made out of sticks, and decorated with brightly-coloured objects, such as fruit and flowers together with various man-made items that the bird has found.
The bowers are purely for display purposes – a separate nest is built for the eggs!
Superb Fairywren
Little bundles of colour
Fairywrens are small birds that are endemic to Australia and New Guinea. The Superb Fairywren is also known as the Blue Wren in Australia. It is most common in southeast Australia, and is found in woodland and urban areas.
Superb Fairywrens have round bodies, and long tails that are often held erect. In the breeding season males and females are easy to tell apart: males have bright blue patches on their heads, cheeks and necks. Females, in comparison, are rather drab, having brown-grey bodies and a red patch around the eyes.
Wedge-Tailed Eagle
Australia’s biggest bird of prey
The Wedge-Tailed Eagle is not only the largest bird of prey in Australia, but also one of the largest eagles in the world. Typically for birds of prey, the female is larger than the male, having a wingspan of up to 2.32 m (7.6 ft.).
The Wedge-Tailed Eagle has a distinctive diamond-shaped tail, from which it gets its name.
Weebill
Australia’s smallest bird
The Weebill is Australia’s smallest bird. It is a pale brown bird with a cream chest and pale yellow undersides.
The Weebill gets its name from its small – or ‘wee’ bill. It lives in forests and woodlands throughout Australia.
Australian Birds List: Conclusion
We hope that you have enjoyed our list of Australian birds. If you’re like us, you’re probably already dreaming about digging out your passport and flying halfway around the world to see some of these amazing birds in the flesh!
And for all of our Australian readers – how many of these birds have you seen?
- You can see many of Australia’s incredible animals here: Australian Animals List
