Birds (class Aves) are a popular group of animals, with many avid bird watchers here in Australia, as well as around the world. Check out some of our information and images provided here for you to enjoy.

Wedge-tail Eagle (Aquila audax), Alice Springs Desert Park
Wedge-tail Eagle (Aquila audax), Alice Springs NT


AUSTRALASIAN ROBINS

Australasian RobinsEastern Yellow Robin Flame Robin Red-capped Robin Scarlet Robin


AUSTRALASIAN WRENS

Australasian WrensDusky Grasswren Purple-backed Fairywren Red-backed Fairywren Southern Emu-wren Splendid Fairy-wren Superb Fairywren Variegated Fairywren White-winged Fairywren


AUSTRALIAN BABBLERS

Australian BabblersGrey-crowned Babbler White-browed Babbler



AUSTRALIAN CHATS

Australian ChatsCrimson Chat Orange Chat White-fronted Chat


Pelicans at 2 Mile Beach, West Macdonnell Ranges
Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus)

AUSTRALIAN RINGNECK

Australian Ringneck > Mallee Ringneck (Barnardius zonarius barnardi) | Port Lincoln Ringneck (Barnardius zonarius)


ParrotsAustralian Ringnecks Bluebonnet Bourke’s Parrot Budgerigar Cockatiel Galah Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo Mallee Ringneck Mulga Parrot Port Lincoln Ringneck Purple-crowned Lorikeet Rainbow Lorikeet Red-collared Lorikeet Red-tailed Black Cockatoo Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo



BOWERBIRDS

BowerbirdsGreat Bowerbird Green Catbird Satin Bowerbird Western Bowerbird




WadersBanded Lapwing Bar-tailed Godwit Black-fronted Dotterel Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) Hooded Plover Inland Dotterel Lesser Sand Plover Long-toed Stint Oriental Plover Pacific Golden Plover Pectoral Sandpiper Pied Stilt Red-necked Avocet Red-necked Stint Ruff Sanderling Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Sooty Oystercatcher



Doves & PigeonsCommon Bronzewing Crested Pigeon Diamond Dove Flock Bronzewing Spinifex Pigeon Spotted Dove (Spilopelia chinensis)




FinchesBeautiful Firetail Chestnut-breasted Mannikin Crimson Finch Diamond Firetail Double-barred Finch European Greenfinch European Goldfinch Gouldian Finch Long-tailed Finch Masked Finch Painted Finch Scaly-breasted Munia Zebra Finch




HoneyeatersBlue-faced Honeyeater Brown Honeyeater Brown-headed Honeyeater Crescent Honeyeater Eastern Spinebill Grey-fronted Honeyeater Grey-headed Honeyeater New Holland Honeyeater Noisy Miner Pied Honeyeater Red Wattlebird Scarlet Honeyeater Singing Honeyeater Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater White-plumed Honeyeater Yellow-throated Miner Yellow-tinted Honeyeater Yellow-tufted Honeyeater




KingfishersAzure Kingfisher Blue-winged Kookaburra Forest Kingfisher Laughing Kookaburra Red-backed Kingfisher Sacred Kingfisher Torresian Kingfisher




PardalotesRed-browed Pardalote Spotted Pardalote Striated Pardalote



ParrotsAustralian Ringnecks Bluebonnet Bourke’s Parrot Budgerigar Cockatiel Galah Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo Mallee Ringneck Mulga Parrot Port Lincoln Ringneck Purple-crowned Lorikeet Rainbow Lorikeet Red-collared Lorikeet Red-tailed Black Cockatoo Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo




RaptorsAustralian Boobook Owl Australian Hobby Barn Owl Black-breasted Buzzard Black Falcon Black Kite Black-shouldered Kite Brown Falcon Brown Goshawk Nankeen Kestrel Peregrine Falcon Spotted Harrier Wedge-tailed Eagle Whistling Kite




WadersBanded Lapwing Bar-tailed Godwit Black-fronted Dotterel Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) Hooded Plover Inland Dotterel Lesser Sand Plover Long-toed Stint Oriental Plover Pacific Golden Plover Pectoral Sandpiper Pied Stilt Red-necked Avocet Red-necked Stint Ruff Sanderling Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Sooty Oystercatcher



Class Aves – birds encompass a group of animals comprising about 9,000 species that are bipedal, feathered and warm blooded. They have fore-limbs that are modified into wings, although not all birds can fly. Of the flightless birds, there are over 60 extant species that include the ostrich, emu, cassowary and penguin.

The upper and lower jaws of birds are modified into a beak, which lacks teeth.

The class Aves is divided into two subclasses:

  • Archaeornithes
    these are an extinct group that have toothed beak, long lizard-like tail.
  • Neornithes
    these include both current modern birds and extinct birds such as the dodo that became extinct in the 17th century.

  • Scientific classification
  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Chordata
  • Clade: Sauropsida
  • Clade: Avemetatarsalia
  • Clade: Ornithurae
  • Class: Aves

Footnote & References

  1. Ayeye thipe-akert‪e‬ – this free app created by Therese Ryder, provides a number of recordings of the correct pronunciation of bird species in the Central Australia region. The app also includes pronunciation of some plants/landscape. Therese Ryder has also released a published Arrernte language bird book.
  2. Ayeye thipe-akerte: Arrernte stories about birds; Author Ryder, Therese C., author, illustrator; recorded and edited by Margaret Carew; Published Batchelor, NT Batchelor Press, 2017; ISBN, 1741313317, 9781741313314.
  3. Sally Edmonds is an artist based in the Perth Hills. Her passion for birds and paintings are evident in her detailed works of realism, with each work portraying their own character, https://www.sallyedmonds.com/
  4. Big City Birds, Spotteron Citizen Science – a project that focuses on selected bird species and their behavioural adaptatations – https://www.spotteron.com/bigcitybirds/info
  5. Birdlife Australia, https://birdlife.org.au/
  6. Australian Bird Identification (ABID), Facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/aubirdid/

BirdsApostlebird Australasian Darter Australasian Figbird Australasian Gannet Australasian Grebe Australasian Pipit Australasian Robins Australasian Shoveler (Spatula rhynchotis) Australasian Wrens Australian Babblers Australian Bustard Australian Chats Australian Magpie Australian Pelican Australian Pratincole (Stiltia isabella) Australian White Ibis Bassian Thrush Black-faced Cormorant Black-faced Woodswallow Black Swan Bowerbirds Brolga Brown Songlark Channel-billed Cuckoo Cinnamon Quail-thrush Cormorants Cuckooshrikes and Allies Dotterels Lapwings Plovers Doves & Pigeons Emu Fairy Martin Finches Grey Fantail Grey Teal Honeyeaters Kingfishers Little Friarbird Little Grassbird Magpie-lark Masked Woodswallow Noisy Pitta Olive Whistler Paradise Riflebird Pardalotes Parrots Pheasant Coucal Pied Butcherbird Rainbow Bee-eater Raptors Rufous Fantail Redthroat Rufous Bristlebird Silver-crowned Friarbird Torresian Crow Waders Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena) Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida) White-browed Woodswallow White Capped Noddy White-faced Heron White-necked Heron Willie Wagtail Yellow-throated Scrubwren