List of birds of Western Australia

[3] Their system has been developed over nearly two decades[4] and has strong local support,[5] but deviates in important ways from more generally accepted schemes.

This list's taxonomic treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families and species) and nomenclature (common and scientific names) follow the conventions of The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 2022 edition.

It was an early and distinctive offshoot of the anseriform family tree, diverging after the screamers and before all other ducks, geese and swans, sometime in the late Cretaceous.

These are adapted for an aquatic existence, with webbed feet, bills that are flattened to a greater or lesser extent, and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to special oils.

Order: Caprimulgiformes   Family: Apodidae Swifts are small birds which spend the majority of their lives flying.

Order: Sphenisciformes   Family: Spheniscidae Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere, especially in Antarctica.

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Oceanitidae The southern storm-petrels are the smallest seabirds, relatives of the petrels, feeding on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering.

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Hydrobatidae Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Procellariidae The procellariids are the main group of medium-sized "true petrels", characterised by united nostrils with medium nasal septum, and a long outer functional primary flight feather.

Order: Suliformes   Family: Phalacrocoracidae Cormorants are medium-to-large aquatic birds, usually with mainly dark plumage and areas of coloured skin on the face.

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Pelecanidae Pelicans are large water birds with distinctive pouches under their bills.