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Ecology of Sydney facts for kids

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The ecology of Sydney is all about the amazing plants and animals that live in and around the big city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Even though it's a huge city, Sydney has many different natural areas, like woodlands with lots of trees, sclerophyll forests (which have tough, spiky-leaved plants), and even small patches of rainforests, heathlands, and wetlands.

These different natural areas exist because of Sydney's weather, land shape, moisture, and soil. You can find these communities from sea level all the way up to 200 meters (about 650 feet) high! There are lots of hiking trails and roads to explore these cool ecosystems.

The most common type of natural area in Sydney is the grassy woodland. You'll mostly find this west of the city center, in a place called the Cumberland Plain. Here, you'll see lots of eucalyptus trees that are spread out, with some shrubs like wattles, callistemons, grevilleas, and banksias underneath. The ground usually has sparse grass. These plants often have rough, spiky leaves because the soil isn't very rich.

Wet sclerophyll forests are different. They have tall, dense trees and a lush, moist understory with soft shrubs and tree ferns. These are found in wetter areas, like the Forest District and the North Shore.

For example, the Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest is a type of dry sclerophyll forest. Its trees grow 20–30 meters (65–100 feet) tall, and the ground is covered with flowering shrubs and native grasses. The Blue Gum High Forest, found only in northern Sydney, is a wet sclerophyll forest. It gets over 1100 mm (43 inches) of rain each year, and its trees can reach 20 to 40 meters (65–130 feet) tall!

Today, about 98,000 hectares (242,000 acres) of native plants are left in the Sydney area. That's about half of what was here before Europeans arrived.

Sydney's Past Landscapes

In 1819, an early British settler named William Wentworth wrote about Sydney's land and plants. He said that close to the coast, the land was quite sandy and rocky, with only small, tough gum trees and low shrubs. But he noted that these wild heathlands had many beautiful flowering shrubs, making them interesting for plant lovers.

Further inland, the land improved. The soil became richer, and the forests had very tall trees like gums and iron barks. He described these forests as thick but without much undergrowth. Even further inland, the forests became less dense, and the trees changed to stringy barks, blue gums, and box trees.

Eventually, he found a truly beautiful country with hills and valleys covered in lush grass, where sheep and cows grazed. The soil was rich, and the trees were thinner, allowing people to ride horses easily through the open landscape.

Different Natural Areas (Biomes)

Sydney is home to many different types of natural areas, called biomes.

Biomes
A warm-temperate rainforest in Ku-ring-gai with palm trees.
Grassy Woodland in Liverpool.
Heathland on a road in Botany Bay National Park.
A wetland in Sydney Park in the Inner West.
Blue Gum Walk, a wet sclerophyll forest in Berowra Valley National Park.
Dry sclerophyll bushland in Botany Bay National Park.
Salt marshes in Towra Point.
  • Dry Sclerophyll Forests
    • Sydney Coastal Dry Sclerophyll Forests – These are found on ridgelines in national parks like Royal, Heathcote, and Dharawal, and along the Hawkesbury River.
    • Sydney Hinterland Dry Sclerophyll Forests – These are in drier parts of the Woronora Plateau and have 10–25 meter (30–80 feet) tall eucalyptus trees with tough, spiky shrubs underneath.
    • Cooks River/Castlereagh Ironbark Forest – Found in Castlereagh and Holsworthy, this forest has ironbark trees and grows on gravelly-clay soils.
  • Heathlands
    • Wallum Sand Heaths – These are found on sand dunes high on sandstone cliffs, like between Bundeena and the Sydney Heads. They have plants like Allocasuarina distyla and Banksia serrata.
    • Sydney Coastal Heaths – These are common in Sydney, especially in Royal and Ku-ring-gai national parks.
  • Freshwater Wetlands
    • Castlereagh Swamp Woodland – This is a swampy forest found in low areas of Liverpool, with lots of paperbark trees.
    • Coastal Heath Swamps – These are common in areas like the Holsworthy defense area and Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park.
  • Forested Wetlands
    • Sydney Coastal River-Flat Forest – Found along rivers and creeks, these forests have tall eucalyptus trees that can be over 40 meters (130 feet) high.
    • Coastal Swamp Forests – These are in low-lying coastal areas and swamps, though many have been cleared. You can still find them in places like Georges River National Park.
  • Saline Wetlands
    • Mangrove Swamps – Common in Towra Point, these are dominated by mangrove trees like Avicennia marina.
    • Saltmarshes – These are found on salty soils near estuaries and bays.
    • Seagrass Meadows – These are underwater plant communities found in sandy parts of coastal estuaries and bays, with plants like eel grass and sea grass.

Plants of Sydney

Sydney has many different types of plants, especially eucalyptus trees.

Tree species
Sydney red gum, a common woodland and forest tree of Eastern Australia.
Grey box, a medium-sized tree with rough bark.
White feather honeymyrtle, a paperbark tree with creamy flowers.
Casuarina trees are very common in Sydney after eucalyptus.
Narrow-leaved bottlebrush is a shrub with red flower spikes.
The curtain fig is a common street tree in Sydney.
The Australian silver oak has yellowish-orange flowers in spring.

Some of the most common eucalyptus trees in Sydney include:

Other common native trees that are not eucalyptus include:

Common native shrubs include:

Introduced Plants

Many plants have been brought to Sydney from other parts of the world. Some of these are grown for their beauty, while others have become weeds that can take over native areas.

Introduced trees you might see:

Introduced shrubs (many are invasive):

Introduced tree species

Wildlife of Sydney

Sydney's urban areas are home to many different animals, especially birds and insects. You might also see some bats, arachnids (like spiders), and amphibians (like frogs). Birds like the house sparrow, common myna, and feral pigeon are very common in the city center. In suburban areas, you might spot possums, bandicoots, lizards, snakes, and frogs.

About 40 types of reptiles and 30 types of birds live in Sydney's urban areas. The outer suburbs, especially near large parks, have even more diverse wildlife. Sadly, since European settlement, about 60% of the original mammal species are now endangered or vulnerable due to land clearing.

Common native species
Commonly sighted in Sydney, Australian magpies are known for their distinctive calls.
Noisy miners are common in urban and woodland areas.
Australian ravens are notable for their screechy calls.
The pied currawong is a common bird in urban forests and backyards.
Grey-headed flying-foxes are found in suburban woods.
Blue-tongues are the main skink species in Sydney.
Redback spiders, which are venomous, became widespread in urban areas.
Grey butcherbirds are known for their song and are found in woodlands.
Crested pigeons are usually found in open grasslands.
The spotted dove is a small pigeon introduced in the 1860s.
The snake-eyed skink is often seen on trees and walls.
Sydney huntsman spiders are found in tree logs and rock walls.

Animals You Might See

Here are some common birds you might see in Sydney:

Less commonly spotted, but still present:

Here are some mammals, reptiles, and amphibians you might spot in Sydney's urban areas:

Insects and Spiders

Here are some insects and spiders commonly found in Sydney:

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