List of birds of Western Australia

Order: Struthioniformes   Family: Struthionidae

This order is not native to Western Australia, but feral populations of one species have become established.

Order: Casuariiformes   Family: Dromaiidae

This family of flightless ratite birds is represented by two living species in Australia. Another two species are found in New Guinea. The extinct, geographically-isolated King and Kangaroo Island emus were historically considered to be separate species to mainland emus. However, genetic evidence from 2011 suggests that all three are conspecific.

Order: Anseriformes   Family: Anseranatidae

Magpie goose

The family contains a single species, the magpie goose. It was an early and distinctive offshoot of the anseriform family tree, diverging after the screamers and before all other ducks, geese and swans, sometime in the late Cretaceous. The single species is found across Australia.

Order: Anseriformes   Family: Anatidae

Plumed whistling ducks

Musk duck

Black swan

Pink-eared duck

Pacific black duck

The family Anatidae includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese and swans. 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.

Order: Galliformes   Family: Megapodiidae

Malleefowl

Megapodiidae are represented by various species in the Australasian region. They are commonly referred to as "mound-builders" due to their habit of constructing large mounds to incubate their eggs.

Order: Galliformes   Family: Numididae

Numididae are not native to Australia, but feral populations of one species exist in Western Australia.

Order: Galliformes   Family: Phasianidae

Brown quail

Phasianidae 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.

Order: Podicipediformes   Family: Podicipedidae

Australasian grebe

Grebes are small to medium-large 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.

Australasian grebe

Order: Columbiformes   Family: Columbidae

Crested pigeon and spinifex pigeon

Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere.

Order: Otidiformes   Family: Otididae

Order: Cuculiformes   Family: Cuculidae

Channel-billed cuckoo

Order: Caprimulgiformes   Family: Podargidae

The frogmouths are a distinctive group of small nocturnal birds related to swifts found from India across southern Asia to Australia.

Tawny frogmouth

Order: Caprimulgiformes   Family: Caprimulgidae

Order: Caprimulgiformes   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.

Australian owlet-nightjar

Order: Caprimulgiformes   Family: Apodidae

Swifts are small birds which spend 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 which resemble a crescent or boomerang.

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Rallidae

Australasian swamphen

Australian crake

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Gruidae

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Burhinidae

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Recurvirostridae

Red-necked avocet

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Haematopodidae

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Charadriidae

Masked lapwing

Double-banded plover non-breeding plumage

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Rostratulidae

Australian painted-snipe

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Jacanidae

2 species recorded [1 extant native, 1 vagrant]

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Scolopacidae

Sanderling

Red knot

Sharp-tailed sandpiper

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Turnicidae

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Glareolidae

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Stercorariidae

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Laridae

Little tern with Great crested terns

Pacific gull

Order: Phaethontiformes   Family: Phaethontidae

Red-tailed tropicbird

Tropicbirds are slender white birds of tropical oceans, with exceptionally long central tail feathers. Their long wings have black markings, as does the head.

Order: Sphenisciformes   Family: Spheniscidae

A wild little penguin returning to its burrow to feed its chicks

Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Only one species, the little penguin, breeds on the Australian coast.

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Diomedeidae

The albatrosses are a family of large seabird found across the Southern and North Pacific Oceans. The largest are among the largest flying birds in the world.

White-capped albatross

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Oceanitidae

The southern storm-petrels are the smallest seabirds, relatives of the petrels, feeding on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. Their flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Hydrobatidae

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Procellariidae

Short-tailed shearwater

The procellariids are the main group of medium-sized "true petrels", characterised by united nostrils with medium nasal septum, and a long outer functional primary flight feather.

Black necked stork (jabiru) and juvenile pied heron in flight

Order: Ciconiiformes   Family: Ciconiidae

Order: Suliformes   Family: Fregatidae

Great frigatebird

Order: Suliformes   Family: Sulidae

Australasian gannet

The sulids comprise the gannets and boobies. Both groups are medium-large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish.

Order: Suliformes   Family: Anhingidae

Anhingas or darters are cormorant-like water birds with long necks and long, straight bills. They are fish eaters which often swim with only their neck above the water.

Order: Suliformes   Family: Phalacrocoracidae

Cormorants are medium-to-large aquatic birds, usually with mainly dark plumage and areas of coloured skin on the face. The bill is long, thin and sharply hooked. Their feet are four-toed and webbed, a distinguishing feature among the order Pelecaniformes.

Little pied cormorant

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Pelecanidae

Pelicans are large water birds with distinctive pouches under their bills. Like other birds in the order Pelecaniformes, they have four webbed toes.

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Ardeidae

Pacific heron

Australian little egret

Pacific reef-heron, dark morph

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Threskiornithidae

Royal spoonbill

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Pandionidae

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Accipitridae

Gray goshawk

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Tytonidae

Australian masked-owl

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Strigidae

Order: Bucerotiformes   Family: Upupidae

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Alcedinidae

Laughing kookaburra

Rainbow bee-eater

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Meropidae

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Coraciidae

Order: Falconiformes   Family: Falconidae

Order: Psittaciformes   Family:Cacatuidae

Order: Psittaciformes   Family: Psittaculidae

Rainbow lorikeet

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Pittidae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Atrichornithidae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Ptilonorhynchidae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Climacteridae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Maluridae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Meliphagidae

New Holland honeyeater

Little friarbird

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Dasyornithidae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Pardalotidae

Spotted pardalote

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Acanthizidae

White-browed scrubwren

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Pomatostomidae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Cinclosomatidae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Campephagidae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Neosittidae

Varied sittella

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Psophodidae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Oreoicidae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Falcunculidae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Pachycephalidae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Oriolidae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Artamidae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Rhipiduridae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Dicruridae

Spangled drongo

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Monarchidae

Leaden flycatcher

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Laniidae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Corvidae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Petroicidae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Alaudidae

Golden-headed cisticola

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Cisticolidae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Acrocephalidae

Australian reed warbler

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Locustellidae

Little grassbird

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Hirundinidae

Fairy martin

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Pycnonotidae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Phylloscopidae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Scotocercidae

Silvereye

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Zosteropidae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sturnidae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Turdidae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Muscicapidae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Dicaeidae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Estrildidae

Double-barred finch

Red-browed firetail

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Passeridae

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Motacillidae

Australasian pipit chicks

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Fringillidae

• List of Australian birds
• Lists of birds by region

• Serventy, D.L.; Whittell, H.M. (1976) [1948]. A Handbook of the Birds of Western Australia. Perth, WA, Australia: University Press of Western Australia.
• Johnstone, R.E.; Storr, G.M. (1998). Handbook of Western Australian Birds. Volume 1 – Non-Passerines (Emu to Dollarbird). Oxford University Press.