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  • Where to watch BIRDS and

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    • Photograph of Southern Cassowary

    Southern Cassowary in Australia by Mark Harper.

  • Where to watch birds and wildlife in
    • EASTERN AUSTRALIA

    Photograph of Victoria's Riflebird

    A great image of a displaying male Victoria's Riflebird at Lake Eacham by Francesco Veronesi.


    Best Birds and other wildlife in Eastern Australia

    Birds

    East Australia Endemics 34
    Australian Brush-turkey, White-headed Pigeon, Brown Cuckoo-dove, Wonga Pigeon, Topknot Pigeon, Black-breasted Buttonquail, Powerful Owl, Glossy Black-cockatoo (also Kangaroo Island off south coast), Eastern Ground Parrot, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Coxen’s (Double-eyed) Fig-parrot, Australian King-parrot, Albert’s Lyrebird, Superb Lyrebird, Rufous Scrub-bird, Green Catbird, Regent Bowerbird, Satin Bowerbird, Red-browed Treecreeper, Variegated Fairy-wren, Eastern Bristlebird, Scarlet Myzomela, Lewin’s Honeyeater, Mangrove Honeyeater, Bell Miner, Brown Gerygone, Yellow-throated Scrubwren, Large-billed Scrubwren, Australian Logrunner, Eastern Whipbird, White-eared Monarch, Paradise Riflebird, Pale-yellow Robin and Plum-headed Finch.

    Northeast Australia Endemics 22
    Squatter Pigeon, Australian Swiftlet, Red (Southern) Boobook, Spotted Catbird, Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Golden Bowerbird (most likely during breeding season Nov-Jan), Lovely Fairy-wren, Rusty (Striated) Grasswren, Hornbill Friarbird, Yellow-spotted Honeyeater, Imitatress (Graceful) Honeyeater, Yellow Honeyeater, Bridled Honeyeater, Eungella Honeyeater, Fernwren, Atherton Scrubwren, Mountain Thornbill, Chowchilla, Bower’s Shrike-thrush, Victoria’s Riflebird, White-browed Robin and Black-throated Finch.

    Southeast Australia including Tasmania Endemics 20 - not all of these occur in Eastern Australia
    Cape Barren Goose, Gang-gang Cockatoo, Long-billed Corella, Blue-winged Parrot, Superb Parrot, Striated Grasswren, Rufous Bristlebird, Crescent Honeyeater, Regent Honeyeater, Pilotbird, Chestnut-rumped Heathwren, Striated Fieldwren, Rockwarbler, Olive Whistler, Red-lored Whistler, Little Raven, Forest Raven, Pink Robin, Flame Robin and Beautiful Firetail.

    Near-endemics

    Australia and New Guinea 92 - not all of these occur in Eastern Australia
    Magpie Goose, Marbled Frogmouth, Papuan Frogmouth, White-throated Nightjar (Papua New Guinea only), Australian Owlet-nightjar (Papua New Guinea only), Black-eared Cuckoo (rare in Indonesia), Pallid Cuckoo (rare in Indonesia), Brolga (Crane), Australian Bustard, Straw-necked Ibis, White-necked (Pacific) Heron, Bush Thick-knee, Pied Oystercatcher (also recorded on Kai Islands), Masked Lapwing (irregular in Indonesia), Red-kneed Dotterel, Australian Gull-billed Tern, Greater Sooty-owl, Australian Masked-owl, Rufous Owl, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Collared Sparrowhawk, Whistling Kite, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Forest Kingfisher (rare in Indonesia), Torresian (Collared) Kingfisher, Buff-breasted Paradise-kingfisher (mostly Nov-Mar), Blue-winged Kookaburra, Nankeen (Australian) Kestrel (also Christmas Island, and rare in Indonesia), Brown Falcon, Palm Cockatoo (Cape York only in Australia), Little Corella, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Double-eyed Fig-parrot, Red-winged Parrot, Papuan Pitta, Noisy Pitta, Black-eared Catbird (Cape York only in Australia), Fawn-breasted Bowerbird (Cape York only in Australia), Brown Honeyeater, Blue-faced Honeyeater, White-throated Honeyeater, Tawny-breasted Honeyeater (Cape York only in Australia), Little Friarbird, Noisy Friarbird, Dusky Myzomela, Red-headed Myzomela, Green-backed Honeyeater (Cape York only in Australia), Brown-backed Honeyeater, Rufous-banded Honeyeater, Varied Honeyeater, Yellow-tinted Honeyeater, Fairy Gerygone, Green-backed Gerygone, White-throated Gerygone (Papua New Guinea only), Large-billed Gerygone, Mangrove Gerygone (Papua New Guinea only), Tropical Scrubwren (Cape York only in Australia), Grey-crowned Babbler, Australasian Figbird, Olive-backed Oriole, Green Oriole (also Romang Island, east of Timor), Brown (Grey) Whistler, Black-tailed Whistler, Little Shrike-thrush, Rufous (Little) Shrike-thrush, Grey Shrike-thrush, White-winged Triller (Papua New Guinea only), Varied Triller, Black Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Black-backed Butcherbird (Cape York only in Australia), Black-faced Woodswallow (range also reaches Timor, Leti and Sermata), Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Northern Fantail, Mangrove Fantail (Papua New Guinea and Aru Islands only), Leaden Flycatcher, Satin Flycatcher, Paperbark Flycatcher, Magpie-lark (also east Timor), Black-winged Monarch (Cape York only in Australia), Black-faced Monarch, Trumpet Manucode (Cape York only in Australia), Magnificent Riflebird (Cape York only in Australia), Yellow-legged Flyrobin (Cape York only in Australia), Lemon-bellied Flyrobin, Jacky Winter (Papua New Guinea only), White-faced Robin (Cape York only in Australia), Mangrove Robin, Little Grassbird (West Papua only), Chestnut-breasted Munia, White-bellied Crimson Finch (Cape York only in Australia) and Australasian Pipit (Papua New Guinea only).

    Australia, New Guinea and Solomon Islands 1
    Russet-tailed Thrush (Papua New Guinea only, and Choiseul Island in the Solomon Islands).

    Other Specialities
    Sarus Crane and Eastern Shrike-tit. Also a chance of Red-necked Crake and Regent Honeyeater.

    Others
    Orange-footed Scrubfowl, Black Swan, ducks, Antipodean, Wandering (Gibson's), White-capped, Black-browed, Campbell and Indian Yellow-nosed Albatrosses, Great-winged and Providence Petrels, Flesh-footed, Short-tailed and Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, Fairy Prion (mostly Oct-Mar), Brown Booby, Australian Pelican, Australasian Darter, Lesser and Great Frigatebirds, Red-tailed Tropicbird, Black Bittern, Royal and Yellow-billed Spoonbills, Black-necked Stork, Brahminy Kite, Wedge-tailed Eagle, White-bellied Sea-eagle, Buff-banded Rail, Red-capped Plover, Black-fronted Dotterel, Red-necked Avocet, Comb-crested Jacana, wintering shorebirds (mostly Oct-Mar) including Latham's Snipe, Great Knot, Grey-tailed Tattler, Far Eastern Curlew, Red-necked Stint, and Sharp-tailed and Terek Sandpipers, Black-naped, Bridled and Sooty Terns (all three mostly Oct-May), Black and Brown Noddies, pigeons, Eastern Superb and Wompoo Fruit-doves, Torresian Imperial-pigeon, Red-tailed and Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoos, lories, lorikeets including Rainbow, rosellas including Crimson, parrots including Red-winged and Turquoise, Double-eyed Fig-parrot, Channel-billed Cuckoo (mostly Oct-Mar), Tawny Frogmouth, White-throated Needletail (mostly Nov-Mar), Laughing Kookaburra, Azure, Forest and Little Kingfishers, Rainbow Bee-eater, many honeyeaters including Eastern Spinebill, woodswallows, whistlers, monarchs, Magpie-lark, Bassian and Russet-tailed Thrushes, robins and Diamond Firetail.

    Also a chance of many seabirds, Great-billed Heron, Aleutian Tern, Lewin's Rail, Brush Bronzewing, Cockatiel, Budgerigar, Eastern Ground Parrot, Powerful Owl, Southern Emu-wren and Beautiful Firetail.

    Mammals
    Over 80% of Australia's 360 mammal species are endemic and in Eastern Australia they include Koala, Platypus, Eastern Grey Kangaroo, wallabies, gliders, possums and bandicoots, while more widespread species include Short-beaked Echidna, Musky Rat Kangaroo, and Black, Grey-headed and Spectacled Flying Foxes. Also a chance of the endemic Common Wombat, Lumholtz's Tree Kangaroo and Spotted-tailed Quoll, as well as more widespread species such as Dugong, Australian Humpback and Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins (all three in Moreton Bay, Brisbane), Bryde's (mostly Aug-Dec), Humpback (mostly Jul-Sep), Dwarf Minke (mostly Aug-Dec) and Sperm Whales, and (Oceanic) Bottlenose, Common, Risso's and (Pantropical) Spotted Dolphins.

    Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish
    Whale Shark, Manta Ray (both mostly Aug-Dec), and Green, Leatherback and Loggerhead Turtles (all three mostly Oct-Nov although Nov-Feb on Lady Elliot Island). Also a chance of Tiger Shark (mostly Aug-Dec).

    Invertebrates
    The many butterflies and moths include Cape York Birdwing Butterfly, one of the largest butterflies in the world, and Hercules Moth, one of the largest moths in the world.

    Other Natural Wonders of Eastern Australia

    Great Barrier Reef The largest structure ever built by living things (stony corals) which is over 3000 km long and covers over 300,000 sq km. It is not actually a single reef, but consists of thousands of smaller reefs, built up over the course of about 18 million years.

    Best Sites for Birds and other wildlife in Eastern Australia

    Best Times for Birds and other wildlife in Eastern Australia

    October-November, the start of the southern spring, is the best time to look for birds and mammals, when many resident birds are breeding and therefore at their most active, although this is not true for the two lyrebirds which are most likely to be heard singing and seen displaying in the southern autumn and winter. Migrant birds from the north, including Buff-breasted Paradise-kingfisher, also arrive in October-November which falls into the June-October period when the greatest variety of seabirds are present. Spring also overlaps with the August-December period which is the best time for scuba-diving and snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef.

    Recommended Bird Books etc. for Eastern Australia

    The Australian Bird Guide by P Menkhorst. PUP, 2017.

    The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds by P, P and R Slater. Reed/New Holland, 2009 (Revised Edition).

    The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia by G Pizzey and F Knight. Harper Collins, 2012 (Ninth Edition).

    Birds of Australia by K Simpson and N Day. PUP, 2010 (Eighth Edition).

    Field Guide to Australian Birds by Michael Morcombe: complete compact edition. Steve Parish Publishing, 2016.

    Field Guide to Australian Birds by Michael Morcombe. Steve Parish Publishing, 2003.

    The Complete Guide to Australian Birds (Photographic) by George Adams. Viking Australia, 2019.

    Finding Australian Birds by T Dolby and R Clarke. CSIRO, 2014.

    The Complete Guide to Finding the Birds of Australia by R Thomas et al. CSIRO, 2011 (Second Edition).

    Field Companion to the Mammals of Australia by S Van Dyck et al. New Holland, 2012.

    A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia by P Menkhorst and F Knight. OUP, 2010 (Third Edition).

    Field Guide to Australian Mammals by C Jones and S Parish. Steve Parish Publishing, 2006.

    The Complete Guide to Finding the Mammals of Australia by D Andrew. CSIRO, 2015.

    A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia by S Wilson and G Swan. New Holland, 2013 (Fourth Edition).

    The Complete Field Guide to Butterflies of Australia by M Braby. CSIRO, 2004.

    Wildlife of Australia: Princeton Pocket Guides by I Campbell and S Woods. PUP, 2013.

    Wildlife of Australia by L Egerton and J Lochman. Allen and Unwin, 2009.

    Bradt Travel Guides: Australian Wildlife by S Martin. Bradt, 2010.


    Apps etc.

    The Michael Morcombe and David Stewart eGuide to the Birds of Australia.

    Pizzey and Knight Birds of Australia.

    Where to watch birds in Australasia & Oceania by N Wheatley. Helm, 1998.

    Don’t know which country/countries/regions to visit in Australasia? Then it may be worth considering taking a look at this book, written by this website’s author. It is many years old of course but it still provides a starting point, an overview and a guiding light to the best birds and the best places to look for them in the region, and could save hours of searching for similar information on the internet. However, it is important to check more up-to-date sources for sites which have been opened up, sites and species which have been discovered, lodges that have been built etc. since the book was published.

    Birding and Wildlife Trip Reports for Eastern Australia

    Many trip reports, some for Eastern Australia, are posted on the websites listed here. On some of these websites some reports are independent and some are posted by tour companies who organize tours to Eastern Australia. These tour companies and others also post their own reports on their websites, which are listed under 'Some Organized Tours to Eastern Australia' below.

    Local bird and wildlife guides in Australia

    The costs of organized tours partly reflect the quality of the tour leaders. Some leaders are certainly better than others and many companies claim their leaders are the best but even the best rely at least to some extent on the exceptional skills of the local guides they employ. If you are travelling independently, employing such local guides will greatly increase your chances of seeing the wildlife you wish to see.

    Accommodation for birders in Eastern Australia

    Some Organized Tours for birds and other wildlife to Eastern Australia

    There are many tour companies who organize tours to see mammals, birds, other wildlife and other natural wonders. The cost of these tours vary considerably according to such variables as the airlines used, the number of days the tours last, the number of sites visited, the number of people in the group (an important consideration if you wish to see such wildlife as rainforest mammals and birds), the number of tour leaders, the standard of accommodation and transport, and the percentage profit the company hopes to make. Generally, where the number of days tours last and the number of sites visited are similar, the cheapest tours are those that use the cheapest airlines, accommodation and local transport, that have the largest groups with the least number of leaders, and that make the least amount of profit. The most expensive tours tend to be those which are exceptionally long, use the most expensive accommodation (ridiculously lavish in some cases, even for single nights) and which make the most profit. Some tour costs partly reflect the quality of the tour leaders. Some leaders are certainly better than others and many companies claim their leaders are the best but even the best rely at least to some extent on the exceptional skills of the local guides they employ.

    While tour companies organize tours with set itineraries many also organize custom tours for individuals and private groups who instead of taking a tour with a set itinerary want to follow their own itinerary to suit their own personal tastes, whether it be mammals, birds, other wildlife, other natural wonders or even man-made attractions, or a mixture of them all. Many organized tours with set itineraries are also fast-paced and target as many species as possible, whether they are mammals, birds or other wildlife or everything, which usually leaves little time to enjoy the best sites and individual species, but on a custom tour those taking part can specify the pace and the sites and species they wish to concentrate on. Custom tours also suit people who like to travel with people they already know, rather than with a group of strangers, and people with partners with different interests. Individuals and small groups will almost certainly have to pay more than the price of an organized tour with a set itinerary but a large group of friends may be able to travel for less than the price quoted for a set tour.

    Tour companies who run organized tours or can arrange custom tours to Eastern Australia include the following.