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Key plants used by Australian birds:
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Aboriginal names:
"carcoola", "waralya" = Eucalypt [Aboriginal]
For more Aboriginal names of various species of eucalypts, click
here.
Eucalypts are woody plants belonging to three closely related genera: Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora. All of them are called "eucalypts". They dominate the landscapes of the Australian continent and are therefore of crucial importance in basically every terrestrial Australian biotope. This is reflected in the enormous number of bird species using them in one way or another (see list below). Eucalypts are evergreens; they flower some time after rainfall and it is normal for only part of a plant to flower at any one time. This means that parts of trees can blossom at different times of the year, thereby creating a staggered supply of nectar made available to birds. This page presents just a few examples. Eucalypts are usually found in open forest or woodland.
Because of their importance there are separate pages on the following eucalypt species: River Red Gum and Swamp Mahogany.
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Bird species found in this type of habitat or plant |
This is not necessarily a complete list. We display here some examples of bird species found by us in this kind of habitat or plant. Hover your cursor on thumbnails to see names of species; click on thumbnail to go to the page describing the species.
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Photos |
Example of an eucalypt tree: Ironbark eucalypt
Flowers and seeds of an ironbark eucalypt
Flowers of a mugga ironbark eucalypt in
Pilliga NP
Example of a different type of eucalypt flowers: Eucalyptus
citriodora ("Lemon-scented Gumtree")
One of the dominant species of eucalypt along the Australian
South-East coast is Angophora costata ("Sydney Red Gum")
[Wyrrabalong NP,
NSW, July 2013]
Honey bee feeding on flowers of Angophora costata ("Sydney Red Gum")
[Munmorah SCA,
NSW, July 2013]
Little Friarbird
feasting on the nectar of an eucalypt tree
Eucalypt tree in which a pair of Australian Wood Ducks were found
nesting
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2014]
Eucalypts have the ability to flower only on individual branches; it is not often seen that an entire tree crown is in bloom.
Eucalypt tree, with its entire crown in bloom, in which a pair of
Australian Magpies
were found nesting
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2018]
Flowers of the eucalypt shown above
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2018]
Flowers of the eucalypt shown above
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2018]
Eucalypts, in this case a Mugga Ironbark, Eucalyptus sideroxylon,
have the ability to blossom again on branches that still have last
season's fruit attached to them
Direct comparison of two eucalypts (Rusty Gums, Angophora leiocarpa)
with different types of growth:
On the left a tree with "normal" growth, with one thick trunk;
on the right a tree with
"mallee"-type
growth, i.e. multiple thin trunks
Usage |
This is not necessarily a complete list. We collate here various ways in which birds can use various types of plant.
| Perch | Roost | Shade | Food | Nectar | Fruit | Seed | Prey | Nest space |
Nest mat. |
Shelter | Vantage point |
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