Finding Australian Birds

Cover image featuring a brightly coloured bird with its image reflected in water with twigs and bracken in the background.

Enlarge cover

A Field Guide to Birding Locations

By: Tim Dolby, Rohan Clarke

eBook - May 2014 - eRetailers

A guide to the special birds found across Australia's vastly varied landscapes.

Finding Australian Birds is a guide to the special birds found across Australia's vastly varied landscapes. From the eastern rainforests to central deserts, Australia is home to some 900 species of birds. This book covers over 400 Australian bird watching sites conveniently grouped into the best birding areas, from one end of the country to the other. This includes areas such as Kakadu in the Top End and rocky gorges in the central deserts of the Northern Territory, the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, rainforests distributed along the eastern Australian seaboard, some of the world's tallest forests in Tasmania, the Flinders Ranges and deserts along the iconic Strzelecki and Birdsville Tracks in South Australia, and the mallee temperate woodlands and spectacular coastlines in both Victoria and south west Western Australia. + Full description

Each chapter begins with a brief description of the location, followed by a section on where to find the birds, which describes specific birdwatching sites within the location's boundaries, and information on accommodation and facilities. The book also provides a comprehensive 'Bird Finding Guide', listing all of Australia's birds with details on their abundance and where exactly to see them.

Of value to both Australian birdwatchers and international visitors, this book will assist novices, birders of intermediate skill and keen 'twitchers' to find any Australian species.

- Short description

News

Keep an eye out for the Second Edition, publishing in February 2025.

This title is no longer available in print format, but can still be purchased as an eBook.

Reviews

"Twitchers will find this a most agreeable companion but all bird-loving travellers should pop a copy in their backpack, along with good binoculars."
Susan Kurosawa, Weekend Australian, June 2014

"The amount of detailed information within its pages will be enough to make even the best-travelled birders eager to get out and check a few more sites"
Chris Watson, Australian Birdlife, June 2014

"Of value to both Australian birdwatchers and international visitors, this book will assist novices, birders of intermediate skill and keen 'twitchers' to find any Australian species."
Fat Birder, 2014

"a worthwhile addition to your trip-planning ritual"
Wild, June/August 2014

"Finding Australian Birds is the perfect companion guide for bird watchers of all persuasions and used in tandem with a good field guide is a must for anyone interested in birdlife and bird watching in Australia."
Lynnette Saint, Australian Marine Sciences Association Bulletin, September 2014

"I would certainly recommend purchasing a copy, particularly if you're interested in expanding the list of birds you’ve seen in Australia"
Jack Holland, Canberra Birds Notes 39(3), December 2014

"I believe this book to be a valued resource for planning trips to new areas to find that elusive bird species. That will help and appeal to the twitchier as well as those new to bird watching."
Gil Porter, Warbler, June 2016

"A great reference source and one that I use each time that I plan a trip."
Peter Crane, Warbler, June 2016

"This excellent birdwatching site guide by Tim Dolby and Rohan Clarke will save you time if you are planning an Australian birdwatching trip, and is sure to help you find more of your target species... you wouldn’t want to plan an Australian birding trip without consulting this one."
Michael Szabo, Birds New Zealand (16), December 2017

Details

ePDF | May 2014
ISBN: 9781486300846
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Available from eRetailers

ePUB | May 2014
ISBN: 9781486300853
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Available from eRetailers

Features

Up-to-date information on over 400 good birding sites in Australia, written by Australians with first hand knowledge of the sites.
An easy to understand travel companion for local and international bird tourists on Australia's best natural sites such as Kakadu, the Great Barrier Reef, Alice Springs and Uluru, and the Great Southern Ocean.
Reference guide for finding birds of Australia

Acknowledgements
Photo credits
Introduction

NORTHERN TERRITORY
The Top End
The Red Centre

QUEENSLAND
The Cape York Peninsula
North Queensland
Queensland’s Gulf Country and Outback
South-East Queensland

NEW SOUTH WALES
Sydney, Central Coast, and NSW South Coast
The Hunter Valley and NSW North Coast
Western Slopes, Central Tableland, and Western Plains

VICTORIA
Northern Victoria and the Mallee
Southern Victoria

TASMANIA

SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Adelaide and the South East
The Arid Lands

WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Southern Western Australia
Northern Western Australia and the Kimberley

OFFSHORE TERRITORIES and ISLANDS

Annotated Bird List of Australia and its territories
Further reading
Useful resources, contacts and birdwatching groups

Index of bird common names

Index of place names

Authors

Tim Dolby is a well-known Australian birdwatcher and former Convener of BirdLife Australia in Victoria. He was the principal editor of Where to See Birds in Victoria, and previously organised the celebrated birdwatching event, the Twitchathon. He currently moderates Birdline Australia and Birdline Victoria.

Rohan Clarke is an ecologist at Monash University with expertise in conservation biology and avian ecology. He is also a prominent member of the Australian birdwatching community, having been involved in the discovery of over 15 species not previously recorded in Australia. He is a longstanding member of the BirdLife Australia Rarities Committee and sits on the editorial board for the journal Australian Field Ornithology.