Australia is celebrated by birders for its extraordinary wealth of species found nowhere else on Earth. With over 950 species--40% of them endemic--the country's wild landscapes, from tropical rainforests to arid deserts and sweeping coastlines, offer a tremendous variety of bird life and wildlife. Continue reading our overview of Australia tours...
Australia Birding Departures
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In two parts for those with limited time. Part I covers the environs of Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, southwest Australia, and Alice Springs. Part II begins in Darwin and continues to Queensland (Cairns, Atherton Tableland, Outback Queensland, and O'Reilly's Guest House). Both parts combine for a complete birding tour of Australia. An optional endemic-rich extension to Tasmania follows Part II.
Departures- Sep 25 - Oct 15, 2026 (Part One) with Chris Benesh & Alex Sundvall
- Oct 13-28, 2026 (Part Two) with Cory Gregory & Sam Wilson
- Sep 24 - Oct 14, 2027 (Part One) with TBA
- Oct 12-27, 2027 (Part Two) with TBA
A rich and diverse sampler of the best birding of New Guinea and Australia.
Departures- Oct 3-22, 2026 with Phil Gregory
- Oct 2-21, 2027 with TBA
Australia Overview & Highlights
This vast land, covering an area the size of the United States' Lower 48, brings to mind iconic birds such as vibrant Rainbow Lorikeets, dazzling Superb Fairywrens, odd Emus, huge Southern Cassowaries, and of course Laughing Kookaburras. Australia is also home to the world's first songbirds, including the remarkable Superb Lyrebird, famed for its mimicry of sounds, and the bowerbirds, known for their elaborate courtship displays.
In such a large and diverse destination, there are numerous birding hotspots to explore. In the northeast, tall rainforest near Cairns and on the Atherton Tableland give chances for the colorful Wompoo Fruit-Dove, Victoria's Riflebird, and many other species. The Cairns Esplanade is fantastic for watching shorebirds, and the Georgetown area offers a taste of Outback birding with species from Australian Bustard and Black-throated Finch to the strange Apostlebird, nomadic Budgerigars, and Cockatiels.
Down near Brisbane, O'Reilly's and Lamington National Park are a highlight destination for Albert's Lyrebird and Regent Bowerbird. In Royal National Park near Sydney, Superb Lyrebirds perfect their incredible imitations.
Across southern Australia, birders are drawn to a series of national parks--Grampians, Little Desert, and Wyperfeld--with such avian attractions as Long-billed Corella, Crescent Honeyeater, Southern Scrub-Robin, Mallee Ringneck, and Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo.
In the far southwest near Perth, sites such as Dryandra Woodland, Cheyne Beach, Albany, and Cape Leeuwin are places to check for a whole new set of birds, from Painted Buttonquail and Elegant Parrot to Blue-breasted Fairywren.
From there, fly inland to world-famous Alice Springs for Pink-eared Duck, Spinifex Pigeon, Bourke's Parrot, and the scarce Gray Honeyeater.
Completing the circuit, we head far north to Darwin and Fogg Dam, where we can find a variety of waterbirds as well as Torresian Imperial-Pigeon, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Chestnut Rail, and many others.
These are only a tiny selection of a list of birds in the hundreds of species on this "mainland" circuit. A Tasmania extension of course offers a further set of specialties.
And adding to all the birding excitement are the numerous endemic marsupial mammals from huge kangaroos and smaller wallabies to possums, Koala, Common Wombat, Platypus, and possibly Tasmanian Devil.
Our Field Guides schedule includes a two-parted tour (with optional Tasmania extension after Part Two) as well as a New Guinea & Australia combo trip for those who would enjoy a fine sampler of the birds and wildlife of both destinations.
Photo credit: Our thanks to participant Wayne Whitmore for the great flight photo of a Pink Cockatoo at the top of this page.
We offer other AUSTRALASIA birding tours, too!