Alice Springs Fauna •

Alice Springs BirdsBabblers Black-faced Cuckooshrike Brown Falcon Channel-billed Cuckoo Crested Pigeon Galah Magpie-lark Musk Duck Port Lincoln Ringneck Rainbow Bee-eater Sacred Kingfisher Sanderling Spinifex Pigeon Singing Honeyeater Southern Boobook Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater Splendid Fairy-wren Spotted Dove Wedge-tailed Eagle Western Bowerbird Whistling Kite White-plumed Honeyeater Willie Wagtail Yellow-throated Miner

One of the popular and interesting birds seen around Alice Springs is the Western Bowerbird (Chlamydera guttata). Named Karrke, in the Central Australia Arrente language, this bird is often heard before being seen. With their great gift of mimicry they are known to make a range of sounds from mechanical churrs, churring, crackles, whistles, rasps, chain-saw, cat cries, and they even mimic other bird species.

Western Bowerbird, Olive Pink Botanic Garden
Western Bowerbird (Chlamydera guttata), Olive Pink Botanic Garden

Endemic to Central Australia and semi-arid Western Australia, they are often sighted in native fig trees, people’s backyards and drinking at bird baths. The male bird can be seen gathering green and white objects to decorate their bower.

Treasures of our Western Bowerbird
Treasures of the Western Bowerbird in the backyard of a home garden in Alice Springs NT

The Western Bowerbird has beautiful scalloped plumage, the colours ranging from dark brown to a near black, with patterns of spots that range from light fawn to orange brown. The underside plumage is also a light fawn to buff colour.

Western Bowerbird, Olive Pink Botanic Garden
Western Bowerbird, Olive Pink Botanic Garden

It is the erectile iridescent lilac/pink nape crest (known as the nuchal crest) that attracts the eye, especially in the mature male when they perform in front of the female birds. The female has the same lilac/pink crest, but it is less prominent, whilst it is absent in the immature bird.

Western Bowerbird, Olive Pink Botanic Garden
Western Bowerbird, Olive Pink Botanic Garden

The bower of the male Western Bowerbird can often be seen at the Olive Pink Botanic Garden.

Western Bowerbird, Olive Pink Botanic Garden
Western Bowerbird, Olive Pink Botanic Garden

More information about the Western Bowerbird can be found in

Western Bowerbird (Chlamydera guttata)
Western Bowerbird (Chlamydera guttata), Alice Springs NT

  • Scientific Classification
  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Chordata
  • Class: Aves
  • Order: Passeriformes
  • Family: Ptilonorhynchidae
  • Genus: Chlamydera
  • Species: C. guttata
  • Binomial name: Chlamydera guttata

Alice Springs BirdsBabblers Black-faced Cuckooshrike Brown Falcon Channel-billed Cuckoo Crested Pigeon Galah Magpie-lark Musk Duck Port Lincoln Ringneck Rainbow Bee-eater Sacred Kingfisher Sanderling Spinifex Pigeon Singing Honeyeater Southern Boobook Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater Splendid Fairy-wren Spotted Dove Wedge-tailed Eagle Western Bowerbird Whistling Kite White-plumed Honeyeater Willie Wagtail Yellow-throated Miner

Alice Springs FaunaAlice Springs Bees Amegilla Bee Braunsapis sp Bright-white Masked Bee Bush Bee Ceylalictus perditellus European Honey Bee Exoneurella eremophila Golden-browed Resin Bee Lasioglossum (Homalictus) Lasioglossum (Homalictus) on Eucalyptus orbifolia Lasioglossum (Homalictus) dotatum Lasioglossum (Homalictus) urbanus Lasioglossum (Parasphecodes) Lipotriches Megachile deanii Red-headed Masked Bee Stenotritidae genus Stenotritus Xanthesma (Xenohesma) Alice Springs Beetles Bisallardiana sp Blaps polychresta Bolboceratidae Calolampra sp Calosoma oceanicum Carphurus (Soft-winged Flower Beetle) Chalcophorotaenia Chlorobapta frontalis Coccinella transversalis (Transverse Ladybird) Eretes australis (Padded Diving Beetle) Hydrophilus brevispina Lepidiota Merimna atrata Neospades sp Pachydissus (Longhorn Beetles) Paropsisterna laesa (Eucalyptus Leaf Beetle) Protaetia fusca (Mottled Flower Scarab) Pterohelaeus sp (Blue Pie-dish Beetles) Alice Springs Birds Babblers Black-faced Cuckooshrike Brown Falcon Channel-billed Cuckoo Crested Pigeon Galah Magpie-lark Musk Duck Port Lincoln Ringneck Rainbow Bee-eater Sacred Kingfisher Sanderling Spinifex Pigeon Singing Honeyeater Southern Boobook Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater Splendid Fairy-wren Spotted Dove Wedge-tailed Eagle Western Bowerbird Whistling Kite White-plumed Honeyeater Willie Wagtail Yellow-throated Miner Alice Springs Insects Alice Springs Ants (Formicidae) Camponotus novaehollandiae group Alice Springs Butterflies & Moths Bag-shelter Moth & Processionary Caterpillar Blue Moon Butterfly Caper White Butterfly, Egg and Instar Chasmina pulchra Cossid Moth (Endoxyla leucomochla) Glasswing (Acraea andromacha) Godart’s Hawkmoth (Agrius godarti) Helicoverpa punctigera Laced Day-Moth (Ipanica cornigera) Lesser Wanderer (Danaus petilia) Tawny Coster (Acraea terpsicore) Yeperenye / Yipirinya Alice Springs Diptera Australiphthiria sp (Bee Fly) Alice Springs Green Blowfly Mydas Fly, Miltinus sp Robber Fly, Bathypogon sp Stiletto Fly (Agapophytus yeatesi) Yellow-shouldered Hover Fly, Ischiodon scutellaris Alice Springs Dragonflies Blue Skimmer (Orthetrum caledonicum) Scarlet Percher (Diplacodes haematodes) Alice Springs True Bugs (Heteroptera) Eucalyptus Tip-wilting Bug Ground Shield Bug (Choerocoris paganus) Ippatha australiensis Soapberry Bugs, Leptocoris sp Spilostethus sp Alice Springs Water Scorpion Alice Springs Orthoptera Acrida conica Garden Mantis Giant Grasshopper Woodger’s Gumleaf Katydid Alice Springs Wasps Abispa ephippium Agriomyia maculata Bembicinae Bembix Blue Hairy Flower Wasp Cryptocheilus Cryptocheilus bicolor Cryptocheilus bicolor with Prey (Neosparassus sp) Delta latreillei Delta philantes Eumeninae Mud Nests and Potter Wasps Paralastor (Potter Wasp) Pseudabispa bicolor ssp. nigrocinctoides Sceliphron laetum Thynnid Flower Wasps Velvet Ant Family (Tribe Dasymutillini) Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp (Radumeris radula) Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp (Radumeris tasmaniensis) Alice Springs Marsupials Black-footed Rock Wallaby Euro Alice Springs Reptiles Bearded Dragon Bynoe’s Gecko Common Desert Ctenotus Ctenotus saxatilis Eastern Tree Dtella Long-nosed Dragon Perentie Alice Springs Spiders Australian Golden Orb Weaver Beautiful Badge Huntsman (Neosparassus calligaster) Banded Garden Spider Desert Huntsman Spider Elegant Water Spider (Dolomedes facetus) Hackled Orb-weavers Long-jawed Orb Weavers Long-tailed St. Andrew’s Cross Spider Lynx Spider (Oxyopidae) Miturgidae (Elassoctenus spp) Red-headed Mouse Spider Wall Spider (Oecobius sp)

Alice Springs FloraAnnual Yellowtop Acacia ligulata Apple Bush Bougainvillea Burdekin Plum Carob Tree (Ceratonia siliqa) Cattle Bush Desert Cotton (Aerva javanica) Desert Oak Eremophila Wildberry Feijoa sellowiana Flannel Cudweed Fork-leaf Corkwood Ghost Gum Golden Everlasting Kurrajong Lemon-flowered Gum MacDonnell’s Desert Fuchsia Native Bluebell Native Tomato Needlewood Olive Tree Perennial Yellow Top Rat’s Tail River Red Gum Inland River Red Gum Rosy Dock Round-leaved Mallee Scurvy Grass Silky Eremophila Stemodia viscosa Striped Mintbush Sturt’s Desert Pea Sturt’s Desert Rose Tangled Leschenaultia Tar Vine Weeping Bottlebrush White Cedar Yellow Billybutton Yellow-keeled Swainsona Yellow Oleander