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Key plants used by Australian birds:
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"muyaan" = plants [yuwaalayaay]
| Birds using plants | Plants using birds | |
| It is easy for all to see that birds use plants. Below we provide a short introduction to a few key species and to how birds use plants. | Conversely, many native Australian plants use birds, for example as pollenators or as distributors of their seeds. |
In addition to our pages on bird habitats, we have collected some basic information on a small number of plant species that we have found to play key roles in the lives of various bird species. This list is at present only a starting point and it is not meant to be complete in any way. The plants listed here are just a small number that we know about and in which we have seen birds. We present here only plants native to Australia. For details consult the relevant literature (or Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia).
Some types/groups of plants are represented in the bird habitat pages, such as e.g. grassland in general, coastal spinifex grass, inland spinifex (triodia) grass, reeds and also mangroves. In Australia, as on other continents, various types of trees play a vital role in the lives of birds, most notably various species of eucalypts, which - together with other species - form woodlands and forests.
Note that lists of bird species using various types of plants are necessarily biased, because many bird species do not use plants at all. There are some that always stay in the air (e.g. Fork-tailed Swifts and White-throated Needletails, while others, especially aquatic birds, often perch and roost in open, unvegetated areas such as e.g. mudflats, shallows of lakes or coastal beaches or rockfaces or stay on or above water at all times (pelagic birds).
Where possible, we try to provide Aboriginal names for plant species presented on these pages, see e.g. the page on Aboriginal names of eucalypts.
| Common name(s) | Scientific name | Short description |
|---|---|---|
| Eucalypt | Eucalyptus [...], Corymbia [...], Angophora [...] | A whole family of resinous, evergreen trees found basically all over the Australian continent; major source of both nectar and seeds for honeyeaters and parrots/cockatoos; see also the pages on forest habitats and woodland habitats |
| River Red Gum | Eucalyptus camaldulensis | A type of eucalypt found along watercourses; important sites of nesting hollows, e.g. for various species of cockatoos |
| Swamp Mahogany | Eucalyptus robusta | A type of eucalypt found mostly along watercourses in eastern Australia; source of nectar preferred by several species of honeyeaters |
| Mistletoe | Loranthaceae, Santalaceae | A whole genus of parasitic plants that host on other plants; propagated in Australia by the Mistletoebird; source of nectar preferred by some species of honeyeaters |
| Figtree | Ficus [...] | A whole family of fruit-bearing trees supporting fruit-eating species, mostly in high to medium rainfall areas; important food source e.g. for fruit-eating doves |
| White Cedar | Melia azedarach | Fruit-bearing decidious tree in the Great Dividing Range and in the north of the continent |
| Casuarina, Belah, She-oak | Casuarina [...] | A whole family of trees/shrubs with flowers providing birds with nectar and with seedpods on which Glossy Black-Cockatoos feed |
| Grevillea | Grevillea [...] | Grevillea trees and shrubs with spidery flowers; major source of nectar sought after (not only) by many species of honeyeaters |
| Hakea | Hakea [...] | Family of trees or shrubs with abundant flowers; major source of nectar sought after (not only) by many species of honeyeaters |
| Banksia | Banksia [...] | A whole family of evergreen trees/shrubs which form a major supply of nectar for many bird species, such as e.g. honeyeaters |
| Bottlebrush | Callistemon [...] | Family of evergreen shrubs with dense foliage; valuable source of nectar for honeyeaters and parrots/lorikeets |
| Grasstree | Xanthorrhoea [...] | Family of palm-like tree species; their flowers are a valuable source of nectar e.g. for Silvereyes |
| Emu-bush | Eremophila [...] | A whole family of trees/shrubs providing valuable nectar and seeds in semi-arid environments for both honeyeaters and parrots/cockatoos |
| Urn Heath | Melichrus urceolatus | A prickly shrub providing valuable nectar, mostly for honeyeaters |
| Cypress pine | Callitris [...] | Conifers providing living space for birds mostly in the semi-arid interior of Australia, but also Tasmania; favourite tree species of White-browed Babblers |
| Wilga | Geijera parviflora | Small shrubs/trees with dense foliage drooping down to the ground, providing ideal hiding places, e.g. for bowers of bowerbirds |
| Mulga | Acacia aneura | Trees/shrubs providing living space for birds in the arid interior of Australia |
| Cooba | Acacia salicina | Tree bearing fruit favoured by parrots/cockatoos |
| Gidgee | Acacia cambagei | A whole group of acacias (but mostly referring to species "cambagei") found in semi-arid to arid environments |
| Mangrove | Rhizophora [...] | Family of trees or shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats; see also the page on intertidal/mangrove wetlands |
| Lignum | Muehlenbeckia florulenta | Shrubby wetland plant growing around the edges of water in parts of the interior of the continent |
