Local Bird Guide
Image: Juvenile Blue-Faced Honeyeater credit: H&M Productions
Agnes Water and its surrounds is home to over 200 different birds calling the area home or visiting at certain times of the year, we have developed this guide to help you discover and learn about some of our most commonly sighted birds and their habitats.
Supported by BirdLife Australia
This bird guide has been made possible through generous funding from BirdLife Australia / Queensland.
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Australasian Darter
Often mistaken for a snake in the water, the Australasian Darter swims with only its long neck and sharp beak above the surface, earning it the nickname “snakebird.” It’s a […]
Australasian Grebe
This compact little waterbird is a marvel of buoyancy and stealth. You’ll often spot it paddling quietly in a pond or lake—until it vanishes below the surface with barely a […]
Australian brush-turkey
A large, black, ground-dwelling bird with a bald red head and a striking yellow (or purple) throat wattle in males. You’ll often hear them noisily scratching through gardens or forest […]
Australian Gannet
A sleek, powerful seabird with white body, black-tipped wings, and a yellow head. Known for plunging into the ocean from great heights.
Australian King-Parrot
Found in forests and gardens, the male King-Parrot are dressed in bright red and emerald green while the females wear green jackets with just a splash of red—nature’s way of […]
Australian magpie
One of Australia’s most iconic birds, known for its flute-like song and bold black-and-white plumage. Magpies are intelligent, social, and full of personality.
Australian Pelican
One of the most recognizable and majestic birds along the Agnes Water coastline, the Australian Pelican is known for its strikingly large bill and expansive wingspan. These pelicans are often […]
Australian Pied Oystercatcher
A bold black and white bird with a long orange bill and legs. Uses its bill to pry open shellfish.
Australian Wood Duck
Looking more like a goose than a duck, the Australian Wood Duck sports a brown head, grey speckled body, and soft whistling call. It’s commonly seen grazing on grassy paddocks, […]
Bar-shouldered Dove
Neat dove with a scaled neck and a reddish patch on its shoulder, found in woodlands and urban gardens in the north and east.
Bar-tailed Godwit
A medium to large migratory wader, famous for its long-distance flights without rest, and seen along sandy and muddy shores.
Beach Stone-curlew
A large, cryptic shorebird with striking facial markings and thick legs. It moves slowly and freezes when disturbed.
Blue-faced Honeyeater
Large honeyeater with bright blue skin around the eyes, white belly and black-and-green upperparts. Often seen in parks and gardens.
Brahminy Kite
This medium-sized raptor with striking chestnut plumage and a contrasting white head and breast, is often seen gliding over coastal regions and wetlands. Once you have learned to identify it, […]
Brown Booby
A striking seabird with chocolate-brown plumage and a white belly. Known for its dramatic plunge-diving to catch fish.
Brown Cuckoo-dove
Slender, long-tailed dove with warm chestnut plumage, usually found in rainforests or dense thickets.
Brown Honeyeater
A small, active honeyeater with a faint pale eye-stripe and generally dull brown plumage. Common in gardens and coastal scrub.
Bush Stone-curlew
At first glance, the Bush Stone-curlew looks like it belongs in a prehistoric painting—long-legged, big-eyed, and eerily still. These birds are ground-dwellers, often seen standing statue-still in open grassy areas […]
Crested Pigeon
A pinkish-grey pigeon with a distinct tall crest and iridescent wing patches. Widespread in rural and urban Australia.
Crested Tern
A graceful seabird with a shaggy black crest, grey wings, and yellow bill. Often seen resting in groups or diving for fish.
Double-barred finch
Small, round, and dapper, this finch has a black ‘bib’ and two neat black bars across its pale chest. Its fine patterning has earned it the nickname ‘owl finch.’
Eastern Curlew
The Eastern Curlew is Australia’s largest migratory shorebird, easily recognised by its long, down-curved bill and haunting call.
Eastern Osprey
A large, fish-eating raptor commonly found along Australia’s coastlines, known for its distinctive M-shaped wings and dramatic hunting dives.
Eastern Reef Egret
A coastal hunter with two colour forms — dark grey or white — often seen alone, quietly fishing among rocks.
Eastern yellow Robin
Soft grey above and sunshine yellow below, this robin has a curious nature and a tendency to watch you from tree trunks with its head cocked.
Forest Kingfisher
Bright, electric blue with crisp white underparts, the Forest Kingfisher looks like a flying jewel darting through the trees. It favours open woodlands, paperbark forests, and the edges of wetlands—often […]
Galah
It’s hard not to smile at a Galah. With their paler pink crown and candy-pink head, neck and chest, grey wings, and cheeky personalities, these cockatoos are as Aussie as […]
Laughing Kookaburra
You’ll often hear this bird before you see it—the famous cackling call of the Laughing Kookaburra sounds like a wild jungle laugh echoing through the bush. It’s Australia’s largest kingfisher, […]
Leaden flycatcher
Males are glossy slate-blue with white bellies, while females wear a warm rusty-orange throat and grey-blue plumage. They flit through the treetops like little arrows.
Lewin’s Honeyeater
Medium-sized, olive-green honeyeater with a yellow cheek crescent and a harsh, machine-like call. Common in rainforests and wet forests.
Australasian Darter
Often mistaken for a snake in the water, the Australasian Darter swims with only its long neck and sharp beak above the surface, earning it the nickname “snakebird.” It’s a […]
Australasian Grebe
This compact little waterbird is a marvel of buoyancy and stealth. You’ll often spot it paddling quietly in a pond or lake—until it vanishes below the surface with barely a […]
Australian brush-turkey
A large, black, ground-dwelling bird with a bald red head and a striking yellow (or purple) throat wattle in males. You’ll often hear them noisily scratching through gardens or forest […]
Australian Gannet
A sleek, powerful seabird with white body, black-tipped wings, and a yellow head. Known for plunging into the ocean from great heights.
Australian King-Parrot
Found in forests and gardens, the male King-Parrot are dressed in bright red and emerald green while the females wear green jackets with just a splash of red—nature’s way of […]
Australian magpie
One of Australia’s most iconic birds, known for its flute-like song and bold black-and-white plumage. Magpies are intelligent, social, and full of personality.
Australian Pelican
One of the most recognizable and majestic birds along the Agnes Water coastline, the Australian Pelican is known for its strikingly large bill and expansive wingspan. These pelicans are often […]
Australian Pied Oystercatcher
A bold black and white bird with a long orange bill and legs. Uses its bill to pry open shellfish.
Australian Wood Duck
Looking more like a goose than a duck, the Australian Wood Duck sports a brown head, grey speckled body, and soft whistling call. It’s commonly seen grazing on grassy paddocks, […]
Bar-shouldered Dove
Neat dove with a scaled neck and a reddish patch on its shoulder, found in woodlands and urban gardens in the north and east.
Bar-tailed Godwit
A medium to large migratory wader, famous for its long-distance flights without rest, and seen along sandy and muddy shores.
Beach Stone-curlew
A large, cryptic shorebird with striking facial markings and thick legs. It moves slowly and freezes when disturbed.
Blue-faced Honeyeater
Large honeyeater with bright blue skin around the eyes, white belly and black-and-green upperparts. Often seen in parks and gardens.
Brahminy Kite
This medium-sized raptor with striking chestnut plumage and a contrasting white head and breast, is often seen gliding over coastal regions and wetlands. Once you have learned to identify it, […]
Brown Booby
A striking seabird with chocolate-brown plumage and a white belly. Known for its dramatic plunge-diving to catch fish.
Brown Cuckoo-dove
Slender, long-tailed dove with warm chestnut plumage, usually found in rainforests or dense thickets.
Brown Honeyeater
A small, active honeyeater with a faint pale eye-stripe and generally dull brown plumage. Common in gardens and coastal scrub.
Bush Stone-curlew
At first glance, the Bush Stone-curlew looks like it belongs in a prehistoric painting—long-legged, big-eyed, and eerily still. These birds are ground-dwellers, often seen standing statue-still in open grassy areas […]
Crested Pigeon
A pinkish-grey pigeon with a distinct tall crest and iridescent wing patches. Widespread in rural and urban Australia.
Crested Tern
A graceful seabird with a shaggy black crest, grey wings, and yellow bill. Often seen resting in groups or diving for fish.
Double-barred finch
Small, round, and dapper, this finch has a black ‘bib’ and two neat black bars across its pale chest. Its fine patterning has earned it the nickname ‘owl finch.’
Eastern Curlew
The Eastern Curlew is Australia’s largest migratory shorebird, easily recognised by its long, down-curved bill and haunting call.
Eastern Osprey
A large, fish-eating raptor commonly found along Australia’s coastlines, known for its distinctive M-shaped wings and dramatic hunting dives.
Eastern Reef Egret
A coastal hunter with two colour forms — dark grey or white — often seen alone, quietly fishing among rocks.
Eastern yellow Robin
Soft grey above and sunshine yellow below, this robin has a curious nature and a tendency to watch you from tree trunks with its head cocked.
Forest Kingfisher
Bright, electric blue with crisp white underparts, the Forest Kingfisher looks like a flying jewel darting through the trees. It favours open woodlands, paperbark forests, and the edges of wetlands—often […]
Galah
It’s hard not to smile at a Galah. With their paler pink crown and candy-pink head, neck and chest, grey wings, and cheeky personalities, these cockatoos are as Aussie as […]
Laughing Kookaburra
You’ll often hear this bird before you see it—the famous cackling call of the Laughing Kookaburra sounds like a wild jungle laugh echoing through the bush. It’s Australia’s largest kingfisher, […]
Leaden flycatcher
Males are glossy slate-blue with white bellies, while females wear a warm rusty-orange throat and grey-blue plumage. They flit through the treetops like little arrows.
Lewin’s Honeyeater
Medium-sized, olive-green honeyeater with a yellow cheek crescent and a harsh, machine-like call. Common in rainforests and wet forests.