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Australian bird habitats:
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On these pages we attempt to illustrate and describe various kinds of habitat in which birds are found, and for which they often have a preference. The aim is to give a general impression, not to be scientifically accurate or to show every possible variety of a certain type of habitat. It is obvious that a certain species will only occur in a given type of habitat within its range (and not in every habitat of a certain kind all across the continent). Note also that a certain kind of habitat can have very different forms across the continent (e.g. various types of woodlands, depending on the dominant tree species). For each type of habitat we list bird species observed by us in that habitat. For details consult the relevant literature (or Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia).
There is now also a set of pages on a number of key plants used by Australian birds.
We distinguish here between natural habitats and manmade habitats. Clickable links are shown in boldface italics font.
NB: When being expelled from their parents' territories, immature birds of various species disperse into a wide range of habitats to find a territory of their own; in this process of dispersal, immature birds can often be seen in habitats that are not typical of those of adult birds of the species.
| NATURAL HABITAT | Type of habitat | Short description |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | Various | Forests are defined as habitats vegetated by trees with an upper canopy height of more than 20 m; includes descriptions of open vs. closed and various types of rainforest |
| Woodland | Various | Woodlands are areas vegetated by trees with an upper canopy height of about 8-20 m; includes descriptions of open vs. closed and tall vs. low woodland |
| Scrub/shrubs | Interior | Habitats dominated by low growth, with a maximum height of 0.5-4 m; includes open and closed scrubland (2-4 m max. height), low shrubland and low open shrubland (0.5-1 m max. height) |
| Heath | Various | Low scrub growing on poor (acidic and/or sandy) soil |
| Mallee | Interior | Scrub dominated by plants, mostly eucalypts, with lignum tubers and more than one stem |
| Open grassland | Interior | Areas with grass growth, little or no shrubs or taller vegetation |
| "Spinifex" grassland | Interior | Open grassland of the interior of the continent dominated by Triodia (called "Spinifex") grass; there is a separate page on coastal spinifex dunes |
| Desert | Interior | Sandy and/or salty desert; gibber (stone desert) is presented separately (below) |
| Gibber plains | Interior | Stone desert with very sparse, low vegetation |
| Escarpment | Interior | Rockfaces in the interior of the continent |
| Alpine | Interior | Habitats in high mountain ranges (defined here as >1500 m altitude) |
| Freshwater lake | Interior/fresh water | Habitats around permanent freshwater lakes; also contains a description of reeds |
| Ephemeral lake | Interior/fresh water | Inland freshwater lakes that are dry for long periods of time and usually shallow |
| Ephemeral wetland | Interior/fresh water | Low-lying areas that are inundated temporarily after heavy rain or a flood event |
| River/creek, waterhole | Riverine/fresh water | Running waters of any size, also (semi-)permanent waterholes and rockpools (often called "lagoons") |
| Billabong | Riverine/fresh water | (Semi-)permanent waterhole of a tropical river, usually covered with waterlilies |
| Swamp/marsh | Various/fresh water | Permanently water-logged area with partially submerged vegetation |
| Floodplain | Riverine/fresh water | (Tropical) plain that is dry during the dry season, but will be flooded by a swollen river during the rainy season |
| Mudflat | Riverine/fresh or brackish water | Area of land with little or no vegetation exposed by receding water |
| Estuary | Coastal/fresh, brackish, saltwater | Widening river channel near the sea |
| Intertidal wetland, mangrove | Coastal/saltwater | Mud- or sandflat that is underwater at high tide and above the waterline at low tide, often covered with mangrove |
| Lagoon/saltmarsh | Coastal/saltwater | Shallow bodies of saline water separated from the sea by a narrow barrier |
| Coastal spinifex dune | Coastal/saltwater | Coastal dunes covered with true "Spinifex" grass |
| Beach | Coastal/saltwater | Sandy beaches, specifically the area between the waterfront and dunes |
| Coastal rockface | Coastal/saltwater | Rock shelves, e.g. at the base of coastal headlands |
| Cliff | Coastal/saltwater | Sheer rockfaces on the coastline |
| Coastal waters | Coastal/saltwater | Waters just off the coast of the continent |
| Offshore island | Oceanic | Islands off the coast of the Australian continent |
| Pelagic | Oceanic/saltwater | Offshore habitat; open water on the continental shelf and beyond |
| Ice | Oceanic/continental | Antarctic shelf ice, icebergs, etc.; mainly penguins live on ice |
Although many bird species suffer from habitat degradation and reduction, others can use manmade landscapes to their advantage. Some manmade habitats can have large numbers of birds in them, but most manmade habitats lack the diversity of natural habitats, with few species being found there.
| MANMADE HABITAT | Type of habitat | Short description |
|---|---|---|
| City centre/suburb | Urban | Built-up areas with little natural habitat left |
| Urban park | Urban | Manmade environment with partly natural vegetation |
| Garden | Urban/rural | Manmade, partly naturally vegetated environment |
| Lawn/sportsground | Urban | Manicured grass surfaces; usually root-, rather than seed-propagating grass varieties |
| Awning/shed | Rural/urban | Crevices and other sheltered areas in various types of buildings |
| Road/roadside | Urban/rural | Sealed and unsealed roads and roadside vegetation |
| Farmland with scattered trees | Rural | Farmland, either around buildings or for stock feed, with remnant growth of scattered trees |
| Paddock/pasture | Rural | Grass-dominated manmade landscape |
| Crop / fallow field | Rural | Commercial crops and fallow fields |
| Water reservoir | Rural | Large artificial water surface |
| Irrigation dam | Rural | Medium size artificial water surface, usually without fringe vegetation |
| Small/farm dam | Rural | Small to mid-size artificial water surface |
| Rubbish tip | Urban/rural | Heaps of food scraps |
| Sewage works | Urban/rural | Artificial aquatic, nutrient-enriched environment |
| Harbour | Coastal | Harbour, fishing port |
