kids encyclopedia robot

List of birds of South Australia facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

South Australia is a cool place in Australia where you can find lots of different birds! There are 487 kinds of birds recorded here. This list helps us keep track of them all.

Scientists often update how they group birds, so this list uses a system from 1996 by Sibley and Monroe, with some newer updates from 2022. It uses British English for bird names and other words.

You'll see some special tags next to certain birds:

  • (A) Accidental - This means the bird doesn't usually live in South Australia but might visit by accident, maybe blown off course.
  • (E) Endemic - This bird is found only in South Australia and nowhere else in the world!
  • (I) Introduced - These birds were brought to South Australia by people, either on purpose or by accident.


Big Birds That Can't Fly

Ostriches

Order: Struthioniformes   Family: Struthionidae

Ostriches are not originally from Australia, but some have escaped and now live in the wild here.

Cassowaries and Emus

Order: Casuariiformes   Family: Casuariidae

This family includes large birds that can't fly, like the emu. Australia has two living species in this family. Long ago, there were also emus on King Island and Kangaroo Island, but they are now extinct. Scientists think they were the same type of emu as the ones on the mainland.

  • Emu, Dromaius novaehollandiae

Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl

Order: Anseriformes   Family: Anatidae

This family includes all the ducks, geese, and swans. These birds are built for life in the water. They have webbed feet to help them swim, flat bills for feeding, and special oily feathers that shed water easily.

Birds That Build Mounds

Megapodes

Order: Galliformes   Family: Megapodiidae

These birds are famous for building huge mounds of dirt and plants to incubate their eggs. It's like a natural incubator!

Pigeons and Doves

Order: Columbiformes   Family: Columbidae

Pigeons and doves are birds with strong bodies, short necks, and small, thin bills.

Cuckoos

Order: Cuculiformes   Family: Cuculidae

Cuckoos are known for their unique calls. Some cuckoos are "brood parasites," meaning they lay their eggs in other birds' nests!

Night Birds

Frogmouths

Order: Caprimulgiformes   Family: Podargidae

Frogmouths are special birds that are active at night. They are related to swifts and are found in Australia and other parts of Asia.

Owls

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Strigidae

Typical owls are birds of prey that hunt at night. They have big eyes that face forward, excellent hearing, and a strong beak. A circle of feathers around their eyes helps them hear better.

Water Birds

Pelicans

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Pelecanidae

Pelicans are large water birds with a very special pouch under their bill. They use this pouch to scoop up fish. Like other birds in their group, they have four webbed toes.

Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Ardeidae

This family includes bitterns, herons, and egrets. They are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs. Herons and egrets fly with their necks pulled back, which is different from other long-necked birds like storks.

Birds of Prey

Osprey

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Pandionidae

The osprey is a medium-large bird of prey that specializes in eating fish. You can find them all over the world.

Hawks, Eagles, and Kites

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Accipitridae

This family includes many powerful birds of prey like hawks, eagles, and kites. They are skilled hunters.

Falcons and Caracaras

Order: Falconiformes   Family: Falconidae

Falcons are birds of prey that hunt during the day. They are different from hawks and eagles because they use their beaks to kill their prey, not just their talons.

Parrots and Cockatoos

Cockatoos

Order: Psittaciformes   Family: Cacatuidae

Cockatoos are a type of parrot with a special curved beak and feet that have two toes pointing forward and two pointing backward. Many have a cool crest of feathers on their head that they can move!

Old World Parrots

Order: Psittaciformes   Family: Psittaculidae

Parrots are known for their strong, curved bills, upright posture, and clawed feet. Many are brightly colored. They range in size from very small to quite large. Old World parrots are found in Africa, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

Songbirds and Other Passerines

Bowerbirds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Ptilonorhynchidae

Male bowerbirds are amazing builders! They create special structures called "bowers" to attract a mate. These can be simple clearings with twigs or very fancy decorated stick houses.

Fairywrens

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Maluridae

Fairywrens are small, insect-eating birds found only in Australia and New Guinea. Even though a male and female pair up, they often mate with other birds and even help raise chicks from those other pairings!

Honeyeaters

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Meliphagidae

Honeyeaters are a large group of birds, mostly found in Australia and New Guinea. They love to feed on nectar from flowers, just like hummingbirds!

Pardalotes

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Pardalotidae

Pardalotes spend most of their time high up in trees. They eat insects, spiders, and especially "lerps," which are tiny sap-sucking insects.

Thornbills and Allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Acanthizidae

Thornbills are small songbirds that act a bit like tits (another type of small bird).

Woodswallows, Bellmagpies, and Allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Artamidae

Woodswallows are smooth, graceful flyers. The "cracticids" in this family include currawongs, bellmagpies, and butcherbirds. They have large, straight bills and eat a variety of foods.

Fantails

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Rhipiduridae

Fantails are small birds that eat insects. They are very good at catching insects in the air.

Crows, Jays, and Magpies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Corvidae

This family includes crows, ravens, and some magpies. These birds are often quite smart!

Australasian Robins

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Petroicidae

Most Australasian robins have a stocky body, a round head, and a short, straight bill. They live in many different types of wooded areas. They mainly eat insects, but some also eat seeds.

Swallows

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Hirundinidae

Swallows are birds that are great at catching food while flying. They have sleek bodies, long pointed wings, and short bills with wide mouths. Their feet are better for perching than walking.

Starlings

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sturnidae

Starlings are small to medium-sized birds that fly strongly and directly. They often gather in large groups. They prefer open areas and eat insects and fruit. Their feathers are usually dark with a shiny, metallic look.

Finches and Allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Fringillidae

Finches are small to medium-sized birds that eat seeds. They have strong, cone-shaped beaks. Finches often have a bouncy flight pattern and many sing beautiful songs.

See also

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
List of birds of South Australia Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.