This article collects the top books for finding birds in Australia. Each guide shares the best birdwatching locations as well as tips for seeing your target species.
Finding Australian Birds
Finding Australian Birds is a guide to the special birds found across Australia’s vastly varied landscapes. From the eastern rainforests to central deserts, Australia is home to some 900 species of birds. This book covers over 400 Australian bird watching sites conveniently grouped into the best birding areas, from one end of the country to the other.
Each chapter begins with a brief description of the location, followed by a section on where to find the birds, which describes specific birdwatching sites within the location’s boundaries, and information on accommodation and facilities. The book also provides a comprehensive ‘Bird Finding Guide’, listing all of Australia’s birds with details on their abundance and where exactly to see them.
Australia’s Birdwatching Megaspots
The book gives in depth information on Australia’s 55 Birdwatching Megaspots, the 55 sites that typically rank highest in each state or territory for species richness or are home to the more uncommon species. Summaries of a further 40 sites have also been included to provide the reader with the opportunity to visit additional sites as they travel and see Australian bird species that do not typically occur elsewhere. The book includes 120 individual bird species accounts, over 500 colour images and detailed site specific information, including birding tracks and trails, GPS coordinates, access details and directions, facilities, contact information, transport information, other nearby sites of interest and detailed accommodation options in each area. There are also ethical birding guidelines, an overview of Australia’s modern bird families, safety and emergency guidelines and a handy checklist of all bird species and subspecies recorded to date in Australia for the reader to record their sightings as they travel. All designed to provide visitors with the essential information they need to plan a successful birding trip.
Regional Guides
New South Wales
Sydney Birds and Where to Find Them
Sydney Birds and Where to Find Them features the 30 top bird-watching localities in and around Sydney. Each locality entry lists the key species to look out for, including rare and seasonal visitors. It describes how to access the location, both by public transport and road, and what amenities to expect; maps are featured wherever necessary. The main section gives precise details about where to look for certain birds.
This invaluable guide will take you to some beautiful places, many of which you may never otherwise discover.
Northern Territory
Birds of the Darwin Region
Birds of the Darwin Region is the first comprehensive treatment of the avifauna of Darwin, a city located in Australia’s monsoon tropics, where seasons are defined by rainfall rather than by temperature. With its mangrove-lined bays and creeks, tidal mudflats, monsoon rainforests, savanna woodlands and freshwater lagoons, Darwin has retained all of its original habitats in near-pristine condition, and is home or host to 323 bird species. Unlike other Australian cities, it has no established exotic bird species.
Following an introduction to the history of ornithology in the region and a detailed appraisal of its avifauna, species accounts describe the habitats, relative abundance, behaviour, ecology and breeding season of 258 regularly occurring species, based on over 500 fully referenced sources, and original observations by the authors. Distribution maps and charts of the seasonality of each species are presented, based on a dataset comprising almost 120,000 records, one-third of which were contributed by the authors. Stunning colour photographs adorn the accounts of most species, including some of the 65 species considered as vagrants to the region.
Western Australia
Pocket Field Guide to Birdlife of Western Australia
Michael Morcombe’s two best-selling Field Guide to Australian Birds have been received with delight by birdwatchers throughout Australia and overseas. Now Morcombe has produced a series of handy Pocket Guides covering each State of Australia, plus a separate volume for migratory and sea birds. This Western Australia guide is the second of the series to be released. A unique feature of this book is the front section, which showcases 45 of Western Australia’s most sought-after birds, illustrated with stunning photographs selected or taken by Morcombe. Information about the best places and times to spot these birds includes precise GPS coordinates.
Features:
• Detailed illustrations of all the species, subspecies, males, females and juveniles that can be found in Western Australia, with essential species information accompanying each illustration
• Information about the best places and times to spot them, including precise GPS coordinates
• QuickFind system of colour tags gives easy reference to bird families and is cross-referenced to the Quick Index and Guide to Family Groups
Birds of Western Australia: The Field Guide
This comprehensive field guide to the birds of Western Australia includes detailed descriptive text, distribution maps and photographic illustrations of 486 species, covering the vast majority of sedentary birds and regular migratory birds.
Most of the photographs have been taken by Author Simon Nevill himself, showing the birds in their natural habitats. The majority of the information imparted in this guide comes from Simons personal experience over the last forty years of bird watching in Australia, giving the guide a more personal tone.
Queensland
Pocket Guide: Birds of Brisbane
This pocket companion is just the thing for any avid Brisbane bird-watcher. From frogmouths to falcons and crows to cockatoos, this little book contains images, calls and behaviours of every bird you’re likely to find in and around Brisbane.
Birds of the Wet Tropics of Queensland and Great Barrier Reef and Where to Find Them
The Field Guide section (206 pages) includes distribution maps and arranges birds according to their colour and most obvious feature such as “long” tail, some straited plumage, brown or appears brownish, yellow or buff rump, all-white head, black and white plumage, as well as habits such as wags or quivers tail, hovers, forages on tree trunks and limbs, spends much time in the air and so on. Also described in the Field Guide section are groups of birds such as shorebirds and some resident freshwater waders, diurnal birds of prey, nocturnal birds, terns, gulls, seabirds, quail and button-quail and the true aerial birds (swifts, swiftlets, swallows, martins).
85 pages are devoted to birds difficult-to-identify, some of which, for example, egrets, Black-shouldered and Letter-winged Kites, the four species of grey gerygone, Leaden, Satin and Broad-billed Flycatchers, Bassian and Russet-tailed Thrush are also found in other parts of Australia. Some groups of birds difficult-to-identify groups include egrets, the three “yellow-spotted” honeyeaters, gerygones, Bronze-cuckoos, scrubwrens, friarbirds, swiftlets, flycatchers.
Tasmania
Field guide to Tasmanian birds.
Species entries are accompanied by a full-colour photograph and include common and scientific names, identification information, notes on habits, voice, breeding and distribution, locator maps and tips on where to best see each bird.
Pocket Field Guide to Birds of Tasmania
Michael Morcombe’s two best-selling Field Guide to Australian Birds have been received with delight by birdwatchers throughout Australia and overseas. Now Morcombe has produced a series of handy Pocket Guides covering each State of Australia, plus a separate volume for migratory and sea birds. This Tasmania guide is the third of the series to be released.
A unique feature of this book is the front section, which showcases over 30 of Tasmania’s most sough-after birds, illustrated with stunning photographs selected or taken by Morcombe. Information about the best places and times to spot these birds includes precise GPS coordinates. Also included is a beautifully illustrated 136 page section on the nests and eggs of Australian birds.
Birds of Cataract Gorge and Surrounds
This invaluable reference, with superb photographs, describes 97 bird species, including 10 of Tasmania’s 12 endemics. It is a must for anyone interested in the bird life of Launceston and the region.
Emeritus Professor Nigel Forteath AM, a retired zoologist, is an Honorary Research Associate at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery. His extensive career in aquaculture led to many awards, including Member of the Order of Australia in 2006 for Services to Marine and Freshwater Biology. Nigel has always had a keen interest in birds and photography and brings his imagery and understanding of Cataract Gorge’s Bird life together in this guide.
Victoria
My Favourite
Where to See Birds in Victoria
Where to See Birds in Victoria features the very best places in Victoria for seeing birds. Despite being Australia’s smallest mainland state, its varied landscapes provide habitat for more than 500 bird species. It is without question one of Australia’s best-kept birding secrets.
Where to See Birds in Victoria provides information on how to get to each destination, what facilities and accommodation to expect and, importantly, precisely where to look for those special or rare birds. The book also provides a comprehensive and up-to-date list of birds, with the degree of rarity and where to see it noted for each species. So, for Victorians and visitors to the state, the secret is out. What better way to see some wonderful places and magnificent wildlife than by using Where to See Birds in Victoria as your guide?
Birds of Aireys Inlet and Anglesea on the Great Ocean Road.
A delightful photographic book featuring the birds of Aireys Inlet and Anglesea on the Victorian coast. Over 120 species have been photographed in their natural environment and set amongst landscapes of Aireys Inlet and Anglesea. This new collection features most of the birds you are likely to see along the Great Ocean Road.
A Photographic Field Guide to the Birds of the Australian High Country
This book is a fully comprehensive field guide to the 322 bird species of the High Country, including all common, rare and vagrant species. With photographs from the author and the region’s other top-quality nature photographers, each species is illustrated with many variants. The guide is focussed on field use to help beginners and experts identify species.
For each species the common and scientific names are listed as well as local variations. The main identifying features of each species are described and key facts cover size, habits, habitat, breeding, distribution, voice and status in the region. Distribution maps provide an at-a-glance view of where the birds can be found. The book also includes information on climate and topography, types of habitat, orders and families, residents, migrants, vagrants and highly scarce migrants, topography and the key birdwatching sites. The checklist provides complete information on the local status of each species.
ACT
Field Guide to the Birds of the ACT
This revised second edition illustrates in colour the 217 birds likely to be seen in and around the ACT. It has easy-to-follow descriptions in a compact format. Only local birds are shown making this Field Guide much simpler to use than comprehensive national guides.