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Family Name
|
Characteristics
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Examples
|
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Struthionidae
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Two toes. The only bird with two toes
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Ostrich
|
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Casuariidae
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Distinct neck wattles, Hard cap (helmet) on head
|
Cassowary
|
|
Dromaiidae
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Three toes; skin of head and throat are blue
|
Emu
|
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Megapodiidae
|
Ground birds, Eggs incubated in large mounds which the birds create from sand, soil or organic matter
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Brush Turkey, Mound Builders
|
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Phasianidae
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Ground birds (can fly -some migrate long distances), Small and plump, short or long tail, Three forward pointing toes, one points back; under parts have bold markings
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Quail, Pheasant
|
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Turnicidea
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Similar to Quail, but no hind toe (generally only 3 forward toes), under parts mostly white to buff colour sometimes black spotted or faintly marked; (Exception is the Plain Wanderer: it has a rear toe, but smaller)
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Button Quail; Plain Wanderer
|
|
Diomedeidae
|
Webbed feet, Hook tipped bill, Small tubular nostrils
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Albatross
|
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Procellariidae
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Webbed feet, Hook tipped bill, Tubular nostrils on top of snout
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Petrel, Shearwater, Diving Petrel
|
|
Hydrobatidae
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Mostly pelagic
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Storm petrel
|
|
Pelecanidae
|
Characteristic long bill with loose pouch (underside to bill), Four toes linked by webbing
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Pelican
|
|
Spheniscidae
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Wings modified as flippers, plump body
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Penguins
|
|
Sulidae
|
Stout bill; Habit of plunge diving; Fully webbed feet, Stout bills; habit of plunge diving into sea
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Gannet, Boobie
|
|
Fregatidae
|
Large birds, Long hooked bills, deeply forked tails, Pointed wings when flying, Dark colouration.
|
Frigate Bird
|
|
Phaethontidae
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Solid body, White colour, Two long red or white tail streamers,
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Tropicbird
|
|
Anhingidae
|
Slender bill, S shaped necks, Feet fully webbed, Narrow pointed bills used to spear fish, Look like cormorants but larger.
|
Darter
|
|
Podicipedidae
|
Sharp bill, legs set back on body, poor at walking, good at diving
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Grebe
|
|
Phalacrocoracidae
|
Feet fully webbed, Often perch with wings stretched out, Swim and dive for fish.
|
Cormorant
|
|
Anatidae
|
Dense waterproof plumage, Webbed feet, Flattened bills, Most good at flying,
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Goose, Duck, Swan
|
|
Rallidae
|
Long toes, short tail, stout body; Small to large, Some have coloured bill shields
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Rail, Coot, Swamp Hen, Crake
|
|
Ardeidae
|
Slender bodies, long necks, Dagger like bills to spear prey
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Heron, Egret, Bittern
|
|
Plataleidae or Threskiornithidae
|
Feed by feeling with their bills (not spearing)
|
Ibis, Spoonbill
|
|
Ciconiidae
|
Long solid bills, long legs,
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Stork (some include Ibis, herons, egrets, and spoonbills in this group)
|
|
Gruidae
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Long sharp bills, Long legs, Perform elaborate dancing displays
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Crane
|
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Otididae
|
Long legs, Pointed bills, Cryptic plumage
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Bustard
|
|
Pedionomidae
|
Weak flying, Similar to button quail but one hind toe
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Plains Wanderer
|
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Scolopacidae
|
Long legs, Long bills, Migratory Waders
All from Northern Hemisphere but many migrate south
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Sandpiper, Snipe, Curlew, Godwit, Phalarope
|
|
Glareolidae
|
Brownish “tern” like; Long wings, Wader
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Pratincole
|
|
Rostratulidae
|
Long billed wader, patterned colourings
|
Painted Snipe
|
|
Jacanidae
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Rail like, Long toes and hind claws
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Jacana, Lotusbird
|
|
Burhinidae
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Tall, Large eyes, Plover like
|
Stone Curlew
|
|
Haematopodidae
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Large coastal waders, black or pied colouring
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Oystercatcher
|
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Charadriidae
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Waders, Rounded head, Short bill, Large eyes, Plain or camouflaged colourings
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Plover, Dotterel, Lapwing
|
|
Recurvirostridae
|
Waders with long legs, Medium size birds, Bills slender
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Stilts, Avocet
|
|
Stercorariidae
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Piratical sea-birds with variable plumage, elongated central tail feathers, white wing flashes.
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Skuas, Jaegars
|
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Pandionidae
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A fishing hawk with broad wings, strong legs and talons to seize slippery prey.
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Osprey
|
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Laridae
|
Elongated central tail feathers, Webbed feet, Generally strong sharp curved claws
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Gull, Tern, Jaeger
|
|
Accipitridae
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Short head, Broad wings, Hooked bills, Large talons
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Kite, Eagle, Hawk, Goshawk
|
|
Falconidae
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Toothed upper bill, dark cap or teardrop cheek marking, long pointed wings.
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Falcon
|
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Columbidae
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Plain or colourful markings, Plump, Stout bill, Tail medium to long, square or pointed at end
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Dove, Pigeon
|
|
Cacatuidae
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Medium to large parrots; Obvious erect crests, Either long tail, or short square tail, Complete orbital ring (circular colour patch around eye)
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Cockatoo
|
|
Psittacidae
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Solid body, medium size wings, hooked bill, two toes forward two back.
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Parrot
|
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Loriinae
|
Small birds, Pointed tails (short or long)
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Lorikeet
|
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Opoposittinae
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Short rounded tail, Smallest parrots
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Fig Parrot
|
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Polytelitinae
|
Long graduated tail, Wings long and pointed
|
Long tailed Parrot
|
|
Playtcercinae
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Tails medium to long and often fanned
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Rosella, Ring necked Parrot, Broad tailed Parrots
|
|
Cuculidae
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Long tails, Narrow wings, Sizes vary
|
Parasitic Cuckoos, Coucal
|
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Strigidae
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Nocturnal, Varying sizes, Indistinct facial disc, Large pale eyes
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Hawk Owl
|
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Tytonidae
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Nocturnal, Small to large, Distinct facial disc, Dark eyes, Slender legs
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Barn Owl
|
|
Podargidae
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Nocturnal, Medium-long tails, Large broad bills, Rounded wings, Camouflaged colourings
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Frogmouth
|
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Aegothelidae
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Nocturnal, Small, Delicate, Grey colour, Small broad bill with bristles at edge, Weak feet, Rounded wings, Long broad tail
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Owlet-nightjar
|
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Caprimulgidae
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Nocturnal, Long tail, Long pointed wings, Small broad bills, Eyes are very reflective, Camouflaged colouration
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Nightjar
|
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Apodidae
|
Fast flying, Long swept back wings, Forked tails, Large eyes, Small bill that opens wide.
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Swift, Swiftlet
|
|
Alcedinidae
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Stout body shape, Large head; Long pointed bills, Small feet, Brightly coloured
|
River Kingfisher
|
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Halcyonidae
|
Stout body shape, Large head; Long pointed bills, Small feet, Usually but not always brightly coloured
|
Tree Kingfisher
|
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Meropidae
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Long downward curved bill, Small legs, Brightly coloured migratory birds
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Bee eater
|
|
Coraciidae
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Stout body, Red bills, When flying silver dollar wing spots are seen, Habit of rolling when flying
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Roller
|
|
Pittidae
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Short tail, Long legs, Bright colourings with white wing patches, Plump medium sized birds
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Pitta
|
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Menuridae
|
Approx 30cm long, with tails to 60cm (ie. 90cm head to tail); Body plumage grey to dark brown; Bills conical shape; Wings short and rounded, Legs strong
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Lyrebirds
|
|
Atrichornithidae
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Up to 23cm long, Dull brownish plumage, Short rounded wings
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Scrub-bird
|
|
Neosittidae
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Small up to 12cm long; When flying you can see a broad band of colour on the wing; Run up and down tree trunks (like Treecreepers…but Treecreepers only run up)
|
Sittella
|
|
Climacteridae
|
Run spirally up (not down) tree trunks; 12-18cm long, Commonly camouflaged plumage, Southern hemisphere family
|
Australian Treecreeper
|
|
Certhiidae
|
Run up (not down) tree trunks, Northern hemisphere family
|
Typical Tree Creepers (Europe and Asia)
|
|
Picidae
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Widespread family, but not in Australia
|
Woodpecker
|
|
Maluridae
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Long tails and a habit of cocking these tails
|
Fairy Wren
|
|
Pardalotidae
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Small or tiny usually dull coloured birds,; Short tails; Short broad bills
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Bristlebird, Greygone, Scrubwren, Thornbill, Parddalote
|
|
Meliphagidae
|
Sometimes split in 2 families: Chats in Ephthianuridae; and Honeyeaters in Meliphagidae. Honeyeaters have up to 3cm bills curving downwards, and tipped tongues. Chats appear more adapted to drier climates than honeyeaters
|
Honeyeater, Australian Chat
|
|
Orthonychidae
|
Medium sized ground dwellers;
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Logrunner, Chowchilla
|
|
Cinclosomatidae
|
Long tails, Songbirds living on or close to ground
|
Whipbird, Wedgebill, Quail-thrush
|
|
Pomatostomidae
|
Plump bodies, Longish tails, Brownish, Bills pointed and curved down
|
Australo-Papuan Babbler
|
|
Timaliidae
|
Birds from the above 3 families (ie. Orthonychidae Cinclosomatidae Pomatostomidae) are often grouped together.
|
|
|
Petroicidae
|
Some have brilliant coloured males; Juveniles have mottled colouration, many will perch sideways on vertical stems
|
Robin
|
|
Pachycephalidae
|
Robust bodies and relatively thick heads; Well developed sometimes thickened bills, Obscure bristles at edge of mouth; Usually dull appearance(commonly grey-brown)
|
Crested Shrike-tit, Crested Bellbird, Whistler, Shrike-thrush
|
|
Dicruridae
|
Robust bills and bristles on the mouth
|
Drongo (sometimes:Magpie-lark, Monarch Flycatcher, Fantail)
|
|
Monarchidae
|
Often included in the family Dicuridae
|
Flycatchers
|
|
Grallinidae
|
Often included in the family Dicuridae
|
Mudlark, Apostlebird, White Winged Chough
|
|
Oriolidae
|
Often strong yellow plumage, sometimes greenish, and dull in Figbird; 20-30cm long body, Relatively long bill.
|
Oriole, Figbird
|
|
Paradisaeidae
|
Robust body, Strong feet and legs; Large bill sometimes long and curved down; Plumage mostly black; Closely related to Bowerbirds
|
Bird of Paradise
|
|
Ptilonorhynchidae
|
Females dull camouflage colouring, Males are bright and colourful
|
Bowerbird
|
|
Campephagidae
|
Slender body, Graduated tails, Long pointed wings; Feathers are black, grey, brown or combinations of these colours
|
Triller, Cuckoo-shrike
|
|
Artamidae
|
Small birds, Wings are distinctive “bat wing” shape when flying, Tails rotate while perching
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Currawong, Butcherbird, Woodswallow
|
|
Corvidae
|
Even glossy black coloured plumage, Stout and relatively long bills
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Crow, Raven
|
|
Corcoracidae
|
Small grey, or large black birds; live in groups building nests from mud
|
Mud nester
|
|
Hirundinidae
|
Long, straight, pointed wings; Tails forked or square; Small song birds; Appearance is similar to Swifts and Wood swallows but this family is in fact not closely related. Swallows are less streamlined than Swifts and have shorter, broader wings that are straight -Swifts have bowed wings.
|
Swallow, Martin
(NB: These common names are largely interchangeable)
|
|
Motacillidae
|
Slender birds, Long tails, Pipits have yellow legs and no crest
|
Old World Pipit, Wagtail
|
|
Alaudidae
|
Long hind toe with sharp claw; Mostly brownish plumage often with camouflage blotches or streaks
|
Old World Lark, Skylark, Bushlark
|
|
Sylviidae
|
Generally drab browns and greys, which makes them difficult to see in woodland, but with distinctive songs.
|
Old World warblers: Laughing thrushes, Babblers, Wrentit
|
|
Passeridae
|
Small, Brown colourings; sometimes classified as Ploceidae (with Weavers)
|
Old World Sparrow
|
|
Fringillidae
|
Can have either bright coloured or camouflaged appearance, Stout conical bills, Small size
|
Finch
|
|
Ploceidae
|
Small, colourful appearance
|
Grass finch, Weaver, Mannikin, Waxbill
|
|
Nectariniidae
|
Slender bills, Small bright coloured
|
Sunbird
|
|
Dicaeidae
|
Very small, Short tails, Short bills
|
Mistletoebird, Flowerpecker
|
|
Zosteropidae
|
Small green-yellow birds, Brush tipped tongues; Most have a white ring around the eye
|
White eye
|
|
Pycnonotidae
|
Often crested, Distinctive head markings, Mostly small brown to olive green birds
|
Bulbul
|
|
Muscicapidae
|
Small to medium size, Mostly brown or black,
|
Common Blackbird, Song Thrush
|
|
Sturnidae
|
Sharp strong beak; Strong legs; Mostly dark plumage
|
Myna, Starling
|
|
Phoenicopteridae
|
Long legs and long necks and a very distinctive bill that is bent about half way along its length to point downwards in a steep angle.
|
Flamingos
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