    
The state of Victoria in south-eastern Australia
covers an area roughly equivalent to the UK or
the US State of California and despite its high population by Australian standards still contains
large areas of wilderness. Due to the varying soil types, and a wide range in rainfall from the
north-west to southern and mountain areas, there
are a many different habitat types to explore. From cool temperate rainforest to semi-arid mallee
woodland, saline ephemeral lakes to well vegetated freshwater swamps, and dense
heathland to open grassy plains . Over 450
species of bird have been recorded in Victoria, including the endangered Mallee Emu-wren.
Mallee Emu-wren photo David Ong, mallee and porcupine grass habitat
The north-west of Victoria (often called the Victorian mallee) is also home to a host of other species found nowhere else in the state, such as Striated Grasswren, Chestnut Quail-thrush, Regent Parrot, Mulga Parrot, Pink Cockatoo, Red-lored Whistler, Splendid Fairy-wren and the iconic Malleefowl.
 
Malleefowl nest mound and Malleefowl.
CENTRAL VICTORIA is a diverse region, containing wetlands and floodplains, grasslands, grassy woodlands, box-ironbark woodlands, granite outcrops and pockets of mallee vegetation.
The ancient granite hills that are such a feature of this region attract plenty of bird species, and are particularly good for finding the Gilbert's Whistler, Diamond Firetails and the rare Painted Honeyeater.
 
Granite outcrop and Painted Honeyeater (photo, Chris Tzaros)
The remaining native grasslands are a home for a range of rare flora and fauna. The Patho plains between Pyramid Hill,Mitiamo and Echuca is one of the best places in Australia to see the endangered Plains Wanderer, with much of its habitat being added to the reserve system.
 
male Plains Wanderer and native grassland in flower
The Box-ironbark forests and mallee woodlands of central Vicoria are rich in birdlife, with over twenty species of Honeyeater occurring, and a wide range of bush birds. The pockets of mallee are particularly interesting with a number of localised species such as Shy Heathwren and Southern Scrub-robin. Over 100 species is to be expected in a full day touring central Victoria.
SOUTHERN VICTORIA, including the Melbourne region has an equally diverse landscape with coastal heaths, dry woodlands, world class wetlands, tall mountain forests and temperate rainforest.
 
Temperate rainforest and Powerful Owl
All the habitats listed above are within easy reach of Melbourne. For more info on these regions and their birdlife please refer to the tour options page of
this website.
LIST OF THE REGIONS BIRD SPECIES.
Please note that bird lists for previous tours are easily accessed through the Eremaea Birds website, just go to the homepage and click on the link to Firetail tours in the tour guides section.
    
Diamond Firetail, Australian Spotted Crake, Shy Heathwren, Purple-gaped Honeyetaer and Blue-faced Honeyeater, photos David Ong.
This list covers the bird species found in the regions of Victoria regularly visited by Firetail Tours but does not include every vagrant species recorded. English names used are from up to date taxonomic works by Christidis and Boles 2008.
Two codes follow each species name. First code is a measure of abundance ....
C = common, MC= moderately common, UC = uncommon, and R = rare.
These descriptions relate to Victoria as a whole. A species which was common in a localised area but absent elsewhere, would be described as uncommon or rare across the region. Waterbird abundance varies greatly from year to year with wet and dry seasons, so an average level of abundance is listed.
The second code describes seasonality.....
r = resident OR may be present within the region at any time of year, s = largely or wholly a summer visitor (usually meaning Sept/Oct through to March/April) , w = winter visitor (April/May to August/Sept).
Seasons in southern Australia vary greatly, with
many species reacting to varied rainfall across the continent in an unpredictable way, so the
abundance of some of these birds is highly variable.
Long-billed Corellas
Emu UC,r Malleefowl R,r Stubble Quail MC,r BrownQuail UC,r Magpie Goose R,r Plumed
Whistling Duck R,s Musk Duck MC,r Freckled Duck Rs Cape Barren Goose R,r Black Swan C,r Australian Shelduck C,r Australian Wood Duck C,r Pink-eared Duck MC,r Australasian Shoveler MC,r Grey Teal C,r Chestnut Teal MC,r Northern Mallard R,r Pacific Black Duck C,r Hardhead MC,r Blue-billed Duck UC,r Australasian Grebe C,r Hoary-headed Grebe C,r Great Crested Grebe UC,r
Rock Dove C,r Spotted Dove UC,r Common Bronzewing C,r Brush Bronzewing UC,r Crested Pigeon C,r Diamond Dove R,r Peaceful Dove MC,r Tawny Frogmouth MC,r White-throated Nightjar UC,s Spotted Nightjar UC,r Australian Owlet-nightjar MC,r White-throated Needletail UC,s Fork-tailed Swift R,s
Black-browed Albatross Shy Albatross Yellow-nosed Albatross White-faced Storm-Petrel Fairy Prion Southern Giant-Petrel Northern Giant-Petrel Fluttering Shearwater Hutton's Shearwater Short-tailed Shearwater Little Penguin Austrasian Gannet Australasian Darter MC,r Little Pied Cormorant C,r Great Cormorant MC,r Little Black Cormorant MC,r Pied Cormorant MC,r Black-faced Cormorant R,r Australian Pelican C,r Australasian Bittern R,r Australian Little Bittern R,s White-necked Heron MC,r Eastern Great Egret MC,r Intermediate Egret UC,r Cattle Egret UC,r White-faced Heron C,r Little Egret UC,r Nankeen Night-Heron UC,r Glossy Ibis UC,s Australian White Ibis C,r Straw-necked Ibis C,r Royal Spoonbill MC,r Yellow-billed Spoonbill MC,r
Black-shouldered Kite MC,r Square-tailed Kite R,s White-bellied Sea-Eagle UC,r Whistling Kite C,r
Black Kite MC,r Brown Goshawk MC,r Collared Sparrowhawk UC,r Grey Goshawk R,r Spotted
Harrier UC,r Swamp Harrier MC,r Wedge-tailed Eagle MC,r Little Eagle UC,r Nankeen Kestrel C,r Brown Falcon C,r Australian Hobby MC,r Grey Falcon R,r Black Falcon UC,r Peregrine Falcon UC,r Brolga UC,r Purple Swamphen C,r Lewins Rail R,r Buff-banded Rail UC,r Baillon's Crake MC,s Australian Spotted Crake MC,r Spotless Crake UC,r Black-tailed-Nativehen MC,r Dusky Moorhen C,r Eurasian Coot C,r Australian Bustard R,r
Bush Stone-curlew R,r Australian Pied Oystercatcher r Sooty Oystercatcher
UC,r Black-winged Stilt C,r Red-necked Avocet UC,r Banded Stilt UC,r Pacific Golden Plover UC,s
Red-capped Plover C,r Double-banded Plover MC,w
Inland Dotterel R,r Black-fronted Dotterel C,r
Hooded Plover R,r Red-kneed Dotterel MC,r Banded Lapwing UC,r Masked Lapwing C,r Plains Wanderer R,r Australian Painted Snipe R,s Latham's Snipe UC,s Black-tailed Godwit R,s Bar-tailed Godwit UC,s Whimbrel UC,s Eastern Curlew UC,s Common Sandpiper R,s Common Greenshank UC,s Marsh Sandpiper UC,s Wood Sandpiper R,s Ruddy Turnstone UC,s Red Knot UC,s Great Knot R,s Sanderling R,s Little Stint R,s Red-necked Stint MC,s Long-toed Stint R,s Pectoral Sandpiper R,s Sharp-tailed Sandpiper MC,s Curlew Sandpiper UC,s Ruff R,s
Painted Button-quail UC,r Red-chested Button-quail R,s Little Button-quail UC,s Australian Pratincole R,s Brown Skua Arctic Jaeger Little Tern R,s Fairy Tern UC,r Gull-billed Tern R,s Caspian Tern UC,r Whiskered Tern C,s White-winged Black Tern R,s White-fronted Tern UC,w Common Tern UC,s Crested Tern MC,r Silver Gull C,r Kelp Gull UC,r Pacific Gull UC,r
     
Inland Dotterel photo Dallas Wyatt, Brolga, Royal Spoonbill, Red-capped Robin and Restless Flycatcher photos David Ong, and Grey Butcherbird.
Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo MC,r Gang-gang Cockatoo UC,r Major Mitchell's Cockatoo R,r Galah C,r Long-billed Corella C,r Little Corella MC,r Sulphur-crested Cockatoo C,r Cockatiel UC,s Rainbow Lorikeet MC,r Musk Lorikeet C,r Little Lorikeet UC,r Purple-crowned Lorikeet UC,r Australian King Parrot UC,r Superb Parrot R,r Regent Parrot R,r Crimson Rosella MC,r Eastern Rosella MC,r Australian Ringneck UC,r Blue Bonnet UC,r Swift Parrot R,w Red-rumped Parrot C,r Mulga Parrot UC,r Budgerigar UC,s Blue-winged Parrot UC,r Elegant Parrot R,r Orange-bellied Parrot R,w Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo C,r Black-eared Cuckoo R,r Shining Bronze-Cuckoo Uc,s Pallid Cuckoo UC,r Fan-tailed Cuckoo UC,r Brush Cuckoo UC,s Powerful Owl R,r Barking Owl R,r Southern Boobook C,r Sooty Owl R,r Eastern Barn Owl UC,r Azure Kingfisher UC,r Laughing Kookaburra C,r Red-backed Kingfisher R,s Sacred Kingfisher MC,s Rainbow Bee-eater MC,s Dollarbird UC,s Superb Lyrebird UC,r White-throated Treecreeper MC,r White-browed Treecreeper R,r Red-browed Treecreeper Uc,r Brown Treecreeper MC,r Satin Bowerbird R,r
Superb Fairy-wren C,r Splendid Fairy-wren UC,r White-winged Fairy-wren UC,r Variegated Fairy-wren UC,r Southern Emu-wren R,r Mallee Emu-wren R,r Striated Grasswren R,r Rufous Bristlebird R,r Pilotbird UC,r White-browed Scrubwren MC,r Large-billed Scrubwren UC,r Chestnut-rumped Heathwren UC,r Shy Heathwren UC,r Striated Fieldwren UC,r Rufous Fieldwren R,r Redthroat R,r Speckled Warbler UC,r Weebill MC,r Western Gerygone Uc,s White-throated Gerygone
R,s Striated Thornbill MC,r Yellow Thornbill MC,r Yellow-rumped Thornbill C,r Chestnut-rumped Thornbill MC,r Buff-rumped Thornbill MC,r
Slender-billed Thornbill R,r Inland Thornbill UC,r Brown Thornbill MC,r Southern Whiteface UC,r Spotted Pardalote C,r Striated Pardalote C,r Eastern Spinebill MC,r Pied Honeyeater R,r Lewin's
Honeyeater UC,r Yellow-faced Honeyeater MC,r Singing Honeyeater MC,r White-eared Honeyeater MC,r Yellow-tufted Honeyeater MC,r Purple-gaped Honeyeater R,r Yellow-plumed Honeyeater MC,r Fuscous Honeyeater MC,r White-plumed Honeyeater C,r White-fronted Honeyeater UC,r Bell Miner UC,r Noisy Miner C,r Black-eared Miner R,r Yellow-throated Miner MC,r Spiny-cheeked
Honeyeater MC,r Little Wattlebird UC,r Red
Wattlebird C,r Crimson Chat R,s Orange Chat UC,r White-fronted Chat C,r Black Honeyeater R,s
Tawny-crowned Honeyeater UC,r Crescent
Honeyeater UC,r New Holland Honeyeater C,r
Black-chinned Honeyeater UC,r Brown-headed Honeyeater C,r White-naped Honeyeater MC,r
Blue-faced Honeyeater UC,r Noisy Friarbird UC,r
Little Friarbird MC,s Striped Honeyeater UC,r Painted Honeyeater R,s
Grey-crowned Babbler R,r White-browed Babbler MC,r Chestnut-crowned Babbler UC,r Spotted Quail-thrush UC,r Chestnut Quail-thrush UC,r Eastern Whipbird UC,r Varied Sitella MC,r Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike C,r White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike UC,r Cicadabird R,s White-winged Triller MC,s Crested Shrike-tit UC,r Olive Whistler UC,r Red-lored Whistler R,r Gilbert's Whistler UC,r Golden Whistler C,r Rufous Whistler C,r Grey Shrike-thrush C,r Crested Bellbird UC,r Olive-backed Oriole UC,s
White-breasted Woodswallow UC,s Masked Woodswallow UC,s White-browed Woodswallow MC,s Black-faced Woodswallow UC,r Dusky Woodswallow C,r Grey Butcherbird MC,r Pied Butcherbird MC,r Australian Magpie C,r Pied Currawong MC,r Grey Currawong MC,r Rufous Fantail UC,s Grey Fantail C,r Willie Wagtail C,r Australian Raven C,r Little Raven C,r Little Crow R,r Leaden Flycatcher UC,s Satin Flycatcher UC,s Restless Flycatcher MC,r Magpie-lark C,r White-winged Chough C,r Apostlebird UC,r
Jacky Winter MC,r Scarlet Robin UC,r Red-capped Robin MC,r Flame Robin MC,r Rose Robin UC,s Pink Robin R,r Hooded Robin UC,r Eastern Yellow Robin MC,r Southern Scrub-robin UC,r Horsfield's Bushlark UC,r Eurasian Skylark UC,r Golden-headed Cisticola UC,r Australian Reed-Warbler MC,s Little Grassbird MC,s Rufous Songlark UC,s Brown Songlark MC,s Silvereye C,r
White-backed Swallow UC,r Welcome Swallow C,r Fairy Martin MC,s Tree Martin MC,r Bassian Thrush UC,r Common Blackbird MC,r Song Thrush R,r Common Starling C,r Common Myna MC,r Mistletoebird MC,r Zebra Finch MC,r Red-browed Finch MC,r Diamond Firetail UC,r Beautiful Firetail UC,r House Sparrow C,r Eurasian Tree Sparrow UC,r Australasian Pipit MC,r European Goldfinch MC,r Common Greenfinch UC,r
Brolga, photo Chris Harrison
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