List of birds of Australia

The outlying islands covered include: Christmas, Cocos (Keeling), Ashmore, Torres Strait, Coral Sea, Lord Howe, Norfolk, Macquarie and Heard/McDonald.

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: Otidiformes   Family: Otididae 1 species recorded [1 extant native] Bustards are large terrestrial birds mainly associated with dry open country and steppes in the Old World.

Order: Caprimulgiformes   Family: Podargidae 3 species recorded [3 extant native] The frogmouths are a distinctive group of small nocturnal birds related to swifts found from India across southern Asia to Australia.

Order: Caprimulgiformes   Family: Aegothelidae 1 species recorded [1 extant native] The owlet-nightjars are a distinctive group of small nocturnal birds related to swifts found from the Maluku Islands and New Guinea to Australia and New Caledonia.

Order: Caprimulgiformes   Family: Apodidae 11 species recorded [4 extant native, 7 vagrant] Swifts are small birds which spend the majority of their lives flying.

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Haematopodidae 3 species recorded [2 extant native, 1 vagrant] The oystercatchers are large and noisy plover-like birds, with strong bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs.

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Rostratulidae 1 species recorded [1 extant native] Painted-snipe are short-legged, long-billed birds similar in shape to the true snipes, but more brightly coloured.

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Turnicidae 7 species recorded [7 extant native] The buttonquails are small, drab, running birds which resemble the true quails.

Order: Phaethontiformes   Family: Phaethontidae 3 species recorded [2 extant native, 1 vagrant] Tropicbirds are slender white birds of tropical oceans, with exceptionally long central tail feathers.

Order: Sphenisciformes   Family: Spheniscidae 14 species recorded [7 extant native, 7 vagrant] Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere, especially in Antarctica.

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Oceanitidae 7 species recorded [5 extant native, 2 vagrant] 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: Procellariidae 62 species recorded [41 native extant, 20 vagrant, 1 extirpated] 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: Ciconiiformes   Family: Ciconiidae 1 species recorded [1 extant native] Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked, wading birds with long, stout bills.

Order: Suliformes   Family: Phalacrocoracidae 9 species recorded [7 extant native, 2 vagrant] Cormorants are medium-to-large aquatic birds, usually with mainly dark plumage and areas of coloured skin on the face.

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Strigidae 10 species recorded [6 extant native, 4 vagrant] The typical owls are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey.

Order: Bucerotiformes   Family: Upupidae 1 species recorded [1 vagrant] Hoopoes have black, white, and orangey-pink colouring with a large erectile crest on their head.

Order: Bucerotiformes   Family: Bucerotidae 1 species recorded [1 vagrant] Hornbills are a group of birds whose bill is shaped like a cow's horn, but without a twist, sometimes with a casque on the upper mandible.

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Alcedinidae 15 species recorded [11 extant native, 4 vagrant] Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails.

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Coraciidae 2 species recorded [1 extant native, 1 vagrant] Rollers resemble crows in size and build, but are more closely related to the kingfishers and bee-eaters.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Pittidae 6 species recorded [3 extant native, 3 vagrant] Pittas are medium-sized by passerine standards and are stocky, with fairly long, strong legs, short tails, and stout bills.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Menuridae 2 species recorded [2 extant native] Lyrebirds are most notable for their superb ability to mimic natural and artificial sounds from their environment, and the striking beauty of the male bird's huge tail when it is fanned out in courtship display.

Depending on the species, the bower ranges from a circle of cleared earth with a small pile of twigs in the centre to a complex and highly decorated structure of sticks and leaves.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Falcunculidae 3 species recorded [3 extant native] The shrike-tits have a parrot-like bill, used for distinctive bark-stripping behaviour, which gains it access to invertebrates.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Machaerirhynchidae 1 species recorded [1 extant native] The boatbills have affinities to woodswallows and butcherbirds, and are distributed across New Guinea and northern Queensland.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Rhipiduridae 7 species recorded [6 extant native, 1 extirpated] The fantails are small insectivorous birds which are specialist aerial feeders.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Dicruridae 2 species recorded [1 extant native, 1 vagrant] The drongos are mostly black or dark grey in colour, sometimes with metallic tints.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Alaudidae 2 species recorded [1 extant native, 1 introduced] Larks are small terrestrial birds with often extravagant songs and display flights.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Turdidae 7 species recorded [3 extant native, 2 introduced, 2 vagrant] The thrushes are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly in the Old World.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Estrildidae 22 species recorded [18 extant native, 3 introduced, 1 vagrant] The estrildid finches are small passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia.