List of birds of Tasmania
Encyclopedia
A total of 262 species of bird have been recorded living in the wild on the island of Tasmania
, nearby islands, and islands in Bass Strait
, 182 of which are regularly recorded, while another 79 are vagrants
, and one is extinct. Birds of Macquarie Island
are not included in this list. Twelve species are unique (endemic) to the island of Tasmania, and most of these are common and widespread. However, the Forty-spotted Pardalote
is rare and restricted, while the island's two breeding endemic species, the world's only migratory parrots, are both threatened. Several species of penguin are late summer visitors to Tasmanian shores. Tasmania's endemic birds have led to it being classified as an Endemic Bird Area
(EBA), one of 218 such areas worldwide. Priority regions for habitat-based conservation of birds around the world, they are defined by containing two or more restricted-range (endemic) species.
Although Tasmania has been isolated from the Australian mainland for about 10,000 years, islands in the Bass Strait
between the two landmasses have allowed many species to traverse. With around 5,400 km (3,400 mi) of coastline and 350 offshore islands, Tasmania provides a diverse haven for birds despite its relatively small size. Birds are abundant in Tasmanian wetlands and waterways, and ten of these habitats are internationally important and protected under the Ramsar Convention
. Many migratory birds make use of the bays, mudflats and beaches for feeding, including the threatened Hooded Plover
and Little Tern
, both of which breed along the coast. The near-coastal button grass
grasslands of the southwest harbour the breeding grounds of the critically endangered Orange-bellied Parrot
. Many of the rarer species dwell in Tasmania's eucalyptus (sclerophyll
) forests or rainforest
s, which cover much of the island.
The common and scientific names and taxonomic arrangement
follow the conventions laid out in the 2008 publication Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds. Unless otherwise noted, all species listed below are considered to occur, or have occurred since European settlement in the case of extinct species, regularly in Tasmania as permanent residents, summer or winter visitors, or migrants. The following codes denote certain categories of species:
The Casuariidae were represented in Tasmanian territory by two species, both now locally extinct. The King Island Emu became extinct around 1802, and the original populations of Emus on Tasmania had vanished by 1865. Whether or not the Tasmanian Emu was a separate subspecies is unclear. The extant Emus of Tasmania have originated from introduced Emus from mainland Australia.
. Family: Odontophoridae
The New World quail
s are small, plump terrestrial birds only distantly related to the quails of the Old World, but named for their similar appearance and habits. One species has become naturalised in Tasmania.
. Family: Phasianidae
The Phasianidae is a family of birds which consists of the pheasants and their allies. These are terrestrial species, variable in size but generally plump, with broad, relatively short wings. Many species are gamebirds, or have been domesticated as a food source for humans. Two species are native to Tasmania, and three commonly domesticated species are feral in King Island.
. Family: Anseranatidae
The family contains a single species, the Magpie Goose. It was an early and distinctive offshoot of the anseriform family tree, diverging after screamer
s and before all other ducks, geese and swans, sometime in the late Cretaceous
. The single species is a vagrant to Tasmania.
. Family: Anatidae
The family Anatidae includes the duck
s and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese
and swan
s. These are adapted for an aquatic existence, with webbed feet, bills that are flattened to a greater or lesser extent, and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to special oils. In Tasmania, 15 species have been recorded, of which one has been introduced, and three are vagrants.
Grebe
s are small- to medium-large-sized freshwater diving birds. They have lobed toes, and are excellent swimmers and divers. However, they have their feet placed far back on the body, making them quite ungainly on land. Three species have been recorded in Tasmania.
. Family: Columbidae
Pigeons and dove
s are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere
. Six species have been recorded in Tasmania, one of which has been introduced, and another three are vagrants.
. Family: Podargidae
The frogmouths are a distinctive group of small nocturnal birds related to swifts found from India across southern Asia to Australia. One species is found in Tasmania.
. Family: Aegothelidae
The owlet-nightjars are a distinctive group of small nocturnal birds related to swifts found from the Maluku Islands
and New Guinea to Australia and New Caledonia. There are eleven species, one of which is found in Tasmania.
. Family: Apodidae
Swift
s are small aerial birds, spending the majority of their lives flying. These birds have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead only on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang. There are 98 species worldwide, with one reaching Tasmanuia.
. Family: Oceanitidae
The storm-petrel
s are the smallest of seabirds, relatives of the petrel
s, feeding on plankton
ic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. Their flight is fluttering and sometimes bat
-like. One species has been regularly recorded in Tasmania's waters, and two more are vagrants.
. Family: Diomedeidae
The albatrosses are a family of 21 species of large seabird found across the Southern and North Pacific Oceans. The largest are among the largest flying birds in the world. Four species are regularly seen in Tasmanian waters, with another three recorded as vagrants.
. Family: Procellariidae
The procellariids are the main group of medium-sized "true petrels", characterized by united nostrils with medium nasal septum
, and a long outer functional primary flight feather. Eleven species have been regularly recorded from Tasmanian waters, while another 20 species are vagrants.
. Family: Spheniscidae
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. One species breeds on the Tasmanian coast, while another nine have been recorded as vagrants.
. Family: Phaethontidae
Tropicbird
s are slender white birds of tropical oceans, with exceptionally long central tail feathers. Their long wings have black markings, as does the head. One species is a vagrant to Tasmanian waters.
. Family: Sulidae
The sulids comprise the gannet
s and boobies
. Both groups are medium-large coastal seabird
s that plunge-dive for fish. A single species has been recorded from Tasmania.
. Family: Anhingidae
Darter
s are cormorant-like water birds with long necks and long, straight bills. They often swim with only the neck above water, and are fish-eaters. One species is a vagrant to Tasmania.
. Family: Phalacrocoracidae
Cormorant
s are medium-to-large aquatic birds, usually with mainly dark plumage and areas of colored skin on the face. The bill is long, thin, and sharply hooked. Their feet are four-toed and webbed, a distinguishing feature among the Pelecaniformes order. Four species occur in Tasmania, with a fifth as a vagrant.
. Family: Pelecanidae
Pelican
s are large water birds with a distinctive pouch under the bill. Like other birds in the order Pelecaniformes, they have four webbed toes. One species has been recorded in Tasmania.
. Family: Ardeidae
The family Ardeidae contains the heron
s, egret
s, and bittern
s. Herons and egrets are medium- to large-sized wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns tend to be shorter-necked and more secretive. Unlike other long-necked birds such as stork
s, ibis
es and spoonbill
s, members of Ardeidae fly with their necks retracted. Eight species have been recorded in Tasmania, one of which (the Cattle Egret) is a recent self-introduction, and two others are vagrants.
. Family: Threskiornithidae
The family Threskiornithidae includes the ibis
es and spoonbill
s. They have long, broad wings. Their bodies tend to be elongated, the neck more so, with rather long legs. The bill is also long, decurved in the case of the ibises, straight and distinctively flattened in the spoonbills. All five Australian mainland species have been recorded as vagrants in Tasmania.
. Family: Accipitridae
Accipitridae is a family of birds of prey and includes hawk
s, eagle
s, kite
s, harriers, and Old World vultures. These birds have large powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, powerful talons, and keen eyesight. Twelve species have been recorded in Tasmania, while there are no confirmed records of a thirteenth species, the Spotted Harrier
.
. Family: Falconidae
Falconidae is a family of diurnal birds of prey, notably the falcon
s and caracara
s. They differ from hawks, eagles, and kites in that they kill with their beaks instead of their feet. In Tasmania, four species have been recorded.
. Family: Rallidae
Rallidae is a large family of small- to medium-sized birds that includes the rails, crakes, coot
s, and gallinules. The most typical family members occupy dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps, or rivers. In general they are shy and secretive birds, difficult to observe. Most species have strong legs, and have long toes that are well adapted to soft, uneven surfaces. They tend to have short, rounded wings and be weak fliers. In Tasmania, eight species have been recorded, one endemic and another a vagrant.
. Family: Burhinidae
The Stone-curlew
s are a group of nine species of largely tropical and nocturnal birds. They are characterised by their strong black or yellow black bills, large yellow eyes, and cryptic plumage. One species is a vagrant to Tasmania.
. Family: Haematopodidae
The oystercatcher
s are large and noisy plover
-like birds, with strong bills used for smashing or prying open molluscs. Two species have been recorded from Tasmania.
. Family: Recurvirostridae
Recurvirostridae is a family of large wading birds that includes the avocet
s and the stilt
s. The avocets have long legs and long up-curved bills. The stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills. All three mainland species have been recorded in Tasmania, although two are vagrants only.
. Family: Charadriidae
The family Charadriidae includes the plover
s, dotterels, and lapwing
s. They are small- to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks and long, usually pointed, wings. They are often found in open country worldwide, mostly in habitats near water. In Tasmania, ten species have been recorded, three of which are vagrants.
. Family: Rostratulidae
The painted snipe
s are a family of three snipe-like birds found in South America, Asia, and Australia. The Australian species has recently been split from the Asian Greater Painted Snipe
and is a vagrant to Tasmania.
. Family: Scolopacidae
The Scolopacidae are a large and diverse family of small- to medium-sized shorebirds, including the sandpipers, curlew
s, godwit
s, shank
s, tattler
s, woodcock
s, snipe
s, dowitcher
s and phalarope
s. The majority of species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. Different lengths of legs and bills enable different species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food. Fourteen species have been recorded in Tasmania, five as vagrants only.
. Family: Turnicidae
The buttonquail are an ancient lineage of shorebirds which closely resemble true quail in appearance but are unrelated. They are found in Africa, Asia and Australia, with one species reaching Tasmania.
. Family: Stercorariidae
The skua
s are in general medium to large birds, typically with grey or brown plumage, often with white markings on the wings. They have longish bills with a hooked tip, and webbed feet with sharp claws. They look like large dark gulls, but have a fleshy cere above the upper mandible. They are strong, acrobatic fliers. A single species is regularly found in Tasmanian waters, while two others are vagrants.
. Family: Laridae
Gull
s are typically medium to large birds, usually grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout, longish bills, and webbed feet. The large species take up to four years to attain full adult plumage, but two years is typical for small gulls. In Tasmania, three species have been recorded. Tern
s are in general medium-to-large birds, typically with grey or white plumage, often with black markings on the head. They have longish bills and webbed feet. They are lighter-bodied and more streamlined than gulls, and look elegant in flight with long tails and long narrow wings. In Tasmania, nine species of gulls and terns have been recorded, five of which are vagrants. The two groups have been considered separate families, but some findings that the noddies and White Tern
are offshoots to the combined group have led the two to be classified as a single family for the time being.
Order: Psittaciformes. Family: Cacatuidae
Cockatoos are a distinctive lineage of parrots notable for their crests and lack of colour in their plumage. Generally large and noisy, they are a familiar part of the Australian (and Tasmanian) landscape. Six species are found in Tasmania, two of which are considered to be aviary escapees and hence introduced, and one a vagrant.
True parrots are small to large birds with a characteristic curved beak shape. Their upper mandibles have slight mobility in the joint with the skull and they have a generally erect stance. All parrots are zygodactyl, having the four toes on each foot placed two at the front and two back. Nine species are found in Tasmania, one of which is critically endangered, and two are vagrants.
. Family: Cuculidae
The family Cuculidae includes cuckoo
s, roadrunners and anis
. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. There are 138 species worldwide and 4 species which occur in Tasmania, all of which are parasitic.
Typical owl
s are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey. They have large forward-facing eyes and ears, a hawk-like beak, and a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disk. One species has been recorded in Tasmania.
Barn owl
s are medium- to large-sized owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long strong legs with powerful talons. One species is found in Tasmania.
. Family: Alcedinidae
Kingfisher
s are medium-sized birds with large heads, long pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. One species has been recorded in Tasmania.
. Family: Halcyonidae
Wood or tree kingfishers are medium to large kingfishers with large heads, long pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. One species has been introduced to Tasmania.
The lyrebirds are two species of ground-dwelling Australian birds, notable for their accomplished mimicry. One species has been introduced to Tasmania.
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Maluridae
The fairywrens are a family of small, insectivorous passerine birds endemic to Australia and New Guinea. Most closely related to honeyeaters and pardalotes, they are more closely related to crows than to true wrens of the northern hemisphere. Two species are native to Tasmania.
The pardalote
s are a small family of very small, brightly coloured birds native to Australia, with short tails, strong legs, and stubby blunt beaks. They feed on insects, generally in the canopy of eucalypts, and nest in burrows. Three species are found in Tasmania, of which one is endemic and endangered.
The Acanthizidae are a group of 35 species of small to medium mostly insectivorous passerine birds found in Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, and the south-west Pacific. They have short rounded wings, slender bills, long legs, and a short tail. Most species have olive, grey, or brown plumage, although some have patches of a brighter yellow. Six species are found in Tasmania, of which three are endemic.
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Meliphagidae
Honeyeaters are a diverse and widespread group of nectar and insect-eating birds found across Australia and surrounding regions. Eleven species are found in Tasmania, of which four are endemic, including Australia's largest honeyeater, the Yellow Wattlebird.
The quail-thrush
es are medium-sized songbirds found in open forest and scrub. Adapted for ground living, they have strong legs and beaks. They are sometimes classified in the family Cinclosomatidae along with jewel-babbler
s, or united with the family Psophodidae, containing the wedgebills and whipbirds. One species reaches Tasmania.
The cuckoo-shrike
s are a family of predominantly drab-coloured insectivorous birds from Australia and southeast Asia that are related to neither cuckoos nor shrikes. One species reaches Tasmania.
The whistlers and shrike-thrushes are a large group of stocky passerines found in Australia and surrounding regions. Primarily insectivorous, larger species may also eat small vertebrates such as frogs or nestling birds. Most have drab plumage, the Golden Whistler a notable exception, and several are accomplished songsters. Three species are found in Tasmania.
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Artamidae
Now known to be related to the Vangidae of Madagascar, the Artamidae are a collection of crow-like birds as well as the smaller woodswallow
s. They include some of the most familiar and most accomplished songbirds of the Australian (and Tasmanian) landscape. Six species are found in Tasmania. One is endemic and two more are endemic subspecies.
Fantail
s are a family of small insectivorous birds of southern Asia and Australasia related to monarchs and drongos (all three are sometimes combined in the one family). One species is resident while another is a vagrant.
The Corvidae family includes crow
s, raven
s, jay
s, chough
s, magpie
s, treepie
s, nutcracker
s, and ground jay
s. Corvids are above average in size for the bird order Passeriformes. Some of the larger species show levels of learned behavior of a high degree. Two black-plumaged ravens are found in Tasmania.
The monarch flycatchers are a diverse family of around 140 species of passerine birds found from Africa to Australia. Closely related to the drongo family Dicruridae, they are sometimes classified as a subfamily within it. Monarchs generally live in the canopy or understory
in forest habitats, although one species is ground-dwelling. One species is found in Tasmania.
Australian robins are a group of small insectivorous birds, whose exact position in the bird family tree is unclear. Named after a superficial resemblance to the European Robin, the males of many species sport bright red or pink on their plumage. Four species are found in Tasmania, of which one is endemic.
Lark
s are small terrestrial birds with often extravagant songs and display flights. Most larks are fairly dull in appearance. They feed on insects and seeds. One species has been introduced to Tasmania.
The cisticolas and allies
are family of about 110 small passerine birds found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. They are often included within the Old World warbler family Sylviidae
. One species reaches Tasmania.
Megaluridae
, commonly known as grassbirds, songlarks and megalurid warblers, is a newly recognized family of small insectivorous songbirds related to the Old World warblers. One species reaches Tasmania.
The Old World babblers or timaliids are a large family of mostly Old World passerine birds. They are rather diverse in size and coloration, but are characterised by soft fluffy plumage. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in Southeast Asia. The white-eyes are sometimes classified in their own family Zosteropidae or included here. One species reaches Tasmania.
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Hirundinidae
The Hirundinidae family is a group of passerines characterized by their adaptation to aerial feeding. Their adaptations include a slender streamlined body, long pointed wings, and short bills with wide gape. The feet are designed for perching rather than walking and the front toes are partially joined at the base. Two species have been recorded in Tasmania.
The true thrushes are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly but not exclusively in the Old World. Two species, one native and one introduced, occur in Tasmania.
Starling
s are small- to medium-sized Old World
passerine birds with strong feet. Their flight is strong and direct, and most are gregarious. Their preferred habitat is fairly open country, and they eat insects and fruit. The plumage of several species is dark with a metallic sheen. One species has been introduced into Tasmania.
Estrildid finches are small finch- or sparrow-like birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. One species reaches Tasmania.
Old World sparrows are small passerine birds. These sparrows tend to be small plump brownish or greyish birds with short tails and short powerful beaks. Sparrows are seed-eaters, and they also consume small insects. One species has been introduced to Tasmania.
The Motacillidae are a family of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. They include the wagtails, longclaws and pipits. They are slender, ground-feeding insectivores of open country. One species have been recorded in Tasmania.
Finch
es are seed-eating passerine birds that are small to moderately large and have a strong beak, usually conical and in some species very large. All have 12 tail feathers and 9 primaries. These birds have a bouncing flight with alternating bouts of flapping and gliding on closed wings, and most sing well. Two species have been introduced to Tasmania.
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, nearby islands, and islands in Bass Strait
Bass Strait
Bass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.-Extent:The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bass Strait as follows:...
, 182 of which are regularly recorded, while another 79 are vagrants
Vagrancy (biology)
Vagrancy is a phenomenon in biology whereby individual animals appear well outside their normal range; individual animals which exhibit vagrancy are known as vagrants. The term accidental is sometimes also used...
, and one is extinct. Birds of Macquarie Island
Birds of Macquarie Island
The Birds of Macquarie Island are, unsurprisingly for an isolated oceanic island, predominantly seabirds. By far the majority of the breeding species are penguins, petrels and albatrosses. However, the bird list includes many vagrants, including passerines, from New Zealand and Australia.Four...
are not included in this list. Twelve species are unique (endemic) to the island of Tasmania, and most of these are common and widespread. However, the Forty-spotted Pardalote
Forty-spotted Pardalote
The Forty-spotted Pardalote is one of Australia's rarest birds and by far the rarest pardalote, being confined to the south-east corner of Tasmania.-Description:...
is rare and restricted, while the island's two breeding endemic species, the world's only migratory parrots, are both threatened. Several species of penguin are late summer visitors to Tasmanian shores. Tasmania's endemic birds have led to it being classified as an Endemic Bird Area
Endemism in birds
An endemic bird area is a region of the world that contains two or more restricted-range species, while a "secondary area" contains one or more restricted-range species. Both terms were devised by Birdlife International....
(EBA), one of 218 such areas worldwide. Priority regions for habitat-based conservation of birds around the world, they are defined by containing two or more restricted-range (endemic) species.
Although Tasmania has been isolated from the Australian mainland for about 10,000 years, islands in the Bass Strait
Bass Strait
Bass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.-Extent:The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bass Strait as follows:...
between the two landmasses have allowed many species to traverse. With around 5,400 km (3,400 mi) of coastline and 350 offshore islands, Tasmania provides a diverse haven for birds despite its relatively small size. Birds are abundant in Tasmanian wetlands and waterways, and ten of these habitats are internationally important and protected under the Ramsar Convention
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural,...
. Many migratory birds make use of the bays, mudflats and beaches for feeding, including the threatened Hooded Plover
Hooded Plover
The Hooded Dotterel or Hooded Plover is a species of bird in the Charadriidae family. It is endemic to southern Australia and Tasmania. There are two recognized subspecies, both of which are classifed as Endangered....
and Little Tern
Little Tern
The Little Tern, Sternula albifrons or Sterna albifrons, is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. It was formerly placed into the genus Sterna, which now is restricted to the large white terns . The former North American and Red Sea S. a...
, both of which breed along the coast. The near-coastal button grass
Gymnoschoenus sphaerocephalus
Gymnoschoenus sphaerocephalus, commonly known as button grass, is a species of tussock-forming grass from southeastern Australia. It forms part of a unique habitat in Tasmania....
grasslands of the southwest harbour the breeding grounds of the critically endangered Orange-bellied Parrot
Orange-bellied Parrot
The Orange-bellied Parrot is a small broad-tailed parrot endemic to southern Australia, and one of only two species of parrot which migrate. The adult male is distinguished by its bright grass-green upperparts, yellow underparts and orange belly patch. The adult female and juvenile are duller...
. Many of the rarer species dwell in Tasmania's eucalyptus (sclerophyll
Sclerophyll
Sclerophyll is the term for a type of vegetation that has hard leaves and short internodes . The word comes from the Greek sclero and phyllon ....
) forests or rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
s, which cover much of the island.
The common and scientific names and taxonomic arrangement
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
follow the conventions laid out in the 2008 publication Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds. Unless otherwise noted, all species listed below are considered to occur, or have occurred since European settlement in the case of extinct species, regularly in Tasmania as permanent residents, summer or winter visitors, or migrants. The following codes denote certain categories of species:
- (I) – IntroducedIntroduced speciesAn introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
: Birds that have been introduced to Tasmania by man. - (Ex) – ExtinctExtinctionIn biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
- (V) – Uncommon vagrantsVagrancy (biology)Vagrancy is a phenomenon in biology whereby individual animals appear well outside their normal range; individual animals which exhibit vagrancy are known as vagrants. The term accidental is sometimes also used...
to Tasmania - (E) – Endemic to Tasmania
| Table of contents |
|---|
Non-passerines: Casuaries and relatives • New World quail • Pheasants • Magpie Goose • Ducks, geese, and swans • Grebes • Pigeons and doves • Frogmouths • Owlet-nightjars • Swifts • Storm-petrels • Albatrosses • Fulmers, petrels and shearwaters • Penguins • Tropicbirds • Boobies and gannets • Darters • Cormorants • Pelicans • Bitterns, herons, and egrets • Ibises and spoonbills • Hawks, kites, and eagles • Caracaras and falcons • Rails, gallinules, and coots • Stone-curlews • Oystercatchers • Stilts and avocets • Lapwings and plovers • Painted snipe • Sandpipers, curlews, stints, godwits, snipes, and phalaropes • Buttonquail • Skuas • Gulls and terns • Cockatoos • True parrots • Cuckoos • Typical owls • Barn owls • River kingfishers • Wood kingfishers |
Passerines: Lyrebirds • Fairywrens • Thornbills and scrubwrens Pardalotes • Honeyeaters • Quail-thrushes and allies • Cuckoo-shrikes • Whistlers and shrike-thrushes • Woodswallows, butcherbirds, Australian Magpie, and currawongs • Fantails • Crows and ravens • Monarchs and Magpie-lark • Australian robins • Larks • Cisticolas • Grassbirds and songlarks • Old World babblers and white-eyes • Swallows and martins • Thrushes • Starlings • Estrildid finches • Old World sparrows • Wagtails and pipits • Finches |
See also References |
Casuaries and relatives
Order: Casuariformes. Family: CasuariidaeCasuariidae
The bird family Casuariidae has four surviving members: the three species of cassowary, and the only remaining species of Emu. The emus were formerly classified in their own family, Dromaiidae, but are regarded as sufficiently closely related to the cassowaries to be part of the same family.All...
The Casuariidae were represented in Tasmanian territory by two species, both now locally extinct. The King Island Emu became extinct around 1802, and the original populations of Emus on Tasmania had vanished by 1865. Whether or not the Tasmanian Emu was a separate subspecies is unclear. The extant Emus of Tasmania have originated from introduced Emus from mainland Australia.
- EmuEmuThe Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three subspecies of Emus in Australia...
, Dromaius novaehollandiae (I) - King Island EmuKing Island EmuThe King Island Emu or Black Emu is an extinct sub-species of emu which occurred on King Island between mainland Australia and Tasmania. It is known from 19th century descriptions of live birds, as well as subfossil bones and one museum specimen...
, Dromaius ater (Ex)
New World quail
Order: GalliformesGalliformes
Galliformes are an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding domestic or game bird, containing turkey, grouse, chicken, New and Old World Quail, ptarmigan, partridge, pheasant, and the Cracidae. Common names are gamefowl or gamebirds, landfowl, gallinaceous birds or galliforms...
. Family: Odontophoridae
The New World quail
New World quail
The New World quails or Odontophorids are small birds only distantly related to the Old World Quails, but named for their similar appearance and habits. The American species are in their own family Odontophoridae, whereas Old World Quail are in the pheasant family Phasianidae...
s are small, plump terrestrial birds only distantly related to the quails of the Old World, but named for their similar appearance and habits. One species has become naturalised in Tasmania.
- California QuailCalifornia QuailThe California Quail, Callipepla californica, also known as the California Valley Quail or Valley Quail, is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family...
, Callipepla californica (I)
Pheasants
Order: GalliformesGalliformes
Galliformes are an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding domestic or game bird, containing turkey, grouse, chicken, New and Old World Quail, ptarmigan, partridge, pheasant, and the Cracidae. Common names are gamefowl or gamebirds, landfowl, gallinaceous birds or galliforms...
. Family: Phasianidae
Phasianidae
The Phasianidae is a family of birds which consists of the pheasants and partridges, including the junglefowl , Old World Quail, francolins, monals and peafowl. The family is a large one, and is occasionally broken up into two subfamilies, the Phasianinae, and the Perdicinae...
The Phasianidae is a family of birds which consists of the pheasants and their allies. These are terrestrial species, variable in size but generally plump, with broad, relatively short wings. Many species are gamebirds, or have been domesticated as a food source for humans. Two species are native to Tasmania, and three commonly domesticated species are feral in King Island.
- Stubble QuailStubble QuailThe Stubble Quail, Coturnix pectoralis is an Australian quail of the family Phasianidae. It has sometimes been considered conspecific with the extinct New Zealand Quail. In this case, the latter species' name would have priority and the Stubble Quail would become Coturnix novaezelandiae pectoralis...
, Coturnix pectoralis - Brown QuailBrown QuailThe Brown Quail , also known as Swamp Quail, is an Australasian true quail of the family Phasianidae.The Brown Quail is distributed in agricultural areas, wet grasslands, shrublands and freshwater wetlands across much of New Guinea and the Lesser Sunda Islands as well as in northern, eastern,...
, Coturnix ypsilophora - Indian PeafowlIndian PeafowlThe Indian Peafowl or Blue Peafowl is a large and brightly coloured bird of the pheasant family native to South Asia, but introduced and semi-feral in many other parts of the world...
, Pavo cristatus (I)HANZAB 2, p. 373. - Common PheasantCommon PheasantThe Common Pheasant , is a bird in the pheasant family . It is native to Georgia and has been widely introduced elsewhere as a game bird. In parts of its range, namely in places where none of its relatives occur such as in Europe , it is simply known as the "pheasant"...
, Phasianus colchicus (I)HANZAB 2, p. 377. - Domestic turkey, Meleagris gallopavo (I)HANZAB 2, p. 355.
Magpie Goose
Order: AnseriformesAnseriformes
The order Anseriformes contains about 150 living species of birds in three extant families: the Anhimidae , Anseranatidae , and the Anatidae, which includes over 140 species of waterfowl, among them the ducks, geese, and swans.All species in the order are highly adapted for an aquatic existence at...
. Family: Anseranatidae
Anseranatidae
Anseranatidae, the magpie-geese, is a biological family of waterbirds. It is a unique member of the order Anseriformes. The only living species, the Magpie Goose, is a resident breeder in northern Australia and in southern New Guinea....
The family contains a single species, the Magpie Goose. It was an early and distinctive offshoot of the anseriform family tree, diverging after screamer
Screamer
The screamers are a small family of birds, the Anhimidae. For a long time they were thought to be related to the Galliformes because of similar bills, but they are truly related to ducks , most closely to the Magpie Goose...
s and before all other ducks, geese and swans, sometime in the late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...
. The single species is a vagrant to Tasmania.
- Magpie Goose, Anseranus semipalmata (V)
Ducks, geese, and swans
Order: AnseriformesAnseriformes
The order Anseriformes contains about 150 living species of birds in three extant families: the Anhimidae , Anseranatidae , and the Anatidae, which includes over 140 species of waterfowl, among them the ducks, geese, and swans.All species in the order are highly adapted for an aquatic existence at...
. Family: Anatidae
Anatidae
Anatidae is the biological family of birds that includes ducks, geese and swans. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on all the world's continents except Antarctica and on most of the world's islands and island groups...
The family Anatidae includes the duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese
Goose
The word goose is the English name for a group of waterfowl, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than true geese, and ducks, which are smaller....
and swan
Swan
Swans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae...
s. These are adapted for an aquatic existence, with webbed feet, bills that are flattened to a greater or lesser extent, and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to special oils. In Tasmania, 15 species have been recorded, of which one has been introduced, and three are vagrants.
- Plumed Whistling DuckPlumed Whistling DuckThe Plumed Whistling Duck , also called the Grass Whistle Duck , is a whistling duck which breeds in New Guinea and Australia. It is a predominantly brown-coloured duck with a long neck and characteristic plumes arising from its flanks...
, Dendrocygna eytoni (V) - Musk DuckMusk DuckThe Musk Duck is a highly aquatic, stiff-tailed duck native to southern Australia. It is the only living member of the genus Biziura. An extinct relative, the New Zealand Musk Duck or de Lautour's Duck , once occurred on New Zealand, but is only known from prehistoric subfossil bones...
, Biziura lobata - Freckled DuckFreckled DuckThe Freckled Duck is a moderately large, broad-bodied duck native to southern Australia. The duck is protected by law...
, Stictonetta naevosa (V) - Cape Barren GooseCape Barren GooseThe Cape Barren Goose is a large goose resident in southern Australia. The species is named for Cape Barren Island, where specimens were first sighted by European explorers.-Taxonomy:...
, Cereopsis novaehollandiae - Black SwanBlack SwanThe Black Swan is a large waterbird, a species of swan, which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. The species was hunted to extinction in New Zealand, but later reintroduced. Within Australia they are nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent upon climatic...
, Cygnus atratus - Australian ShelduckAustralian ShelduckThe Australian Shelduck, Tadorna tadornoides, is a shelduck, a group of large goose-like birds which are part of the bird family Anatidae, which also includes the swans, geese and ducks. The Anatidae article should be referred to for an overview of this group of birds.This is a bird which breeds...
, Tadorna tadornoides - Australian Wood DuckAustralian Wood DuckThe Australian Wood Duck, Maned Duck or Maned Goose is a dabbling duck found throughout much of Australia. It is the only living species in the genus Chenonetta...
, Chenonetta jubata - Pink-eared DuckPink-eared DuckThe Pink-eared Duck is a species of duck found in Australia.It has a large spatulate bill like the Australasian Shoveler, but is smaller at 38–40 cm length. Its brown back and crown, black and white barred sides and black eye patches on its otherwise white face make this bird unmistakable...
, Malacorhynchus membranaceus (V) - Australasian ShovelerAustralasian ShovelerThe Australasian Shoveler is a species of dabbling duck in the genus Anas. It ranges from 46–53 cm. It lives in heavily vegetated swamps. In Australia it is protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1974...
, Anas rhynchotis - Grey TealGrey TealThe Grey Teal, Anas gracilis is a dabbling duck found in open wetlands in New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands....
, Anas gracilis - Chestnut TealChestnut TealThe Chestnut Teal is a dabbling duck found in southern Australia. It is protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974.-Description:The Chestnut Teal is darker and a slightly bigger bird than the Grey Teal....
, Anas castanea - MallardMallardThe Mallard , or Wild Duck , is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia....
, Anas platyrhynchos (I) - Pacific Black DuckPacific Black DuckThe Pacific Black Duck is a dabbling duck found in much of Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, and many islands in the southwestern Pacific, reaching to the Caroline Islands in the north and French Polynesia in the east. It is usually called the Grey Duck in New Zealand...
, Anas superciliosa - HardheadHardheadThe Hardhead, Aythya australis, is the only true diving duck found in Australia. Hardheads are common in the south-east of Australia, particularly in the Murray-Darling Basin, but also in the wetter country near the coasts. They are moderately nomadic in normal years, but disperse widely in times...
, Aythya australis - Blue-billed DuckBlue-billed DuckThe Blue-billed Duck is a small Australian stiff-tailed duck, with both the male and female growing to a length of 40 cm . The male has a slate-blue bill which changes to bright-blue during the breeding season, hence the duck’s common name . The male has deep chestnut plumage during breeding...
, Oxyura australis
Grebes
Order: Podicipediformes. Family: PodicipedidaeGrebe
Grebe
A grebe is a member of the Podicipediformes order, a widely distributed order of freshwater diving birds, some of which visit the sea when migrating and in winter...
s are small- to medium-large-sized freshwater diving birds. They have lobed toes, and are excellent swimmers and divers. However, they have their feet placed far back on the body, making them quite ungainly on land. Three species have been recorded in Tasmania.
- Australasian GrebeAustralasian GrebeThe Australasian Grebe is a tiny waterbird common on fresh water lakes and rivers in greater Australia, New Zealand and on nearby Pacific islands. At 25-27 cm in length, it is one of the smallest members of the grebe family...
, Tachybaptus novaehollandiae - Hoary-headed GrebeHoary-headed GrebeThe Hoary-headed Grebe, Poliocephalus poliocephalus, is a member of the grebe family found in Australia and, since 1975, New Zealand, where it is scarce....
, Poliocephalus poliocephalus - Great Crested GrebeGreat Crested GrebeThe Great Crested Grebe is a member of the grebe family of water birds.- Description :The Great Crested Grebe is long with a wingspan. It is an excellent swimmer and diver, and pursues its fish prey underwater. The adults are unmistakable in summer with head and neck decorations...
, Podiceps cristatus
Pigeons and doves
Order: ColumbiformesColumbiformes
Columbiformes are an avian order that includes the very widespread and successful doves and pigeons, classified in the family Columbidae, and the extinct Dodo and the Rodrigues Solitaire, long classified as a second family Raphidae. 313 species, found worldwide, comprise the Columbiformes order....
. Family: Columbidae
Pigeons and dove
Dove
Pigeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerines. In general terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably...
s are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere
Cère
The Cère is a long river in south-western France, left tributary of the Dordogne River. Its source is in the south-western Massif Central, near the mountain Plomb du Cantal...
. Six species have been recorded in Tasmania, one of which has been introduced, and another three are vagrants.
- Spotted DoveSpotted DoveThe Spotted Dove , also known as the Spotted Turtle Dove, is a pigeon which is a resident breeding bird in the Indian Subcontinent including India, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka east to southern Tibet and Southeast Asia...
, Streptopelia chinensis (I) - Common BronzewingCommon BronzewingThe Common Bronzewing is a species of medium-sized, heavily built pigeon. Native to Australia and one of the country's most common pigeons, the Common Bronzewing is able to live in almost any habitat, with the possible exception of very barren areas and dense rainforests.- Description :Males of...
, Phaps chalcoptera - Brush BronzewingBrush BronzewingThe Brush Bronzewing is a species of bird in the pigeon family Columbidae.It is endemic to Australia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.-References:...
, Phaps elegans - Rose-crowned Fruit Dove, Ptilinopus regina (V)
- Superb Fruit Dove, Ptilinopus superbus (V)
- Topknot PigeonTopknot PigeonThe Topknot Pigeon is a pigeon native to Australia. It is also known by the name of "Flock Pigeon".-Description:...
, Lopholaimus antarcticus (V)
Frogmouths
Order: PodargiformesFrogmouth
The frogmouths are a group of nocturnal birds related to the nightjars. They are found from India across southern Asia to Australia.They are named for their large flattened hooked bills and huge frog-like gape, which they use to capture insects. Their flight is weak.They rest horizontally on...
. Family: Podargidae
Frogmouth
The frogmouths are a group of nocturnal birds related to the nightjars. They are found from India across southern Asia to Australia.They are named for their large flattened hooked bills and huge frog-like gape, which they use to capture insects. Their flight is weak.They rest horizontally on...
The frogmouths are a distinctive group of small nocturnal birds related to swifts found from India across southern Asia to Australia. One species is found in Tasmania.
- Tawny FrogmouthTawny FrogmouthThe Tawny Frogmouth is an Australian species of frogmouth, a type of bird found throughout the Australian mainland, Tasmania and southern New Guinea. The Tawny Frogmouth is often mistaken to be an owl...
, Podargus strigoides
Owlet-nightjars
Order: AegotheliformesOwlet-nightjar
Owlet-nightjars are small nocturnal birds related to the nightjars and frogmouths. Most are native to New Guinea, but some species extend to Australia, the Moluccas, and New Caledonia. A New Zealand species is extinct...
. Family: Aegothelidae
Owlet-nightjar
Owlet-nightjars are small nocturnal birds related to the nightjars and frogmouths. Most are native to New Guinea, but some species extend to Australia, the Moluccas, and New Caledonia. A New Zealand species is extinct...
The owlet-nightjars are a distinctive group of small nocturnal birds related to swifts found from the Maluku Islands
Maluku Islands
The Maluku Islands are an archipelago that is part of Indonesia, and part of the larger Maritime Southeast Asia region. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone...
and New Guinea to Australia and New Caledonia. There are eleven species, one of which is found in Tasmania.
- Australian Owlet-nightjarAustralian Owlet-nightjarThe Australian Owlet-nightjar, Aegotheles cristatus, is a nocturnal bird found in open woodland across Australia and in southern New Guinea. It is colloquially known as "Moth Owl". It is the most common of the owlet-nightjars, and the best known of this secretive family...
, Aegotheles cristatus
Swifts
Order: ApodiformesApodiformes
Traditionally, the bird order Apodiformes contained three living families: the swifts , the tree swifts , and the hummingbirds . In the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, this order is raised to a superorder Apodimorphae in which hummingbirds are separated as a new order, Trochiliformes...
. Family: Apodidae
Swift
Swift
The swifts are a family, Apodidae, of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows, but are actually not closely related to passerine species at all; swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes, which they share with hummingbirds...
s are small aerial birds, spending the majority of their lives flying. These birds have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead only on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang. There are 98 species worldwide, with one reaching Tasmanuia.
- White-throated NeedletailWhite-throated NeedletailThe White-throated Needletail , also known as Needle-tailed Swift or Spine-tailed Swift, is a large swift. It is the fastest-flying bird in flapping flight, being capable of speeds up to 170 km/h ....
, Hirundapus caudacutus
Storm-petrels
Order: ProcellariiformesProcellariiformes
Procellariiformes is an order of seabirds that comprises four families: the albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters, storm petrels, and diving petrels...
. Family: Oceanitidae
The storm-petrel
Storm-petrel
Storm petrels are seabirds in the family Hydrobatidae, part of the order Procellariiformes. These smallest of seabirds feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.Storm petrels have a cosmopolitan...
s are the smallest of seabirds, relatives of the petrel
Petrel
Petrels are tube-nosed seabirds in the bird order Procellariiformes. The common name does not indicate relationship beyond that point, as "petrels" occur in three of the four families within that group...
s, feeding on plankton
Plankton
Plankton are any drifting organisms that inhabit the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. That is, plankton are defined by their ecological niche rather than phylogenetic or taxonomic classification...
ic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. Their flight is fluttering and sometimes bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
-like. One species has been regularly recorded in Tasmania's waters, and two more are vagrants.
- Wilson's Storm-petrelWilson's Storm-petrelWilson's Storm Petrel , also known as Wilson's Petrel, is a small seabird of the storm-petrel family. It is one of the most abundant bird species in the world and has a circumpolar distribution mainly in the seas of the southern hemisphere but extending northwards during the summer of the northern...
, Oceanites oceanicus (V) - White-bellied Storm-petrelWhite-bellied Storm-petrelThe White-bellied Storm Petrel is a species of seabird in the Hydrobatidae family.It is found in Angola, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, Maldives, Namibia, New Zealand, Saint Helena, South Africa, and South Georgia and the South Sandwich...
, Fregetta grallaria (V) - White-faced Storm-petrelWhite-faced Storm-petrelThe White-faced Storm Petrel , also known as White-faced Petrel is a small seabird of the storm-petrel family. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Pelagodroma....
, Pelagodroma marina
Albatrosses
Order: ProcellariiformesProcellariiformes
Procellariiformes is an order of seabirds that comprises four families: the albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters, storm petrels, and diving petrels...
. Family: Diomedeidae
Albatross
Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds allied to the procellariids, storm-petrels and diving-petrels in the order Procellariiformes . They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific...
The albatrosses are a family of 21 species of large seabird found across the Southern and North Pacific Oceans. The largest are among the largest flying birds in the world. Four species are regularly seen in Tasmanian waters, with another three recorded as vagrants.
- Wandering AlbatrossWandering AlbatrossThe Wandering Albatross, Snowy Albatross or White-winged Albatross, Diomedea exulans, is a large seabird from the family Diomedeidae, which has a circumpolar range in the Southern Ocean. It was the first species of albatross to be described, and was long considered the same species as the Tristan...
, Diomedea exulans - Southern Royal AlbatrossSouthern Royal AlbatrossThe Southern Royal Albatross, Diomedea epomophora, is a large seabird from the albatross family. At an average wingspan of around , it is the second largest albatross, behind the Wandering Albatross.-Taxonomy:...
, Diomedea epomophora (V) - Black-browed AlbatrossBlack-browed AlbatrossThe Black-browed Albatross or Black-browed Mollymawk, Thalassarche melanophrys, is a large seabird of the albatross family Diomedeidae, and it is the most widespread and common albatross.-Taxonomy:...
, Thalassarche melanophris - Shy AlbatrossShy AlbatrossThe Shy Albatross or Shy Mollymawk, Thalassarche cauta, is a medium sized albatross that breeds off Australia and New Zealand's sub-Antarctic islands and ranges extensively across the Southern Ocean...
, Thalassarche cauta - Yellow-nosed AlbatrossIndian Yellow-nosed AlbatrossThe Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross, Thalassarche carteri, in the albatross family, and is the smallest of the mollymawks. In 2004, BirdLife International split this species from the Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross; however Clements has not split it yet, and the SACC has not either, but recognizes...
, Thalassarche chlororhynchos (V) - Buller's AlbatrossBuller's AlbatrossBuller's Albatross or Buller's Mollymawk, Thalassarche bulleri, is a small mollymawk in the albatross family. It breeds on islands around New Zealand, and feeds in the seas off Australia and the South Pacific.-Taxonomy:...
, Thalassarche bulleri - Sooty AlbatrossSooty AlbatrossThe Sooty Albatross, Dark-mantled Sooty Albatross or Dark-mantled Albatross, Phoebetria fusca, is a species of bird in the albatross family...
, Phoebetria fusca (V)
Fulmars, petrels and shearwaters
Order: ProcellariiformesProcellariiformes
Procellariiformes is an order of seabirds that comprises four families: the albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters, storm petrels, and diving petrels...
. Family: Procellariidae
Procellariidae
The family Procellariidae is a group of seabirds that comprises the fulmarine petrels, the gadfly petrels, the prions, and the shearwaters. This family is part of the bird order Procellariiformes , which also includes the albatrosses, the storm-petrels, and the diving petrels.The procellariids are...
The procellariids are the main group of medium-sized "true petrels", characterized by united nostrils with medium nasal septum
Nasal septum
The nasal septum separates the left and right airways in the nose, dividing the two nostrils.It is depressed by the Depressor septi nasi muscle.-Composition:The fleshy external end of the nasal septum is sometimes also called columella....
, and a long outer functional primary flight feather. Eleven species have been regularly recorded from Tasmanian waters, while another 20 species are vagrants.
- Southern Giant PetrelSouthern Giant PetrelThe Southern Giant Petrel , also known as the Antarctic Giant Petrel, Giant Fulmar, Stinker, and Stinkpot, is a large seabird of the southern oceans. Its distribution overlaps broadly with the similar Northern Giant Petrel, though it overall is centered slightly further south...
, Macronectes giganteus - Northern Giant PetrelNorthern Giant PetrelThe Northern Giant Petrel , also known as the Hall's Giant Petrel, is a large seabird of the southern oceans. Its distribution overlaps broadly with the similar Southern Giant Petrel, though it overall is centered slightly further north.-Taxonomy:The Northern Giant Petrel along with its...
, Macronectes halli - Southern FulmarSouthern FulmarThe Southern Fulmar, Fulmarus glacialoides, is a seabird of the Southern Hemisphere. Along with the Northern Fulmar, F. glacialis, it belongs to the fulmar genus Fulmarus in the family Procellariidae, the true petrels...
, Fulmarus glacialoides (V) - Antarctic PetrelAntarctic PetrelThe Antarctic Petrel is a boldly marked dark brown and white petrel, found in Antarctica, most commonly in the Ross and Weddell seas. They eat Antarctic krill, fish, and small squid...
, Thalassoica antarctica (V) - Cape PetrelCape PetrelThe Cape Petrel also called Cape Pigeon or Pintado Petrel, is a common seabird of the Southern Ocean from the family Procellariidae. It is the only member of the genus Daption, and is allied to the fulmarine petrels, and the Giant Petrels. It is also sometimes known as the Cape Fulmar...
, Daption capense - Broad-billed PrionBroad-billed PrionThe Broad-billed Prion, Pachyptila vittata, is a small seabird, but the largest Prion, with grey upperparts plumage, and white underparts. It has many other names that have been used such as Blue-billed Dove-petrel, Broad-billed Dove-petrel, Long-billed Prion, Common Prion, Icebird, and...
, Pachyptila vittata (V) - Salvin's Prion, Pachyptila salvini (V)
- Antarctic PrionAntarctic PrionThe Antarctic Prion, Pachyptila desolata, also known as the Dove Prion, or Totorore in Maori, is the largest of the prions, a genus of small petrels of the Southern Ocean.-Taxonomy:...
, Pachyptila desolata - Slender-billed PrionSlender-billed PrionThe Slender-billed Prion or Thin-billed Prion, Pachyptila belcheri, is a species of seabird in the Procellariidae family.It is found in the southern oceans.-Taxonomy:...
, Pachyptila belcheri (V) - Fairy PrionFairy PrionThe Fairy Prion is a small seabird with the standard prion plumage of black upperparts and white underneath with an "M" wing marking.-Taxonomy:...
, Pachyptila turtur - White-chinned PetrelWhite-chinned PetrelThe White-chinned Petrel or Cape Hen, Procellaria aequinoctialis, is a large shearwater in the family Procellariidae. It ranges around the Southern Oceans as far north as South Australia, Peru and Namibia, and breeds colonially on scattered islands....
, Procellaria aequinoctialis (V) - Westland PetrelWestland PetrelThe Westland Petrel is a rare seabird that nests in New Zealand's forests. It is one of the largest petrels that nest in burrows, and is threatened by species introduced to New Zealand....
, Procellaria westlandica (V) - Grey PetrelGrey PetrelThe Grey Petrel , also called the Brown Petrel, Pediunker or Grey Shearwater is a species of seabird in the Procellariidae, or petrel family...
, Procellaria cinerea (V) - Sooty ShearwaterSooty ShearwaterThe Sooty Shearwater is a medium-large shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. In New Zealand it is also known by its Māori name tītī and as "muttonbird", like its relatives the Wedge-tailed Shearwater and the Australian Short-tailed Shearwater The Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus) is...
, Puffinus griseus - Short-tailed ShearwaterShort-tailed ShearwaterThe Short-tailed Shearwater or Slender-billed Shearwater , also called Yolla or Moonbird, and commonly known as the muttonbird in Australia, is the most abundant seabird species in Australian waters, and is one of the few Australian native birds in which the chicks are commercially harvested...
, Puffinus tenuirostris - Fluttering ShearwaterFluttering ShearwaterThe Fluttering Shearwater is a species of seabird in the Procellariidae family.It is found in New Zealand and Solomon Islands.Its natural habitats are open seas and rocky shores.-References:...
, Puffinus gavia - Little ShearwaterLittle ShearwaterThe Little Shearwater is a small shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae.mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data indicates that the former North Atlantic Little Shearwater group is closer to Audubon's Shearwater , and myrtae being closer to the Newell's and possibly Townsend's Shearwater...
, Puffinus assimilis (V) - Buller's ShearwaterBuller's ShearwaterBuller's Shearwater is a Pacific species of seabird in the family Procellariidae; it is also known as the Grey-backed Shearwater or New Zealand Shearwater...
, Puffinus bulleri (V) - Flesh-footed ShearwaterFlesh-footed ShearwaterThe Flesh-footed Shearwater, Puffinus carneipes, is a small shearwater. Its plumage is black. It has pale pinkish feet, and a pale bill with a black tip. Together with the equally light-billed Pink-footed Shearwater, it forms the Hemipuffinus group, a superspecies which may or may not have an...
, Puffinus carneipes (V) - Fluttering ShearwaterFluttering ShearwaterThe Fluttering Shearwater is a species of seabird in the Procellariidae family.It is found in New Zealand and Solomon Islands.Its natural habitats are open seas and rocky shores.-References:...
, Puffinus gavia (V) - Hutton's ShearwaterHutton's ShearwaterThe Hutton's Shearwater is a species of seabird in the family Procellariidae. Its common and specific name commemorates F. W. Hutton, a former curator of the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch....
, Puffinus huttoni (V) - Wedge-tailed ShearwaterWedge-tailed ShearwaterThe Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Puffinus pacificus is a medium-large shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. It is one of the shearwater species that is sometimes referred to as a Muttonbird, like the Sooty Shearwater of New Zealand and the Short-tailed Shearwater of Australia...
, Puffinus pacificus (V) - Kerguelen PetrelKerguelen PetrelThe Kerguelen Petrel is a small slate-grey seabird in the family Procellariidae. The species has been described as a "taxonomic oddball", being placed for a long time in Pterodroma before being split out in 1942 into its own genus Lugensa...
, Pterodroma brevirostris (V) - Mottled PetrelMottled PetrelThe Mottled Petrel is a species of seabird and a member of the gadfly petrels. The bird is 33-35 cm in size, with a 74-82 cm wingspan....
, Pterodroma inexpectata (V) - Gould's PetrelGould's PetrelGould's Petrel is a species of seabird in the Procellariidae family. It is a small petrel, 30 cm long with a wingspan of about 70 cm. It is largely grey above and white below with a blackish crown and hindneck and a black M-shaped band across the wings and rump.The subspecies P. l...
, Pterodroma leucoptera (V) - Great-winged PetrelGreat-winged PetrelThe Great-winged Petrel or Grey-faced Petrel, Pterodroma macroptera, is a petrel. In New Zealand it is also known by its Māori name oi and as a muttonbird.- Taxonomy :...
, Pterodroma macroptera (V) - Black-winged PetrelBlack-winged PetrelThe Black-winged Petrel is a species of seabird in the Procellariidae family.It is found in Australia, French Polynesia, Japan, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Norfolk Island, and the United States.-References:...
, Pterodroma nigripennis (V) - Providence PetrelProvidence PetrelThe Providence Petrel is a species that burrows in one location; isolated Lord Howe Island, some 800km from the Australian mainland in the Tasman Sea....
, Pterodroma solandri (V) - Great-winged PetrelGreat-winged PetrelThe Great-winged Petrel or Grey-faced Petrel, Pterodroma macroptera, is a petrel. In New Zealand it is also known by its Māori name oi and as a muttonbird.- Taxonomy :...
, Pterodroma macroptera - White-headed PetrelWhite-headed PetrelThe White-headed Petrel , also known as the White-headed Fulmar is a species of seabird in the petrel family, or Procellariidae. Its length is about 400 mm....
, Pterodroma lessonii - Common Diving-petrel, Pelecanoides urinatrix
Penguins
Order: SphenisciformesPenguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
. Family: Spheniscidae
Penguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. One species breeds on the Tasmanian coast, while another nine have been recorded as vagrants.
- King PenguinKing PenguinThe King Penguin is the second largest species of penguin at about , second only to the Emperor Penguin. There are two subspecies—A. p. patagonicus and A. p...
, Aptenodytes patagonicus (V) - Gentoo PenguinGentoo penguinThe Gentoo Penguin , Pygoscelis papua, is easily recognized by the wide white stripe extending like a bonnet across the top of its head and its bright orange-red bill. The gentoo penguin has pale whitish-pink webbed feet and a fairly long tail - the most prominent tail of all penguins. Chicks have...
, Pygoscelis papua (V) - Adelie PenguinAdelie PenguinThe Adélie Penguin, Pygoscelis adeliae, is a species of penguin common along the entire Antarctic coast. They are among the most southerly distributed of all seabirds, as are the Emperor Penguin, the South Polar Skua, the Wilson's Storm Petrel, the Snow Petrel, and the Antarctic Petrel...
, Pygoscelis adeliae (V) - Chinstrap PenguinChinstrap PenguinThe Chinstrap Penguin is a species of penguin which is found in the South Sandwich Islands, Antarctica, the South Orkneys, South Shetland, South Georgia, Bouvet Island and Balleny...
, Pygoscelis antarctica (V) - Rockhopper PenguinRockhopper penguinThe rockhopper penguins are three closely related taxa of crested penguins that have been traditionally treated as a single species and are sometimes split into two or three species. Not all experts agree on the classification of these penguins...
, Eudyptula chrysocome (V) - Fiordland PenguinFiordland PenguinThe Fiordland Crested Penguin , also known as Tawaki , is a species of crested penguin from New Zealand...
, Eudyptes pachyrhynchus (V) - Erect-crested PenguinErect-crested PenguinThe Erect-crested Penguin is a penguin from New Zealand. It breeds on the Bounty and Antipodes Islands.This is a small-to-medium-sized, yellow-crested, black-and-white penguin, at and weighing . As in all penguin species, the male is slightly larger than the female and the birds weigh the most...
, Eudyptes sclateri (V) - Snares PenguinSnares PenguinThe Snares Penguin , also known as the Snares Crested Penguin and the Snares Islands Penguin, is a penguin from New Zealand...
, Eudyptes robustus (V) - Royal PenguinRoyal PenguinThe Royal Penguin inhabits the waters surrounding Antarctica. Royals look very much like Macaroni Penguins, but have a white face and chin instead of the Macaronis' black visage. They are long and weigh . Males are larger than females...
, Eudyptes schlegeli (V) - Little PenguinLittle PenguinThe Little Penguin is the smallest species of penguin. The penguin, which usually grows to an average of in height and in length , is found on the coastlines of southern Australia and New Zealand, with possible records from Chile.Apart from Little Penguins, they have several common names...
, Eudyptula minor
Tropicbirds
Order: PelecaniformesPelecaniformes
The Pelecaniformes is a order of medium-sized and large waterbirds found worldwide. As traditionally—but erroneously—defined, they encompass all birds that have feet with all four toes webbed. Hence, they were formerly also known by such names as totipalmates or steganopodes...
. Family: Phaethontidae
Tropicbird
Tropicbirds are a family, Phaethontidae, of tropical pelagic seabirds now classified in their own order Phaethontiformes. Their relationship to other living birds is unclear, and they appear to have no close relatives. There are three species in one genus, Phaethon...
Tropicbird
Tropicbird
Tropicbirds are a family, Phaethontidae, of tropical pelagic seabirds now classified in their own order Phaethontiformes. Their relationship to other living birds is unclear, and they appear to have no close relatives. There are three species in one genus, Phaethon...
s are slender white birds of tropical oceans, with exceptionally long central tail feathers. Their long wings have black markings, as does the head. One species is a vagrant to Tasmanian waters.
- Red-tailed TropicbirdRed-tailed TropicbirdThe Red-tailed Tropicbird, Phaethon rubricauda, is a seabird that nests across the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the rarest of the tropicbirds, yet is still a widespread bird that is not considered threatened. It nests in colonies on oceanic islands....
, Phaethon rubricauda (V)
Boobies and gannets
Order: PelecaniformesPelecaniformes
The Pelecaniformes is a order of medium-sized and large waterbirds found worldwide. As traditionally—but erroneously—defined, they encompass all birds that have feet with all four toes webbed. Hence, they were formerly also known by such names as totipalmates or steganopodes...
. Family: Sulidae
Sulidae
The bird family Sulidae comprises the gannets and boobies. Collectively called sulidas, they are medium-large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish and similar prey. The ten species in this family are often considered congeneric in older sources, placing all in the genus Sula...
The sulids comprise the gannet
Gannet
Gannets are seabirds comprising the genus Morus, in the family Sulidae, closely related to the boobies.The gannets are large black and white birds with yellow heads. They have long pointed wings and long bills. Northern gannets are the largest seabirds in the North Atlantic, with a wingspan of up...
s and boobies
Booby
A booby is a seabird in the genus Sula, part of the Sulidae family. Boobies are closely related to the gannets , which were formerly included in Sula.-Description:...
. Both groups are medium-large coastal seabird
Seabird
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
s that plunge-dive for fish. A single species has been recorded from Tasmania.
- Australasian Gannet, Morus serrator
Darters
Order: PelecaniformesPelecaniformes
The Pelecaniformes is a order of medium-sized and large waterbirds found worldwide. As traditionally—but erroneously—defined, they encompass all birds that have feet with all four toes webbed. Hence, they were formerly also known by such names as totipalmates or steganopodes...
. Family: Anhingidae
Darter
Darter
The darters or snakebirds are mainly tropical waterbirds in the family Anhingidae. There are four living species, three of which are very common and widespread while the fourth is rarer and classified as near-threatened by the IUCN. The term "snakebird" is usually used without any additions to...
s are cormorant-like water birds with long necks and long, straight bills. They often swim with only the neck above water, and are fish-eaters. One species is a vagrant to Tasmania.
- DarterDarterThe darters or snakebirds are mainly tropical waterbirds in the family Anhingidae. There are four living species, three of which are very common and widespread while the fourth is rarer and classified as near-threatened by the IUCN. The term "snakebird" is usually used without any additions to...
, Anhinga melanogaster (V)
Cormorants
Order: PelecaniformesPelecaniformes
The Pelecaniformes is a order of medium-sized and large waterbirds found worldwide. As traditionally—but erroneously—defined, they encompass all birds that have feet with all four toes webbed. Hence, they were formerly also known by such names as totipalmates or steganopodes...
. Family: Phalacrocoracidae
Cormorant
Cormorant
The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...
s are medium-to-large aquatic birds, usually with mainly dark plumage and areas of colored skin on the face. The bill is long, thin, and sharply hooked. Their feet are four-toed and webbed, a distinguishing feature among the Pelecaniformes order. Four species occur in Tasmania, with a fifth as a vagrant.
- Little Pied CormorantLittle Pied CormorantThe Little Pied Cormorant, Little Shag or Kawaupaka is a common Australasian waterbird, found around the coasts, islands, estuaries, and inland waters of Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, and around the islands of the south-western Pacific and the sub-Antarctic...
, Microcarbo melanoleucos - Great CormorantGreat CormorantThe Great Cormorant , known as the Great Black Cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the Black Cormorant in Australia and the Black Shag further south in New Zealand, is a widespread member of the cormorant family of seabirds...
, Phalacrocorax carbo - Little Black CormorantLittle Black CormorantThe Little Black Cormorant is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds. It is common in smaller rivers and lakes throughout most areas of Australia and northern New Zealand. It is around sixty centimetres long, and is all black with blue-green eyes.-References: Database entry includes...
, Phalacrocorax sulcirostris - Pied CormorantPied CormorantThe Australia Pied Cormorant , Phalacrocorax varius, also known as the Pied Cormorant or Pied Shag, is a medium-sized member of the cormorant family. It is found around the coasts of Australasia. In New Zealand it is usually known either as the Pied Shag or by its Māori name of Karuhiruhi...
, Phalacrocorax varius (V) - Black-faced CormorantBlack-faced CormorantThe Black-faced Cormorant , also known as the Black-faced Shag, is a medium-sized member of the cormorant family. Upperparts, including facial skin and bill, are black, with white underparts. It is endemic to coastal regions of southern Australia.-Ecology:The Black-faced-Cormorant feeds largely on...
, Phalacrocorax fuscescens
Pelicans
Order: PelecaniformesPelecaniformes
The Pelecaniformes is a order of medium-sized and large waterbirds found worldwide. As traditionally—but erroneously—defined, they encompass all birds that have feet with all four toes webbed. Hence, they were formerly also known by such names as totipalmates or steganopodes...
. Family: Pelecanidae
Pelican
Pelican
A pelican, derived from the Greek word πελεκυς pelekys is a large water bird with a large throat pouch, belonging to the bird family Pelecanidae....
s are large water birds with a distinctive pouch under the bill. Like other birds in the order Pelecaniformes, they have four webbed toes. One species has been recorded in Tasmania.
- Australian PelicanAustralian PelicanThe Australian Pelican is a large water bird, widespread on the inland and coastal waters of Australia and New Guinea, also in Fiji, parts of Indonesia and as a vagrant to New Zealand.-Taxonomy:...
, Pelecanus conspicillatus
Bitterns, herons, and egrets
Order: CiconiiformesCiconiiformes
Traditionally, the order Ciconiiformes has included a variety of large, long-legged wading birds with large bills: storks, herons, egrets, ibises, spoonbills, and several others. Ciconiiformes are known from the Late Eocene...
. Family: Ardeidae
The family Ardeidae contains the heron
Heron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
s, egret
Egret
An egret is any of several herons, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season. Many egrets are members of the genera Egretta or Ardea which contain other species named as herons rather than egrets...
s, and bittern
Bittern
Bitterns are a classification of birds in the heron family, Ardeidae, a family of wading birds. Species named bitterns tend to be the shorter-necked, often more secretive members of this family...
s. Herons and egrets are medium- to large-sized wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns tend to be shorter-necked and more secretive. Unlike other long-necked birds such as stork
Stork
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae. They are the only family in the biological order Ciconiiformes, which was once much larger and held a number of families....
s, ibis
Ibis
The ibises are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae....
es and spoonbill
Spoonbill
Spoonbills are a group of large, long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, which also includes the Ibises.All have large, flat, spatulate bills and feed by wading through shallow water, sweeping the partly opened bill from side to side...
s, members of Ardeidae fly with their necks retracted. Eight species have been recorded in Tasmania, one of which (the Cattle Egret) is a recent self-introduction, and two others are vagrants.
- Australasian BitternAustralasian BitternThe Australasian Bittern , also known as the Brown Bittern, is found in south-western and south-eastern Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, New Caledonia and Ouvea. Populations in Australia and New Zealand have declined in the 20th century.It is a large bittern, patterned and streaked brown, buff...
, Botaurus poiciloptilus - White-necked HeronWhite-necked HeronThe White-necked Heron, Ardea pacifica also known as the Pacific Heron is found throughout New Guinea and Australia, except for the most arid regions, and is a vagrant to New Zealand....
, Ardea pacifica (V) - Eastern Great EgretEastern Great EgretThe Eastern Great Egret is a white heron of the genus Ardea, is considered a subspecies of the Great Egret . Although a study argued for full species status in 2005, most taxonomists consider it to be a subspecies...
, Ardea modesta - Cattle EgretCattle EgretThe Cattle Egret is a cosmopolitan species of heron found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Bubulcus, although some authorities regard its two subspecies as full species, the Western Cattle Egret and the Eastern Cattle Egret...
, Ardea ibis - White-faced HeronWhite-faced HeronThe White-faced Heron, Egretta novaehollandiae, also known as the White-fronted Heron, and incorrectly as the Grey Heron, or Blue Crane, is a common bird throughout most of Australasia, including New Guinea, the islands of Torres Strait, Indonesia, New Zealand, the islands of the Subantarctic, and...
, Egretta novaehollandiae - Eastern Reef EgretEastern Reef EgretThe Eastern Reef Heron , also known as the Pacific Reef Egret or Eastern Reef Egret, is a kind of heron. They are found in many areas of Asia including the oceanic region of India, Southeast Asia, Japan, Polynesia, and in Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand.Pacific Reef Herons are medium-sized...
, Egretta sacra (V) - Little EgretLittle EgretThe Little Egret is a small white heron. It is the Old World counterpart to the very similar New World Snowy Egret.-Subspecies:Depending on authority, two or three subspecies of Little Egret are currently accepted....
, Egretta garzetta - Nankeen Night HeronNankeen Night HeronThe Nankeen Night Heron, Nycticorax caledonicus, also commonly referred to as the Rufous Night Heron, and in Melanesia as Melabaob, is a medium-sized heron. It is found throughout much of Australia except the arid inland, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Melanesia...
, Nycticorax caledonicus
Ibises and spoonbills
Order: CiconiiformesCiconiiformes
Traditionally, the order Ciconiiformes has included a variety of large, long-legged wading birds with large bills: storks, herons, egrets, ibises, spoonbills, and several others. Ciconiiformes are known from the Late Eocene...
. Family: Threskiornithidae
Threskiornithidae
The family Threskiornithidae includes 34 species of large terrestrial and wading birds, falling into two subfamilies, the ibises and the spoonbills. It was formerly known as Plataleidae. The spoonbills and ibises were once thought to be related to other groups of long-legged wading birds in the...
The family Threskiornithidae includes the ibis
Ibis
The ibises are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae....
es and spoonbill
Spoonbill
Spoonbills are a group of large, long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, which also includes the Ibises.All have large, flat, spatulate bills and feed by wading through shallow water, sweeping the partly opened bill from side to side...
s. They have long, broad wings. Their bodies tend to be elongated, the neck more so, with rather long legs. The bill is also long, decurved in the case of the ibises, straight and distinctively flattened in the spoonbills. All five Australian mainland species have been recorded as vagrants in Tasmania.
- Glossy IbisGlossy IbisThe Glossy Ibis is a wading bird in the ibis family Threskiornithidae.This is the most widespread ibis species, breeding in scattered sites in warm regions of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Atlantic and Caribbean region of the Americas...
, Plegadis falcinellus (V) - Australian White IbisAustralian White IbisThe Australian White Ibis , is a wading bird of the ibis family Threskiornithidae. It is widespread across much of Australia...
, Threskiornis molucca (V) - Straw-necked IbisStraw-necked IbisThe Straw-necked Ibis is a bird of the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae. It can be found throughout Australia, New Guinea, and parts of Indonesia. Adults have distinctive straw-like feathers on their neck....
, Threskiornis spinicollis (V) - Royal SpoonbillRoyal SpoonbillThe Royal Spoonbill, Platalea regia, also known as the Black-billed Spoonbill, occurs in intertidal flats and shallows of fresh and saltwater wetlands in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. It has also been recorded as a vagrant in New Caledonia...
, Platalea regia (V) - Yellow-billed SpoonbillYellow-billed SpoonbillThe Yellow-billed Spoonbill is common in southeast Australia; it is not unusual on the remainder of the continent, and is a vagrant to New Zealand, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. It is around 90 cm long, and has white plumage with a yellow bill, legs and feet. It nests in trees, marshes or...
, Platalea flavipes (V)
Hawks, kites, and eagles
Order: FalconiformesFalconiformes
The order Falconiformes is a group of about 290 species of birds that comprises the diurnal birds of prey. Raptor classification is difficult and the order is treated in several ways.- Classification problems :...
. Family: Accipitridae
Accipitridae
The Accipitridae, one of the two major families within the order Accipitriformes , are a family of small to large birds with strongly hooked bills and variable morphology based on diet. They feed on a range of prey items from insects to medium-sized mammals, with a number feeding on carrion and a...
Accipitridae is a family of birds of prey and includes hawk
Hawk
The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Australia and Africa, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...
s, eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
s, kite
Kite (bird)
Kites are raptors with long wings and weak legs which spend a great deal of time soaring. Most feed mainly on carrion but some take various amounts of live prey.They are birds of prey which, along with hawks and eagles, are from the family Accipitridae....
s, harriers, and Old World vultures. These birds have large powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, powerful talons, and keen eyesight. Twelve species have been recorded in Tasmania, while there are no confirmed records of a thirteenth species, the Spotted Harrier
Spotted Harrier
The Spotted Harrier, Circus assimilis, also known as the Smoke Hawk, is a large Australasian bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.-Description:It is similar to the Swamp Harrier, distinguished by grey upperparts, chestnut facial disc and dark rump...
.
- OspreyOspreyThe Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
, Pandion haliaetus (V) - Black-shouldered KiteBlack-shouldered KiteThe Black-shouldered Kite or Australian Black-shouldered Kite is a small raptor found in open habitat throughout Australia and resembles similar species found in Eurasia and North America, which have in the past also been named as Black-shouldered Kites...
, Elanus axillaris (V) - Black-breasted BuzzardBlack-breasted BuzzardThe Black-breasted Buzzard , or Black-breasted Kite, is a large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae and the monotypic genus Hamirostra...
, Hamirostra melanosternon (V) - White-bellied Sea EagleWhite-bellied Sea EagleThe White-bellied Sea Eagle , also known as the White-breasted Sea Eagle, is a large diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Originally described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1788, it is closely related to Sanford's Sea Eagle of the Solomon Islands, and the two are considered a superspecies...
, Haliaeetus leucogaster - Whistling KiteWhistling KiteThe Whistling Kite is a medium-sized diurnal raptor found throughout Australia , New Caledonia and much of New Guinea . Also called the Whistling Eagle or Whistling Hawk, it is named for its loud whistling call, which it often gives in flight...
, Haliastur sphenurus - Black KiteBlack KiteThe Black Kite is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors. Unlike others of the group, they are opportunistic hunters and are more likely to scavenge. They spend a lot of time soaring and gliding in thermals in search of food. Their...
, Milvus migrans (V) - Brown GoshawkBrown GoshawkThe Brown Goshawk is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found in Australia and surrounding islands.- Description:...
, Accipiter fasciatus - Grey GoshawkGrey GoshawkThe Grey Goshawk, Accipiter novaehollandiae, the white morph of which is known as the White Goshawk, is a strongly built, medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.-Description:...
, Accipiter novaehollandiae - Collared SparrowhawkCollared SparrowhawkThe Collared Sparrowhawk is a small, slim bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found in Australia, and New Guinea and nearby smaller islands.- Description :...
, Accipiter cirrocephalus - Swamp HarrierSwamp HarrierThe Swamp Harrier also known as the Marsh Harrier, Australasian Harrier, Kāhu, Swamp-hawk or New Zealand Hawk is a large, slim bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.-Description:...
, Circus approximans - Wedge-tailed EagleWedge-tailed EagleThe Wedge-tailed Eagle , sometimes known as the Eaglehawk in its native range, is the largest bird of prey in Australia, but it is also found in southern New Guinea. It has long, fairly broad wings, fully feathered legs, and an unmistakable wedge-shaped tail...
, Aquila audax - Little EagleLittle EagleThe Little Eagle is a very small eagle native to Australasia, measuring 45–55 cm in length and weighing 815 g – roughly the size of a Peregrine Falcon. It tends to inhabit open woodland, grassland and arid regions, shunning dense forest...
, Hieraeetus morphnoides (V) One record on Curtis IslandCurtis Island (Tasmania)Curtis Island is a granite island, with an area of 150 ha, in south-eastern Australia. It is part of Tasmania’s Curtis Group, lying in northern Bass Strait between the Furneaux Group and Wilsons Promontory in Victoria...
in Bass Strait
Caracaras and falcons
Order: FalconiformesFalconiformes
The order Falconiformes is a group of about 290 species of birds that comprises the diurnal birds of prey. Raptor classification is difficult and the order is treated in several ways.- Classification problems :...
. Family: Falconidae
Falconidae
The falcons and caracaras are around 60 species of diurnal birds of prey that make up the family Falconidae. The family is divided into two subfamiles, Polyborinae, which includes the caracaras and forest falcons, and Falconinae, the falcons, kestrels and falconets.-Description:Falcons and...
Falconidae is a family of diurnal birds of prey, notably the falcon
Falcon
A falcon is any species of raptor in the genus Falco. The genus contains 37 species, widely distributed throughout Europe, Asia, and North America....
s and caracara
Caracara
Caracaras are birds of prey in the family Falconidae. They are traditionally placed in the subfamily Polyborinae, but are sometimes considered part of their own subfamily, Caracarinae, or members of the true falcon subfamily, Falconinae...
s. They differ from hawks, eagles, and kites in that they kill with their beaks instead of their feet. In Tasmania, four species have been recorded.
- Nankeen KestrelNankeen KestrelThe Australian Kestrel or Nankeen Kestrel is one of the smallest falcons, and unlike many, does not rely on speed to catch its prey. Instead, it simply perches in an exposed position, but it also has a distinctive technique of hovering over crop and grasslands...
, Falco cenchroides - Brown FalconBrown FalconThe Brown Falcon , also known as the Brown Hawk, is a member of the falcon genus found in the drier regions of Australia. Its specific name berigora is derived from an aboriginal name for the bird....
, Falco berigora - Australian HobbyAustralian HobbyThe Australian Hobby or Little Falcon is a falcon found mainly in Australia. It is also a winter migrant to Indonesia and New Guinea...
, Falco longipennis - Peregrine FalconPeregrine FalconThe Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
, Falco peregrinus
Rails, gallinules, and coots
Order: GruiformesGruiformes
The Gruiformes are an order containing a considerable number of living and extinct bird families, with a widespread geographical diversity. Gruiform means "crane-like"....
. Family: Rallidae
Rallidae
The rails, or Rallidae, are a large cosmopolitan family of small to medium-sized birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and the family also includes the crakes, coots, and gallinules...
Rallidae is a large family of small- to medium-sized birds that includes the rails, crakes, coot
Coot
Coots are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family Rallidae. They constitute the genus Fulica. Coots have predominantly black plumage, and, unlike many of the rails, they are usually easy to see, often swimming in open water...
s, and gallinules. The most typical family members occupy dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps, or rivers. In general they are shy and secretive birds, difficult to observe. Most species have strong legs, and have long toes that are well adapted to soft, uneven surfaces. They tend to have short, rounded wings and be weak fliers. In Tasmania, eight species have been recorded, one endemic and another a vagrant.
- Purple SwamphenPurple SwamphenThe Purple Swamphen , also known as the African Purple Swamphen, Purple Moorhen, Purple Gallinule, Pūkeko or Purple Coot, is a large bird in the family Rallidae . From its name in French, talève sultane, it is also known as the Sultana Bird...
, Porphyrio porphyrio - Lewin's RailLewin's RailThe Lewin's Rail is a species of bird in the Rallidae family.It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests....
, Lewinia pectoralis - Australian Spotted CrakeAustralian Spotted CrakeThe Australian Spotted Crake is a species of bird in the Rallidae family. It is endemic to Australia, where its natural habitat is dense reedbeds, shallow open water and mudflats or floating vegetation in fresh or salt water wetlands including lakes, swamps and salt-marsh. Can also be found far...
, Porzana fluminea - Spotless CrakeSpotless CrakeThe Spotless Crake is a species of bird in the rail family, Rallidae.It is found in American Samoa, Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Indonesia, Micronesia, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Pitcairn, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Tonga.-References:* BirdLife...
, Porzana tabuensis - Dusky MoorhenDusky MoorhenThe Dusky Moorhen is a bird in the rail family. It occurs in Australia, New Guinea, and Indonesia.The New Guinea birds are smaller, at 25-32 cm in length, than the Australian race...
, Gallinula tenebrosa - Tasmanian Native-henTasmanian Native-henThe Tasmanian Nativehen is a flightless rail and one of twelve species of birds endemic to the Australian island of Tasmania...
, Tribonyx mortierii (E) - Black-tailed Native-henBlack-tailed Native-henThe Black-tailed Nativehen, , is a rail native to Australia and New Zealand.-Description:The Black-tailed Nativehen is a large dark bird, reaching about 38 cm in length and weighing around 400g which is close to the weight of a soccer ball. This species possesses an erect tail and is endowed...
, Tribonyx ventralis (V) - Eurasian CootEurasian CootThe Eurasian Coot, Fulica atra, also known as Coot, is a member of the rail and crake bird family, the Rallidae. The Australian subspecies is known as the Australian Coot.-Distribution:...
, Fulica atra
Stone-curlews
Order: CharadriiformesCharadriiformes
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
. Family: Burhinidae
Stone-curlew
The Stone-curlews, also known as Dikkops or Thick-knees are a group of largely tropical birds in the family Burhinidae. Despite the group being classified as waders, most species have a preference for arid or semi-arid habitats...
The Stone-curlew
Stone-curlew
The Stone-curlews, also known as Dikkops or Thick-knees are a group of largely tropical birds in the family Burhinidae. Despite the group being classified as waders, most species have a preference for arid or semi-arid habitats...
s are a group of nine species of largely tropical and nocturnal birds. They are characterised by their strong black or yellow black bills, large yellow eyes, and cryptic plumage. One species is a vagrant to Tasmania.
- Bush Stone-curlewBush Stone-curlewThe Bush Stone-curlew or Bush Thick-knee is a large, ground-dwelling bird endemic to Australia...
, Burhinus grallarius (V)
Oystercatchers
Order: CharadriiformesCharadriiformes
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
. Family: Haematopodidae
The oystercatcher
Oystercatcher
The oystercatchers are a group of waders; they form the family Haematopodidae, which has a single genus, Haematopus. They are found on coasts worldwide apart from the polar regions and some tropical regions of Africa and South East Asia...
s are large and noisy plover
Plover
Plovers are a widely distributed group of wading birds belonging to the subfamily Charadriinae. There are about 40 species in the subfamily, most of them called "plover" or "dotterel". The closely related lapwing subfamily, Vanellinae, comprises another 20-odd species.Plovers are found throughout...
-like birds, with strong bills used for smashing or prying open molluscs. Two species have been recorded from Tasmania.
- Pied OystercatcherPied OystercatcherThe Pied Oystercatcher, Haematopus longirostris, is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading bird native to Australia and commonly found on its coastline. The similar South Island Pied Oystercatcher The Pied Oystercatcher, Haematopus longirostris, is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading...
, Haematopus longirostris - Sooty OystercatcherSooty OystercatcherThe Sooty Oystercatcher, Haematopus fuliginosus, is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading bird native to Australia and commonly found on its coastline. It prefers rocky coastlines, but will occasionally live in estuaries....
, Haematopus fuliginosus
Stilts and avocets
Order: CharadriiformesCharadriiformes
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
. Family: Recurvirostridae
Recurvirostridae
Recurvirostridae is a family of birds in the wader suborder Charadrii. It contains two distinct groups of birds, the avocets and the stilts .-Description and diet:...
Recurvirostridae is a family of large wading birds that includes the avocet
Avocet
The four species of Avocets are a genus, Recurvirostra, of waders in the same avian family as the stilts.Avocets have long legs and long, thin, upcurved bills which they sweep from side to side when feeding in the brackish or saline wetlands they prefer...
s and the stilt
Stilt
Stilt is a common name for several species of birds in the family Recurvirostridae, which also includes those known as avocets. They are found in brackish or saline wetlands in warm or hot climates....
s. The avocets have long legs and long up-curved bills. The stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills. All three mainland species have been recorded in Tasmania, although two are vagrants only.
- Black-winged StiltBlack-winged StiltThe Black-winged Stilt or Common Stilt is a widely distributed very long-legged wader in the avocet and stilt family . Opinions differ as to whether the birds treated under the scientific name H. himantopus ought to be treated as a single species and if not, how many species to recognize...
, Himantopus himantopus - Banded StiltBanded StiltThe Banded Stilt is a nomadic stilt from Australia. It belongs to the monotypical genus Cladorhynchus. It gets its name from the red-brown breast band found on breeding adults, but this is mottled or entirely absent in non-breeding adults and juveniles. Its remaining plumage is pied and the eyes...
, Cladorhynchus leucocephalus (V) - Red-necked AvocetRed-necked AvocetThe Red-necked Avocet is a water bird found throughout Australia, except for the northern parts of the Northern Territory....
, Recurvirostra novaehollandiae (V)
Lapwings and plovers
Order: CharadriiformesCharadriiformes
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
. Family: Charadriidae
Charadriidae
The bird family Charadriidae includes the plovers, dotterels, and lapwings, about 64 to 66 species in all.- Morphology :They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks and long, usually pointed, wings, but most species of lapwing may have more rounded wings...
The family Charadriidae includes the plover
Plover
Plovers are a widely distributed group of wading birds belonging to the subfamily Charadriinae. There are about 40 species in the subfamily, most of them called "plover" or "dotterel". The closely related lapwing subfamily, Vanellinae, comprises another 20-odd species.Plovers are found throughout...
s, dotterels, and lapwing
Lapwing
Vanellinae are any of various crested plovers, family Charadriidae, noted for its slow, irregular wingbeat in flight and a shrill, wailing cry. Its length is 10-16 inches. They are a subfamily of medium-sized wading birds which also includes the plovers and dotterels. The Vanellinae are...
s. They are small- to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks and long, usually pointed, wings. They are often found in open country worldwide, mostly in habitats near water. In Tasmania, ten species have been recorded, three of which are vagrants.
- Pacific Golden PloverPacific Golden PloverThe Pacific Golden Plover is a medium-sized plover.The 23–26 cm long breeding adult is spotted gold and black on the crown, back and wings. Its face and neck are black with a white border and it has a black breast and a dark rump. The legs are black...
, Pluvialis fulva - Red-capped PloverRed-capped PloverThe Red-capped Plover , also known as the Red-capped Dotterel, is a small plover. It breeds in Australia. The species is closely related to the Kentish Plover, Javan Plover and White-fronted Plover.-Description:Red-capped Plovers have white underparts and forehead...
, Charadrius ruficapillus - Double-banded PloverDouble-banded PloverThe Double-banded Plover , known as the Banded Dotterel in New Zealand, is a small wader in the plover family of birds. It lives in beaches, mud flats, grasslands and on bare ground...
, Charadrius bicinctus - Little Ringed PloverLittle Ringed PloverThe Little Ringed Plover is a small plover. Adults have a grey-brown back and wings, a white belly, and a white breast with one black neckband. They have a brown cap, a white forehead, a black mask around the eyes with white above and a short dark bill...
, Charadrius dubius (V) - Greater Sand PloverGreater Sand PloverThe Greater Sand Plover, Charadrius leschenaultii, is a small wader in the plover family of birds. The spelling is commonly given as "Greater sandplover", but the official British Ornithologists' Union spelling is "Greater sand plover"....
, Charadrius leschenaultii (V) - Oriental PloverOriental PloverThe Oriental Plover, Charadrius veredus, also known as the Oriental Dotterel, is a medium-sized Charadriine plover closely related to the Caspian Plover.- Description :...
, Charadrius veredus (V) - Black-fronted DotterelBlack-fronted DotterelThe Black-fronted Dotterel is a small, slender plover, widespread throughout most of Australia, to which it is native and New Zealand, where it self introduced in the 1950s. It is common in freshwater wetlands, around the edges of lakes and billabongs, and in shallow, temporary claypan pools...
, Elseyornis melanops - Hooded PloverHooded PloverThe Hooded Dotterel or Hooded Plover is a species of bird in the Charadriidae family. It is endemic to southern Australia and Tasmania. There are two recognized subspecies, both of which are classifed as Endangered....
, Thinornis rubricollis - Banded LapwingBanded LapwingThe Banded Lapwing is a small to medium sized wader which belongs to the plover family. It is found over most of Australia and Tasmania though is absent from the northern third of the continent....
, Vanellus tricolor - Masked LapwingMasked LapwingThe Masked Lapwing , previously known as the Masked Plover and often called the Spur-winged Plover or just Plover in its native range, is a large, common and conspicuous bird native to Australia, particularly the northern and eastern parts of the continent...
, Vanellus miles (only the southern race v. m. novaehollandiae is found in Tasmania)
Painted snipe
Order: CharadriiformesCharadriiformes
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
. Family: Rostratulidae
Painted snipe
Painted snipes are three distinctive wader species in the family Rostratulidae. The family is composed to two genera, Rostratula and Nycticryphes. The Australian Painted Snipe is often treated as a subspecies of the Greater Painted Snipe, but morphological and genetic differences have resulted in...
The painted snipe
Painted snipe
Painted snipes are three distinctive wader species in the family Rostratulidae. The family is composed to two genera, Rostratula and Nycticryphes. The Australian Painted Snipe is often treated as a subspecies of the Greater Painted Snipe, but morphological and genetic differences have resulted in...
s are a family of three snipe-like birds found in South America, Asia, and Australia. The Australian species has recently been split from the Asian Greater Painted Snipe
Greater Painted Snipe
The Greater Painted Snipe, Rostratula benghalensis, is a species of wader in the family Rostratulidae. It is found in marshes in Africa, India, Pakistan, and South-east Asia -Description:...
and is a vagrant to Tasmania.
- Australian Painted SnipeAustralian Painted SnipeThe Australian Painted Snipe is a medium-sized, long-billed, distinctively patterned wader.-Taxonomy:The distinctiveness of the Australian Painted-snipe was recognised by John Gould in 1838 when he described and named it Rostratula australis. However, it was subsequently lumped with the Greater...
, Rostratula australis (V)
Sandpipers, curlews, stints, godwits, snipes, and phalaropes
Order: CharadriiformesCharadriiformes
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
. Family: Scolopacidae
Scolopacidae
The sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae, of waders or shorebirds. They include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil...
The Scolopacidae are a large and diverse family of small- to medium-sized shorebirds, including the sandpipers, curlew
Curlew
The curlews , genus Numenius, are a group of eight species of birds, characterised by long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage. They are one of the most ancient lineages of scolopacid waders, together with the godwits which look similar but have straight bills...
s, godwit
Godwit
The godwits are a group of large, long-billed, long-legged and strongly migratory wading birds of the genus Limosa. They form large flocks on coasts and estuaries in winter....
s, shank
Tringa
Tringa is a genus of waders, containing the shanks and tattlers. They are mainly freshwater birds, often with brightly coloured legs as reflected in the English names of six species, as well as the specific names of two of these and the Green Sandpiper. They are typically associated with northern...
s, tattler
Tattler (bird)
The tattlers are the two very similar bird species in the shorebird genus Tringa. They formerly had their own genus, Heteroscelus. The old genus name means "different leg" in Greek, referring to the leg scales that differentiate the tattlers from their close relatives, the shanks.The species are:*...
s, woodcock
Woodcock
The woodcocks are a group of seven or eight very similar living species of wading birds in the genus Scolopax. Only two woodcocks are widespread, the others being localized island endemics. Most are found in the Northern Hemisphere but a few range into Wallacea...
s, snipe
Snipe
A snipe is any of about 25 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill and crypsis plumage. The Gallinago snipes have a nearly worldwide distribution, the Lymnocryptes Jack Snipe is restricted to Asia and Europe and the...
s, dowitcher
Dowitcher
The three dowitchers are medium-sized long-billed wading birds. They resemble godwits in body and bill shape, and the reddish underparts in summer, but are much shorter legged, more like snipe to which they are also somewhat closer related...
s and phalarope
Phalarope
A phalarope or wadepiper is any of three living species of slender-necked shorebirds in the genus Phalaropus of the bird family Scolopacidae. They are close relatives of the shanks and tattlers, the Actitis and Terek Sandpipers, and also of the turnstones and calidrids...
s. The majority of species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. Different lengths of legs and bills enable different species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food. Fourteen species have been recorded in Tasmania, five as vagrants only.
- Latham's SnipeLatham's SnipeLatham's Snipe, Gallinago hardwickii, also known as Japanese Snipe, is a medium-sized , long-billed, migratory wader.-Identification:...
, Gallinago hardwickii - Bar-tailed GodwitBar-tailed GodwitThe Bar-tailed Godwit is a large wader in the family Scolopacidae, which breeds on Arctic coasts and tundra mainly in the Old World, and winters on coasts in temperate and tropical regions of the Old World...
, Limosa lapponica - WhimbrelWhimbrelThe Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus, is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is one of the mostwidespread of the curlews, breeding across much of subarctic North America, Europe and Asia as far south as Scotland....
, Numenius phaeopus - Far Eastern CurlewFar Eastern CurlewThe Far Eastern Curlew or Eastern Curlew is a large shorebird most similar in appearance to the Long-billed Curlew, but slightly larger. It is mostly brown in color, differentiated from other curlews by its plain, unpatterned brown underwing...
, Numenius madagascariensis - Common RedshankCommon RedshankThe Common Redshank or simply Redshank is an Eurasian wader in the large family Scolopacidae.- Description and systematics :...
, Tringa totanus - Grey-tailed TattlerGrey-tailed TattlerThe Grey-tailed Tattler, Tringa brevipes , is a small shorebird.- Description :...
, Heteroscelus brevipes - Ruddy TurnstoneRuddy TurnstoneThe Ruddy Turnstone is a small wading bird, one of two species of turnstone in the genus Arenaria. It is now classified in the sandpiper family Scolopacidae but was formerly sometimes placed in the plover family Charadriidae...
, Arenaria interpres - Red-necked StintRed-necked StintThe Red-necked Stint is a small migratory wader.- Description :These birds are among the smallest of waders, very similar to the Little Stint, Calidris minuta, with which they were once considered conspecific...
, Calidris ruficollis - Red KnotRed KnotThe Red Knot, Calidris canutus , is a medium sized shorebird which breeds in tundra and the Arctic Cordillera in the far north of Canada, Europe, and Russia. It is a large member of the Calidris sandpipers, second only to the Great Knot...
, Calidris canutus - Curlew SandpiperCurlew SandpiperThe Curlew Sandpiper is a small wader that breeds on the tundra of Arctic Siberia. It is strongly migratory, wintering mainly in Africa, but also in south and southeast Asia and in Australasia...
, Calidris ferruginea - Baird's SandpiperBaird's SandpiperThe Baird's Sandpiper is a small shorebird. It is among those calidrids sometimes separated in Erolia.Adults have black legs and a short thin dark bill. They are dark brown on top and mainly white underneath with a black patch on the rump. The head and breast are light brown with dark streaks. In...
, Calidris bairdii (V) - Western SandpiperWestern SandpiperThe Western Sandpiper, Calidris or Erolia mauri, is a small shorebird.Adults have dark legs and a short thin dark bill, thinner at the tip. The body is brown on top and white underneath. They are reddish-brown on the crown. This bird can be difficult to distinguish from other similar tiny...
, Calidris mauri (V) - RuffRuffThe Ruff is a medium-sized wading bird that breeds in marshes and wet meadows across northern Eurasia. This highly gregarious sandpiper is migratory and sometimes forms huge flocks in its winter grounds, which include southern and western Europe, Africa, southern Asia and Australia...
, Philomachus pugnax (V) - Buff-breasted SandpiperBuff-breasted SandpiperThe Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Tryngites subruficollis, is a small shorebird. It is a calidrid sandpipers and currently considered to be the only member of the genus Tryngites. Indeed, it probably belongs in the genus Calidris itself, or more precisely with the small species thereof which should be...
, Tryngites subruficollis (V) - Red-necked PhalaropeRed-necked PhalaropeThe Red-necked Phalarope, Phalaropus lobatus, is a small wader. This phalarope breeds in the Arctic regions of North America and Eurasia. It is migratory, and, unusually for a wader, winters at sea on tropical oceans....
, Phalaropus lobatus (V)
Buttonquail
Order: TurniciformesButtonquail
Buttonquail or hemipodes are members of a small family of birds, Turnicidae, which resemble, but are unrelated to, the quails of Phasianidae. They inhabit warm grasslands in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Australia...
. Family: Turnicidae
Buttonquail
Buttonquail or hemipodes are members of a small family of birds, Turnicidae, which resemble, but are unrelated to, the quails of Phasianidae. They inhabit warm grasslands in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Australia...
The buttonquail are an ancient lineage of shorebirds which closely resemble true quail in appearance but are unrelated. They are found in Africa, Asia and Australia, with one species reaching Tasmania.
- Painted Button-quail, Turnix varius
Skuas
Order: CharadriiformesCharadriiformes
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
. Family: Stercorariidae
The skua
Skua
The skuas are a group of seabirds with about seven species forming the family Stercorariidae and the genus Stercorarius. The three smaller skuas are called jaegers in North America....
s are in general medium to large birds, typically with grey or brown plumage, often with white markings on the wings. They have longish bills with a hooked tip, and webbed feet with sharp claws. They look like large dark gulls, but have a fleshy cere above the upper mandible. They are strong, acrobatic fliers. A single species is regularly found in Tasmanian waters, while two others are vagrants.
- Arctic SkuaArctic SkuaThe Parasitic Jaeger, also known as the Arctic Skua or Parasitic Skua, is a seabird in the skua family Stercorariidae....
, Stercorarius parasiticus - Long-tailed SkuaLong-tailed SkuaThe Long-tailed Skua, Stercorarius longicaudus is a seabird in the skua family Stercorariidae....
, Stercorarius longicauda (V) - South Polar SkuaSouth Polar SkuaThe South Polar Skua, Stercorarius maccormicki, is a large seabird in the skua family Stercorariidae. An older name for the bird is MacCormick’s Skua, after explorer and naval surgeon Robert McCormick, who first collected the type specimen...
, Catharacta maccormicki (V)
Gulls and terns
Order: CharadriiformesCharadriiformes
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
. Family: Laridae
Gull
Gulls are birds in the family Laridae. They are most closely related to the terns and only distantly related to auks, skimmers, and more distantly to the waders...
s are typically medium to large birds, usually grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout, longish bills, and webbed feet. The large species take up to four years to attain full adult plumage, but two years is typical for small gulls. In Tasmania, three species have been recorded. Tern
Tern
Terns are seabirds in the family Sternidae, previously considered a subfamily of the gull family Laridae . They form a lineage with the gulls and skimmers which in turn is related to skuas and auks...
s are in general medium-to-large birds, typically with grey or white plumage, often with black markings on the head. They have longish bills and webbed feet. They are lighter-bodied and more streamlined than gulls, and look elegant in flight with long tails and long narrow wings. In Tasmania, nine species of gulls and terns have been recorded, five of which are vagrants. The two groups have been considered separate families, but some findings that the noddies and White Tern
White Tern
The White Tern is a small seabird found across the tropical oceans of the world. It is sometimes known as the Fairy Tern although this name is potentially confusing as it is the common name of the Fairy Tern Sternula nereis...
are offshoots to the combined group have led the two to be classified as a single family for the time being.
- Pacific GullPacific GullThe Pacific Gull is a very large gull, native to the coasts of Australia. It is moderately common between Carnarvon in the west, and Sydney in the east, although it has become scarce in some parts of the south-east, as a result of competition from the Kelp Gull, which has "self-introduced" since...
, Larus pacificus - Kelp GullKelp GullThe Kelp Gull , also known as the Dominican Gull, breeds on coasts and islands through much of the southern hemisphere. The race L. d. vetula occurs around southern Africa, and nominate L. d...
, Larus dominicanus - Silver GullSilver GullThe Silver Gull also known simply as "seagull" in Australia, is the most common gull seen in Australia. It has been found throughout the continent, but particularly coastal areas. The South African Hartlaub's Gull and the New Zealand Red-billed Gull The Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus...
, Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae - Bridled TernBridled TernThe Bridled Tern is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. It is a bird of the tropical oceans.-Description:...
, Onychoprion anaetheetus (V) - Little TernLittle TernThe Little Tern, Sternula albifrons or Sterna albifrons, is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. It was formerly placed into the genus Sterna, which now is restricted to the large white terns . The former North American and Red Sea S. a...
, Sternula albifrons - Fairy TernFairy TernThe Fairy Tern is a small tern which occurs in the southwestern Pacific.There are three subspecies:* Australian Fairy Tern, Sterna nereis nereis - breeds in Australia...
, Sternula nereis - Gull-billed TernGull-billed TernThe Gull-billed Tern formerly Sterna nilotica , is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae...
, Gelochelidon nilotica (V) - Caspian TernCaspian TernThe Caspian Tern is a species of tern, with a subcosmopolitan but scattered distribution. Despite its extensive range, it is monotypic of its genus, and has no subspecies accepted either...
, Hydroprogne caspia - Whiskered TernWhiskered TernThe Whiskered Tern is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This bird has a number of geographical races, differing mainly in size and minor plumage details....
, Chlidonias hybridus (V) - Common TernCommon TernThe Common Tern is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution, breeding in temperate and sub-Arctic regions of Europe, Asia and east and central North America. It is strongly migratory, wintering in coastal tropical and subtropical regions. It is sometimes...
, Sterna hirundo (V) - Arctic TernArctic TernThe Arctic Tern is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This bird has a circumpolar breeding distribution covering the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America...
, Sterna paradisaea (V) - Greater Crested TernGreater Crested TernThe Greater Crested Tern , also called Crested Tern or Swift Tern, is a seabird in the tern family which nests in dense colonies on coastlines and islands in the tropical and subtropical Old World...
, Thalasseus bergii
Cockatoos
Cockatoo
A cockatoo is any of the 21 species belonging to the bird family Cacatuidae. Along with the Psittacidae and the Strigopidae , they make up the parrot order Psittaciformes . Placement of the cockatoos as a separate family is fairly undisputed, although many aspects of the other living lineages of...
Cockatoos are a distinctive lineage of parrots notable for their crests and lack of colour in their plumage. Generally large and noisy, they are a familiar part of the Australian (and Tasmanian) landscape. Six species are found in Tasmania, two of which are considered to be aviary escapees and hence introduced, and one a vagrant.
- Yellow-tailed Black CockatooYellow-tailed Black CockatooThe Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo is a large cockatoo native to the south-east of Australia measuring 55–65 cm in length. It has a short crest on the top of its head. Its plumage is mostly brownish black and it has prominent yellow cheek patches and a yellow tail band...
, Calyptorhynchus funereus - Gang-gang CockatooGang-gang CockatooThe Gang-gang Cockatoo, Callocephalon fimbriatum, is found in the cooler and wetter forests and woodlands of Australia, particularly alpine bushland. Mostly mild grey in colour with some lighter scalloping the male has a red head and crest, while the female has a small fluffy grey crest...
, Callocephalon fimbriatum (V) - GalahGalahThe Galah , Eolophus roseicapilla, also known as the Rose-breasted Cockatoo, Galah Cockatoo, Roseate Cockatoo or Pink and Grey, is one of the most common and widespread cockatoos, and it can be found in open country in almost all parts of mainland Australia.It is endemic on the mainland and was...
, Eolophus roseicapilla - Long-billed CorellaLong-billed CorellaThe Long-billed Corella, Cacatua tenuirostris, is a cockatoo native to Australia, which is similar in appearance to the Little Corella and Sulphur-crested Cockatoo. This species is mostly white, with a reddish-pink face and forehead, and has a long pale beak, which is used to dig for roots and seeds...
, Cacatua tenuirostris (I) - Little CorellaLittle CorellaThe Little Corella, Cacatua sanguinea, also known as the Bare-eyed Cockatoo, is a white cockatoo native to Australia and southern New Guinea....
, Cacatua sanguinea (I) - Sulphur-crested CockatooSulphur-crested CockatooThe Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Cacatua galerita, is a relatively large white cockatoo found in wooded habitats in Australia and New Guinea. They can be locally very numerous, leading to them sometimes being considered pests...
, Cacatua galerita
True parrots
Order: Psittaciformes. Family: PsittacidaeTrue parrots are small to large birds with a characteristic curved beak shape. Their upper mandibles have slight mobility in the joint with the skull and they have a generally erect stance. All parrots are zygodactyl, having the four toes on each foot placed two at the front and two back. Nine species are found in Tasmania, one of which is critically endangered, and two are vagrants.
- Rainbow LorikeetRainbow LorikeetThe Rainbow Lorikeet, is a species of Australasian parrot found in Australia, eastern Indonesia , Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. In Australia, it is common along the eastern seaboard, from Queensland to South Australia and northwest Tasmania...
, Trichoglossus haemotodus (I) - Little LorikeetLittle LorikeetThe Little Lorikeet is a species of parrot in the Psittacidae family. It is endemic to Australia. It is a small parrot, predominantly green in plumage with a red face...
, Glossopsitta pusilla (I) - Musk LorikeetMusk LorikeetThe Musk Lorikeet is a lorikeet, one of the three species of the Glossopsitta genus. It inhabits south-central/eastern Australia. The Musk Lorikeet was first described by ornithologist George Shaw in 1790 as Psittacus concinnus, from a collection in the vicinity of Port Jackson in what is now...
, Glossopsitta concinna - Green RosellaGreen RosellaThe Green Rosella or Tasmanian Rosella is endemic to Tasmania and Bass Strait islands. At 37 cm long it is the largest species of the Rosella genus...
, Platycercus caledonicus (E) - Eastern RosellaEastern RosellaThe Eastern Rosella is a rosella native to southeast of the Australian continent and to Tasmania. It has been introduced to New Zealand where feral populations are found in the North Island and in the hills around Dunedin in the South Island.-Taxonomy:The Eastern Rosella was named by...
, Platycercus eximius - Swift ParrotSwift ParrotThe Swift Parrot breeds in Tasmania and migrates north to south eastern Australia from Griffith-Warialda in New South Wales and west to Adelaide in the winter. It is related to the rosellas, with the feeding habits of a lorikeet...
, Lathamus discolorOne of only two species of migratory parrot, both of which breed only in Tasmania - Blue-winged ParrotBlue-winged ParrotThe Blue-winged Parrot, Neophema chrysostoma, also known as the Blue-banded Parakeet or Blue-banded Grass-parakeet, is a small parrot found in Tasmania and southeast Australia....
, Neophema chrysostoma - Orange-bellied ParrotOrange-bellied ParrotThe Orange-bellied Parrot is a small broad-tailed parrot endemic to southern Australia, and one of only two species of parrot which migrate. The adult male is distinguished by its bright grass-green upperparts, yellow underparts and orange belly patch. The adult female and juvenile are duller...
, Neophema chrysogaster - Eastern Ground Parrot, Pezoporus wallicus
Cuckoos
Order: CuculiformesCuculiformes
The near passerine bird order Cuculiformes traditionally included three families as below:* Musophagidae - turacos and allies* Cuculidae - cuckoos, coucals, roadrunners and anis* Opisthocomidae - Hoatzin...
. Family: Cuculidae
The family Cuculidae includes cuckoo
Cuckoo
The cuckoos are a family, Cuculidae, of near passerine birds. The order Cuculiformes, in addition to the cuckoos, also includes the turacos . Some zoologists and taxonomists have also included the unique Hoatzin in the Cuculiformes, but its taxonomy remains in dispute...
s, roadrunners and anis
Ani (bird)
The anis are the three species of near-passerine birds in the genus Crotophaga of the cuckoo family. They are essentially tropical New world birds, although the range of two species just reaches the United States...
. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. There are 138 species worldwide and 4 species which occur in Tasmania, all of which are parasitic.
- Pallid CuckooPallid CuckooThe Pallid Cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the Cuculidae family.It is found in Australia, Christmas Island, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea....
, Cacomantis pallidus - Fan-tailed CuckooFan-tailed CuckooThe Fan-tailed Cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the Cuculidae family.It is found in Australia, Fiji, Indonesia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.-Habitat:...
, Cacomantis flabelliformis - Horsfield's Bronze-CuckooHorsfield's Bronze-CuckooThe Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the Cuculidae family, found from Australia to South-east Asia. The species was previously known by the scientific name of Chalcites basalis.-Media:...
, Chrysococcyx basalis - Shining Bronze-CuckooShining Bronze-CuckooThe Shining Bronze Cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the Cuculidae family, found in Australia, Indonesia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. It was previously also known as Chalcites lucidus.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 24...
, Chrysococcyx lucidus
Typical owls
Order: Strigiformes. Family: StrigidaeTypical owl
Typical owl
True owl or Typical owl are one of the two generally accepted families of Owls, the other being the barn owls . The Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy unites the Caprimulgiformes with the owl order; here, the typical owls are a subfamily Strigidae...
s are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey. They have large forward-facing eyes and ears, a hawk-like beak, and a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disk. One species has been recorded in Tasmania.
- Southern BoobookSouthern BoobookThe Southern Boobook , also called the Mopoke, Morepork, Ruru or Tasmanian Spotted Owl, is a small brown owl found throughout New Zealand, Tasmania, across most of mainland Australia and in Timor, southern New Guinea and nearby islands.The bird has almost 20 alternative common names, most of which...
, Ninox novaeseelandiae
Barn owls
Order: Strigiformes. Family: TytonidaeTytonidae
Barn-owls are one of the two families of owls, the other being the true owls, Strigidae. They are medium to large sized owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with powerful talons...
Barn owl
Barn Owl
The Barn Owl is the most widely distributed species of owl, and one of the most widespread of all birds. It is also referred to as Common Barn Owl, to distinguish it from other species in the barn-owl family Tytonidae. These form one of two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical...
s are medium- to large-sized owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long strong legs with powerful talons. One species is found in Tasmania.
River kingfishers
Order: CoraciiformesCoraciiformes
The Coraciiformes are a group of usually colorful near passerine birds including the kingfishers, the Hoopoe, the bee-eaters, the rollers, and the hornbills...
. Family: Alcedinidae
River kingfishers
The river kingfishers or Alcedinidae, are one of the three families of bird in the kingfisher group. The Alcedinidae once included all kingfishers, before the widespread recognition of Halcyonidae and Cerylidae...
Kingfisher
Kingfisher
Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...
s are medium-sized birds with large heads, long pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. One species has been recorded in Tasmania.
- Azure KingfisherAzure KingfisherThe Azure Kingfisher Alcedo azurea is a small kingfisher , in the river kingfisher family, Alcedinidae. It is found in Northern and Eastern Australia and Tasmania, as well as the lowlands of New Guinea and neighbouring islands, and out to North Maluku and Romang.It is a very colourful bird, with...
, Alcedo azurea
Wood kingfishers
Order: CoraciiformesCoraciiformes
The Coraciiformes are a group of usually colorful near passerine birds including the kingfishers, the Hoopoe, the bee-eaters, the rollers, and the hornbills...
. Family: Halcyonidae
Tree kingfisher
The tree kingfishers or wood kingfishers, family Halcyonidae, are the most numerous of the three families of birds in the kingfisher group, with between 56 and 61 species in around 12 genera, including several species of kookaburras. The family appears to have arisen in Indochina and the Maritime...
Wood or tree kingfishers are medium to large kingfishers with large heads, long pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. One species has been introduced to Tasmania.
- Laughing KookaburraLaughing KookaburraThe Laughing Kookaburra, Dacelo novaeguineae, is a carnivorous bird in the kingfisher family Halcyonidae. Native to eastern Australia, it has also been introduced to parts of New Zealand, Tasmania and Western Australia. Male and female adults are similar in plumage, which is predominantly brown and...
, Dacelo novaeguineae (I)Although native to eastern Australia, introduced to Tasmania
Lyrebirds
Order: Passeriformes. Family: MenuridaeThe lyrebirds are two species of ground-dwelling Australian birds, notable for their accomplished mimicry. One species has been introduced to Tasmania.
- Superb LyrebirdSuperb LyrebirdThe Superb Lyrebird is a pheasant-sized songbird, approximately 100cm long, with brown upper body plumage, grayish-brown below, rounded wings and strong legs...
, Menura novaehollandiae (I)
Fairywrens
Maluridae
The Maluridae are a family of small, insectivorous passerine birds endemic to Australia and New Guinea. Commonly known as wrens, they are unrelated to the true wrens of the Northern Hemisphere...
The fairywrens are a family of small, insectivorous passerine birds endemic to Australia and New Guinea. Most closely related to honeyeaters and pardalotes, they are more closely related to crows than to true wrens of the northern hemisphere. Two species are native to Tasmania.
- Superb Fairywren, Malurus cyaneus
- Southern Emu-wrenSouthern Emu-wrenThe Southern Emu-wren is a species of bird in the Maluridae family. It is endemic to Australia. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation.-Taxonomy:...
, Stipiturus malachurus
Pardalotes
Order: Passeriformes. Family: PardalotidaeThe pardalote
Pardalote
Pardalotes or peep-wrens are a family, Pardalotidae, of very small, brightly coloured birds native to Australia, with short tails, strong legs, and stubby blunt beaks. This family is composed of four species in one genus, Pardalotus, and several subspecies. The name derives from a Greek word...
s are a small family of very small, brightly coloured birds native to Australia, with short tails, strong legs, and stubby blunt beaks. They feed on insects, generally in the canopy of eucalypts, and nest in burrows. Three species are found in Tasmania, of which one is endemic and endangered.
- Spotted PardaloteSpotted PardaloteThe Spotted Pardalote is one of the smallest of all Australian birds at 8 to 10 cm in length, and one of the most colourful; it is sometimes known as the Diamondbird...
, Pardalotus punctatus - Forty-spotted PardaloteForty-spotted PardaloteThe Forty-spotted Pardalote is one of Australia's rarest birds and by far the rarest pardalote, being confined to the south-east corner of Tasmania.-Description:...
, Pardalotus quadragintus (E) - Striated PardaloteStriated PardaloteThe Striated Pardalote is the least colourful and most common of the four pardalote species. Other common names include Pickwick, Wittachew and Chip-Chip...
, Pardalotus striatus
Thornbills and scrubwrens
Order: Passeriformes. Family: AcanthizidaeAcanthizidae
The Acanthizidae, also known as the Australasian warblers, are a family of passerine birds which include gerygones, thornbills, and scrubwrens. The Acanthizidae consists of small to medium passerine birds, with a total length varying between 8 and 19 cm. They have short rounded wings, slender...
The Acanthizidae are a group of 35 species of small to medium mostly insectivorous passerine birds found in Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, and the south-west Pacific. They have short rounded wings, slender bills, long legs, and a short tail. Most species have olive, grey, or brown plumage, although some have patches of a brighter yellow. Six species are found in Tasmania, of which three are endemic.
- Tasmanian ScrubwrenTasmanian ScrubwrenThe Tasmanian Scrubwren or Brown Scrubwren is a bird species. Placed in the family Pardalotidae in the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, this has met with opposition and indeed is now known to be wrong; they rather belong to the independent family Acanthizidae.It is native to the temperate forests of...
, Sericornis humilis (E) - ScrubtitScrubtitThe Scrubtit is a species of bird in the thornbill family Acanthizidae. It is monotypic within the genus Acanthornis, and is endemic to Tasmania and King Island in Australia. Its natural habitat is the temperate rainforest, Nothofagus beech forest and eucalypt woodland...
, Acanthornis magnus (E) - Striated FieldwrenStriated FieldwrenThe Striated Fieldwren or Calamanthus is a species of bird in the Acanthizidae family, endemic to Australia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 25 July 2007....
, Calamanthus fuliginosus - Brown ThornbillBrown ThornbillThe Brown Thornbill, Acanthiza pusilla, is a passerine bird usually found in eastern and south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania. It can grow up to 10 cm long, and feeds on insects....
, Acanthiza pusilla - Tasmanian ThornbillTasmanian ThornbillThe Tasmanian Thornbill is a small brown bird only found in Tasmania and the islands in the Bass Strait. It is a common bird in these regions, often found in rainforests, wet forests, and scrublands. It occurs exclusively in cold and wet areas...
, Acanthiza ewingii (E) - Yellow-rumped ThornbillYellow-rumped ThornbillThe Yellow-rumped Thornbill is a species of passerine bird from the genus Acanthiza. The genus was once placed in the family Pardalotidae but that family was split and it is now in the family Acanthizidae. There are four subspecies of Yellow-rumped Thornbill. It is a small, brownish bird with a...
, Acanthiza chrysorrhoa
Honeyeaters
Honeyeaters are a diverse and widespread group of nectar and insect-eating birds found across Australia and surrounding regions. Eleven species are found in Tasmania, of which four are endemic, including Australia's largest honeyeater, the Yellow Wattlebird.
- Yellow WattlebirdYellow WattlebirdThe Yellow Wattlebird is a species of bird in the Meliphagidae family.9 Other names include the Long or Tasmanian Wattlebird.2-Description:...
, Anthochaera paradoxa (E) - Little WattlebirdLittle WattlebirdThe Little Wattlebird , also known as the Brush Wattlebird, is a honeyeater, a passerine bird in the family Meliphagidae. It is found in coastal and sub-coastal south-eastern Australia.-Taxonomy:...
, Anthochaera chrysoptera - Noisy MinerNoisy MinerThe Noisy Miner is a bird common to the eastern and southern states of Australia. It ranges from northern Queensland along the eastern coast to South Australia and Tasmania. Its typical diet consists of nectar, fruit and insects, and occasionally it feeds on small reptiles or amphibians...
, Manorina melanocephala - Yellow-throated HoneyeaterYellow-throated HoneyeaterThe Yellow-throated Honeyeater , also known as the Green Cherry-picker, Green Dick or Green Linnet is a species of bird in the Meliphagidae family. It is similar in behaviour and appearance to the White-eared Honeyeater and is endemic to Australia's island state of Tasmania...
, Lichenostomus flavicollis (E) - Strong-billed HoneyeaterStrong-billed HoneyeaterThe Strong-billed Honeyeater is a species of bird in the Meliphagidae family.It is one of two species of the genus Melithreptus endemic to Tasmania.Its natural habitat is temperate forests.-Taxonomy:...
, Melithreptus validirostris (E) - Black-headed HoneyeaterBlack-headed HoneyeaterThe Black-headed Honeyeater is a species of bird in the Meliphagidae family.It is one of two members of the genus Melithreptus endemic to Tasmania. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation.-Taxonomy:The Black-headed Honeyeater was described in 1839 as ...
, Melithreptus affinis (E) - Crescent HoneyeaterCrescent HoneyeaterThe Crescent Honeyeater is a passerine bird of the honeyeater family Meliphagidae native to south-eastern Australia including Tasmania. A member of the genus Phylidonyris, it is most closely related to the common New Holland Honeyeater and the White-cheeked Honeyeater . Two subspecies are...
, Phylidonyris pyrrhoptera - New Holland HoneyeaterNew Holland HoneyeaterThe New Holland Honeyeater is a honeyeater species found throughout southern Australia. It was among the first birds to be scientifically described in Australia, and was initially named Certhia novaehollandiae...
, Phylidonyris novaehollandiae - Tawny-crowned HoneyeaterTawny-crowned HoneyeaterThe Tawny-crowned Honeyeater is a passerine bird native to eastern Australia.The Tawny-crowned Honeyeater was originally described by ornithologist John Latham in 1802 as Certhia melanops...
, Phylidonyris melanops - Eastern SpinebillEastern SpinebillThe Eastern Spinebill, Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris, is a species of honeyeater found in south-eastern Australia in forest and woodland areas, as well as gardens in urban areas of Sydney and Melbourne...
, Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris - White-fronted ChatWhite-fronted ChatThe White-fronted Chat is a species of bird in the Meliphagidae family.It is endemic to Australia, being found across southern Australia from Shark Bay in Western Australia around to the Queensland/New South Wales border.- References :* at NSW Govt Office of Environment and Heritage...
, Epthianura albifrons
Quail-thrushes and allies
Order: Passeriformes. Family: PsophodidaeThe quail-thrush
Quail-thrush
Quail-thrush is the term applied to any member of the genus Cinclosoma, which contains five species of birds who are related to neither quails nor thrushes though have characteristics of both. The genus is found in Australia and New Guinea in a variety of habitats ranging from rainforest to deserts...
es are medium-sized songbirds found in open forest and scrub. Adapted for ground living, they have strong legs and beaks. They are sometimes classified in the family Cinclosomatidae along with jewel-babbler
Jewel-babbler
The jewel-babblers are a genus, Ptilorrhoa of birds in the Cinclosomatidae family. The genus contains four species that are endemic to New Guinea. The genus was once considered to contain the Rail-babbler, but that species is now considered to belong to its own family. The genus is closely related...
s, or united with the family Psophodidae, containing the wedgebills and whipbirds. One species reaches Tasmania.
- Spotted Quail-thrushSpotted Quail-thrushThe Spotted Quail-thrush is a species of bird in the Cinclosomatidae family.It is endemic to Australia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.-References:...
, Cinclosoma punctatum
Cuckoo-shrikes
Order: Passeriformes. Family: CampephagidaeThe cuckoo-shrike
Cuckoo-shrike
The cuckooshrikes and allies in the Campephagidae family are small to medium-sized passerine bird species found in the subtropical and tropical Africa, Asia and Australasia...
s are a family of predominantly drab-coloured insectivorous birds from Australia and southeast Asia that are related to neither cuckoos nor shrikes. One species reaches Tasmania.
- Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikeBlack-faced Cuckoo-shrikeThe Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike is a common omnivorous passerine bird native to Australia, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. It has a protected status in Australia, under the National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1974....
, Coracina novaehollandiae
Whistlers and shrikethrushes
Order: Passeriformes. Family: PachycephalidaePachycephalidae
The family Pachycephalidae, collectively the whistlers, includes the whistlers, shrike-thrushes, shrike-tits, pitohuis and Crested Bellbird, and is part of the ancient Australo-Papuan radiation of songbirds. Its members range from small to medium in size, and occupy most of Australasia...
The whistlers and shrike-thrushes are a large group of stocky passerines found in Australia and surrounding regions. Primarily insectivorous, larger species may also eat small vertebrates such as frogs or nestling birds. Most have drab plumage, the Golden Whistler a notable exception, and several are accomplished songsters. Three species are found in Tasmania.
- Olive WhistlerOlive WhistlerThe Olive Whistler, Pachycephala olivacea is a species of bird of the whistler family Pachycephalidae that is native to southeastern Australia. By an untrained eye, they can be mistaken for female Golden Whistlers....
, Pachycephala olivacea - Golden WhistlerGolden WhistlerThe Australian Golden Whistler is a species of bird found in forest, woodland, mallee, mangrove and scrub in Australia and in mountain forest in the Snow Mountains in the Papua Province of Indonesia. Most populations are resident, but some in south-eastern Australia migrate north during the winter...
, Pachycephala pectoralis - Grey Shrikethrush, Colluricincla harmonica
Woodswallows, butcherbirds, Australian Magpie, and currawongs
Artamidae
The family Artamidae gathers together 20 species of mostly crow-like birds native to Australasia and nearby areas.There are two subfamilies: Artaminae, the woodswallows, are sombre-coloured, soft-plumaged birds that have a brush-tipped tongue but seldom use it for gathering nectar. Instead, they...
Now known to be related to the Vangidae of Madagascar, the Artamidae are a collection of crow-like birds as well as the smaller woodswallow
Woodswallow
Woodswallows are soft-plumaged, somber-coloured passerine birds. There is a single genus, Artamus, The woodswallows are either treated as a subfamily, Artaminae in an expanded family Artamidae, which includes the butcherbirds and Australian Magpie, or as the only genus in that family...
s. They include some of the most familiar and most accomplished songbirds of the Australian (and Tasmanian) landscape. Six species are found in Tasmania. One is endemic and two more are endemic subspecies.
- White-breasted WoodswallowWhite-breasted WoodswallowThe White-breasted Woodswallow, Artamus leucorynchus, is a small passerine bird which breeds from the Andaman Islands east through Indonesia and northern Australia. The name "woodswallow" is a misnomer as they are not closely related to true swallows...
, Artamus leucorynchus (V)HANZAB 7, p. 402. - Dusky WoodswallowDusky WoodswallowThe Dusky Woodswallow , is a bird species of forests and woodlands in tropical and subtropical regions, in eastern and southern Australia....
, Artamus cyanopterus - Grey ButcherbirdGrey ButcherbirdThe Grey Butcherbird is a widely distributed species endemic to Australia. The Grey Butcherbird occurs in a range of different habitats including arid, semi-arid and temperate zones. It has a characteristic "rollicking" birdsong...
, Cracticus torquatus - Australian MagpieAustralian MagpieThe Australian Magpie is a medium-sized black and white passerine bird native to Australia and southern New Guinea. A member of the Artamidae, it is closely related to the butcherbirds...
, Gymnorhina tibicen Subspecies is endemic to Tasmania - Black Currawong, Strepera fuliginosa (E)
- Grey Currawong, Strepera versicolor
Fantails
Order: Passeriformes. Family: RhipiduridaeFantail
Fantail
Fantails are small insectivorous birds of southern Asia and Australasia belonging to the genus Rhipidura in the family Rhipiduridae...
s are a family of small insectivorous birds of southern Asia and Australasia related to monarchs and drongos (all three are sometimes combined in the one family). One species is resident while another is a vagrant.
- Grey FantailGrey FantailThe Grey Fantail is a small insectivorous bird. A common fantail found in Australia , New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia...
, Rhipidura fuliginosa - Willie WagtailWillie WagtailThe Willie Wagtail is a passerine bird native to Australia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago, and eastern Indonesia. It is a common and familiar bird throughout much of its range, living in most habitats apart from thick forest...
, Rhipidura leucophrys (V)HANZAB 7, p. 228.
Crows, ravens, true magpies and jays
Order: Passeriformes. Family: CorvidaeCorvidae
Corvidae is a cosmopolitan family of oscine passerine birds that contains the crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays, magpies, treepies, choughs and nutcrackers. The common English names used are corvids or the crow family , and there are over 120 species...
The Corvidae family includes crow
Crow
Crows form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-size jackdaws to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents and several...
s, raven
Raven
Raven is the common name given to several larger-bodied members of the genus Corvus—but in Europe and North America the Common Raven is normally implied...
s, jay
Jay
The jays are several species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the crow family Corvidae. The names jay and magpie are somewhat interchangeable, and the evolutionary relationships are rather complex...
s, chough
Chough
The Red-billed Chough or Chough , Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax, is a bird in the crow family; it is one of only two species in the genus Pyrrhocorax...
s, magpie
Magpie
Magpies are passerine birds of the crow family, Corvidae.In Europe, "magpie" is often used by English speakers as a synonym for the European Magpie, as there are no other magpies in Europe outside Iberia...
s, treepie
Treepie
The treepies comprise four closely related genera of long-tailed passerine birds in the family Corvidae...
s, nutcracker
Nutcracker (bird)
The nutcrackers are a genus of two species of passerine bird, in the family Corvidae, related to the jays and crows. One, the Spotted Nutcracker , occurs in Europe and Asia, the other, Clark's Nutcracker , in western North America.The most important food resources for both these species are the...
s, and ground jay
Ground jay
The ground jays or ground choughs belong to a distinct group of the passerine order of birds in the genus Podoces of the crow family Corvidae...
s. Corvids are above average in size for the bird order Passeriformes. Some of the larger species show levels of learned behavior of a high degree. Two black-plumaged ravens are found in Tasmania.
- Forest RavenForest RavenThe Forest Raven is a large species of the crow genus native to south-eastern Australia and Tasmania.-Description:The Forest Raven is 50–52 cm in length with glossy black plumage and a white iris. It has a proportionately larger bill and shorter tail than the other mainland corvid species and...
, Corvus tasmanicus - Little RavenLittle RavenThe Little Raven is a species of the crow and raven family Corvidae, that is endemic to Australia. It has all-black plumage, beak and legs with a white iris, as do the other Corvus members in Australia and some species from the islands to the north.-Taxonomy:Although the Little Raven was first...
, Corvus mellori
Monarchs and Magpie-lark
Order: Passeriformes. Family: MonarchidaeThe monarch flycatchers are a diverse family of around 140 species of passerine birds found from Africa to Australia. Closely related to the drongo family Dicruridae, they are sometimes classified as a subfamily within it. Monarchs generally live in the canopy or understory
Understory
Understory is the term for the area of a forest which grows at the lowest height level below the forest canopy. Plants in the understory consist of a mixture of seedlings and saplings of canopy trees together with understory shrubs and herbs...
in forest habitats, although one species is ground-dwelling. One species is found in Tasmania.
- Satin FlycatcherSatin FlycatcherThe Satin Flycatcher is a species of bird in the Monarchidae family.-Distribution:The Satin Flycatcher It is found in Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea....
, Myiagra cyanoleuca
Australian robins
Order: Passeriformes. Family: PetroicidaePetroicidae
The bird family Petroicidae includes roughly 45 species in about 15 genera. All are endemic to Australasia: New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand and numerous Pacific Islands as far east as Samoa. For want of an accurate common name, the family is often called the Australasian robins. Within the...
Australian robins are a group of small insectivorous birds, whose exact position in the bird family tree is unclear. Named after a superficial resemblance to the European Robin, the males of many species sport bright red or pink on their plumage. Four species are found in Tasmania, of which one is endemic.
- Scarlet RobinScarlet RobinThe Scarlet Robin is a common red-breasted Australasian robin in the passerine bird genus Petroica. The species is found on continental Australia and its offshore islands, including Tasmania...
, Petroica boodang - Flame RobinFlame RobinThe Flame Robin is a small passerine bird native to Australia. It is a moderately common resident of the coolest parts of south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Like the other two red-breasted Petroica robins—the Scarlet Robin and the Red-capped Robin—it is often simply but...
, Petroica phoenicea - Pink RobinPink RobinThe Pink Robin is a small passerine bird native to southeastern Australia. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. Like many brightly coloured robins of the Petroicidae family, it is sexually dimorphic...
, Petroica rodinogaster - Dusky RobinDusky RobinThe Dusky Robin is a small passerine bird native to Tasmania. A member of the Australian Robin family Petroicidae, it is not related to robins of Europe and North America...
, Melanodryas vittata (E)
Larks
Order: Passeriformes. Family: AlaudidaeLark
Lark
Larks are passerine birds of the family Alaudidae. All species occur in the Old World, and in northern and eastern Australia; only one, the Shore Lark, has spread to North America, where it is called the Horned Lark...
s are small terrestrial birds with often extravagant songs and display flights. Most larks are fairly dull in appearance. They feed on insects and seeds. One species has been introduced to Tasmania.
- SkylarkSkylarkThe Skylark is a small passerine bird species. This lark breeds across most of Europe and Asia and in the mountains of north Africa. It is mainly resident in the west of its range, but eastern populations are more migratory, moving further south in winter. Even in the milder west of its range,...
, Alauda arvensis (I)
Cisticolas
Order: Passeriformes. Family: CisticolidaeCisticolidae
The Cisticolidae family of small passerine birds is a group of about 110 warblers found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. They are often included within the Old World warbler family Sylviidae....
The cisticolas and allies
Cisticolidae
The Cisticolidae family of small passerine birds is a group of about 110 warblers found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. They are often included within the Old World warbler family Sylviidae....
are family of about 110 small passerine birds found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. They are often included within the Old World warbler family Sylviidae
Sylviidae
Sylviidae is a family of passerine birds that was part of an assemblage known as the Old World warblers. The family was formerly a wastebin taxon with over 400 species of bird in over 70 genera. The family was poorly defined with many characteristics shared with other families...
. One species reaches Tasmania.
- Golden-headed CisticolaGolden-headed CisticolaThe Golden-headed Cisticola Cisticola exilis, also known as the Bright-headed Cisticola, is a species of warbler found from India to Australia....
, Cisticola exilis
Grassbirds and songlarks
Order: Passeriformes. Family: MegaluridaeMegaluridae
Locustellidae is a newly recognized family of small insectivorous songbirds , formerly placed in the Old World warbler "wastebin" family. It contains the grass-warblers, grassbirds, and the Bradypterus "bush-warblers". These birds occur mainly in Eurasia, Africa, and the Australian region...
Megaluridae
Megaluridae
Locustellidae is a newly recognized family of small insectivorous songbirds , formerly placed in the Old World warbler "wastebin" family. It contains the grass-warblers, grassbirds, and the Bradypterus "bush-warblers". These birds occur mainly in Eurasia, Africa, and the Australian region...
, commonly known as grassbirds, songlarks and megalurid warblers, is a newly recognized family of small insectivorous songbirds related to the Old World warblers. One species reaches Tasmania.
- Little GrassbirdLittle GrassbirdThe Little Grassbird is a species of Old World warbler in the Locustellidae family. It is found in Australia and in West Papua, Indonesia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 10 July 2007....
, Megalurus gramineus
Old World babblers and white-eyes
Order: Passeriformes. Family: TimaliidaeThe Old World babblers or timaliids are a large family of mostly Old World passerine birds. They are rather diverse in size and coloration, but are characterised by soft fluffy plumage. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in Southeast Asia. The white-eyes are sometimes classified in their own family Zosteropidae or included here. One species reaches Tasmania.
- SilvereyeSilvereyeThe Silvereye or Wax-eye is a very small passerine bird native to Australia, New Zealand and the south-west Pacific islands of Lord Howe, New Caledonia, Loyalty Islands, Vanuatu, and Fiji...
, Zosterops lateralis
Swallows and martins
The Hirundinidae family is a group of passerines characterized by their adaptation to aerial feeding. Their adaptations include a slender streamlined body, long pointed wings, and short bills with wide gape. The feet are designed for perching rather than walking and the front toes are partially joined at the base. Two species have been recorded in Tasmania.
- Welcome SwallowWelcome SwallowThe Welcome Swallow is a small passerine bird in the swallow family.It is a species native to Australia and nearby islands, but not until recently to New Zealand, which has been colonised in the last half century...
, Hirundo neoxena - Tree MartinTree MartinThe Tree Martin is a member of the swallow family of passerine birds. It breeds in Australia, mostly south of latitude 20°S, and in Timor. It is migratory wintering through most of Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia east of the Wallace Line and the Solomon Islands. It is a vagrant to New Zealand,...
, Hirundo nigricans
Thrushes
Order: Passeriformes. Family: TurdidaeThe true thrushes are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly but not exclusively in the Old World. Two species, one native and one introduced, occur in Tasmania.
- Bassian ThrushBassian ThrushThe Bassian Thrush , commonly known as the Olive-tailed Thrush, is a medium-sized mostly insectivorous thrush found predominantly in southeastern Australia and Tasmania...
, Zoothera lunulata - Blackbird, Turdus merula (I)
Starlings
Order: Passeriformes. Family: SturnidaeStarling
Starling
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The name "Sturnidae" comes from the Latin word for starling, sturnus. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are called mynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of their iridescent...
s are small- to medium-sized Old World
Old World
The Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
passerine birds with strong feet. Their flight is strong and direct, and most are gregarious. Their preferred habitat is fairly open country, and they eat insects and fruit. The plumage of several species is dark with a metallic sheen. One species has been introduced into Tasmania.
- European StarlingEuropean StarlingThe Common Starling , also known as the European Starling or just Starling, is a passerine bird in the family Sturnidae.This species of starling is native to most of temperate Europe and western Asia...
, Sturnus vulgaris (I)
Estrildid finches
Order: Passeriformes. Family: EstrildidaeEstrildid finches are small finch- or sparrow-like birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. One species reaches Tasmania.
- Beautiful FiretailBeautiful FiretailThe Beautiful Firetail is a common species of estrildid finch found in Australia. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 1,000,000 km². The species inhabits temperate shrubland habitats in Australia...
, Stagonopleura bella
Old World sparrows
Order: Passeriformes. Family: PasseridaeOld World sparrows are small passerine birds. These sparrows tend to be small plump brownish or greyish birds with short tails and short powerful beaks. Sparrows are seed-eaters, and they also consume small insects. One species has been introduced to Tasmania.
- House SparrowHouse SparrowThe House Sparrow is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. One of about 25 species in the genus Passer, the House Sparrow occurs naturally in most of Europe, the Mediterranean region, and much of Asia...
, Passer domesticus (I)
Wagtails and pipits
Order: Passeriformes. Family: MotacillidaeMotacillidae
The Motacillidae are a family of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. There are around 65 species in 6 genera and they include the wagtails, longclaws and pipits. The longclaws are entirely restricted to the Afrotropics, and the wagtails are predominately found in Europe, Africa and...
The Motacillidae are a family of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. They include the wagtails, longclaws and pipits. They are slender, ground-feeding insectivores of open country. One species have been recorded in Tasmania.
- Australasian PipitAustralasian PipitThe Australasian Pipit is a fairly small passerine bird of open country in Australia, New Zealand and New Guinea. It belongs to the pipit genus Anthus in the family Motacillidae....
, Anthus novaeseelandiae
Finches
Order: Passeriformes. Family: FringillidaeFinch
Finch
The true finches are passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. They are predominantly seed-eating songbirds. Most are native to the Northern Hemisphere, but one subfamily is endemic to the Neotropics, one to the Hawaiian Islands, and one subfamily – monotypic at genus level – is found...
es are seed-eating passerine birds that are small to moderately large and have a strong beak, usually conical and in some species very large. All have 12 tail feathers and 9 primaries. These birds have a bouncing flight with alternating bouts of flapping and gliding on closed wings, and most sing well. Two species have been introduced to Tasmania.
- European GreenfinchEuropean GreenfinchThe European Greenfinch, or just Greenfinch, Carduelis chloris, is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. The genus Carduelis might be split up and in this case, the greenfinches would be separated in their old genus Chloris again.This bird is widespread throughout Europe, north...
, Carduelis chloris (I) - European GoldfinchEuropean GoldfinchThe European Goldfinch or Goldfinch is a small passerine bird in the finch family.-Habitat and range:The goldfinch breeds across Europe, North Africa, and western and central Asia, in open, partially wooded lowlands. It is resident in the milder west of its range, but migrates from colder regions...
, Carduelis carduelis (I)
See also
- List of Australian birds
- List of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic birds
- Birds of AustraliaBirds of AustraliaAustralia has about 800 species of bird, ranging from the tiny 8 cm Weebill to the huge, flightless Emu.Many species will immediately seem familiar to visitors from the northern hemisphere - Australian wrens look and act much like northern hemisphere wrens and Australian robins seem to be...