Southern Cassowary Australian Brush-turkey Orange-footed Scrubfowl Stubble Quail Brown Quail King Quail Magpie Goose Plumed Whistling-Duck Wandering Whistling-Duck Freckled Duck Black Swan Radjah Shelduck Australian Wood Duck Pink-eared Duck Cotton Pygmy-goose Green Pygmy-goose Australasian Shoveler - R Garganey Grey Teal Chestnut Teal Pacific Black Duck Hardhead Australasian Grebe Hoary-headed Grebe Great Crested Grebe Rock Dove - I White-headed Pigeon Spotted Dove - I Brown Cuckoo-Dove Emerald Dove Common Bronzewing Crested Pigeon Squatter Pigeon Diamond Dove Peaceful Dove Bar-shouldered Dove Wompoo Fruit-Dove Superb Fruit-Dove Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove Pied Imperial-Pigeon Topknot Pigeon Tawny Frogmouth Papuan Frogmouth White-throated Nightjar Spotted Nightjar Large-tailed Nightjar Australian Owlet-Nightjar Australian Swiftlet White-throated Needletail Fork-tailed Swift Australasian Darter Little Pied Cormorant Great Cormorant Little Black Cormorant Pied Cormorant Australian Pelican Black-necked Stork Black Bittern White-necked Heron Eastern Great Egret Great-billed Heron Intermediate Egret Cattle Egret Pied Heron White-faced Heron Little Egret Nankeen Night-Heron Glossy Ibis Australian White Ibis Straw-necked Ibis Royal Spoonbill Yellow-billed Spoonbill Eastern Osprey Black-shouldered Kite Letter-winged Kite -R Square-tailed Kite Black-breasted Buzzard Pacific Baza White-bellied Sea-Eagle Whistling Kite Brahminy Kite Black Kite Brown Goshawk Collared Sparrowhawk Grey Goshawk Spotted Harrier Swamp Harrier Red Goshawk - R Wedge-tailed Eagle Little Eagle Nankeen Kestrel Brown Falcon Australian Hobby Grey Falcon Black Falcon Peregrine Falcon Sarus Crane Brolga Purple Swamphen Red-necked Crake Lewin’s Rail Buff-banded Rail Baillon’s Crake Spotless Crake White-browed Crake Pale-vented Bush-hen Black-tailed Native-hen Dusky Moorhen Eurasian Coot Australian Bustard Bush Stone-curlew Black-winged Stilt Red-necked Avocet Pacific Golden Plover Grey Plover Little Ringed Plover - R Red-capped Plover Oriental Plover Black-fronted Dotterel Red-kneed Dotterel Banded Lapwing Masked Lapwing Comb-crested Jacana Australian Painted Snipe Latham’s Snipe Swinhoe’s Snipe - R Black-tailed Godwit Little Curlew Common Sandpiper Common Greenshank Marsh Sandpiper Wood Sandpiper Red-necked Stint Pectoral Sandpiper Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Curlew-Sandpiper Ruff - R Red-backed Button-quail Buff-breasted Button-quail Painted Button-quail Red-chested Button-quail Little Button-quail Oriental Pratincole Australian Pratincole Gull-billed Tern Caspian Tern Whiskered Tern White-winged Black Tern Silver Gull Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Galah Little Corella Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cockatiel Rainbow Lorikeet Scaly-breasted Lorikeet Little Lorikeet Double-eyed Fig-Parrot Australian King-Parrot Red-winged Parrot Crimson Rosella Pale-headed Rosella Pheasant Coucal Eastern Koel Channel-billed Cuckoo Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo Black-eared Cuckoo Shining Bronze-Cuckoo Little Bronze-Cuckoo Pallid Cuckoo Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo Fan-tailed Cuckoo Brush Cuckoo Oriental Cuckoo Rufous Owl Barking Owl Southern Boobook Sooty Owl Masked Owl Eastern Barn Owl Eastern Grass Owl Azure Kingfisher Little Kingfisher Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher Laughing Kookaburra Blue-winged Kookaburra Forest Kingfisher Red-backed Kingfisher Sacred Kingfisher Rainbow Bee-eater Dollarbird Noisy Pitta White-throated Treecreeper Brown Treecreeper Spotted Catbird Tooth-billed Bowerbird - E Golden Bowerbird - E Satin Bowerbird Great Bowerbird Red-backed Fairy-wren Lovely Fairy-wren Fernwren - E Yellow-throated Scrubwren White-browed Scrubwren Atherton Scrubwren - E Large-billed Scrubwren Weebill Brown Gerygone Large-billed Gerygone Fairy Gerygone White-throated Gerygone Yellow Thornbill Yellow-rumped Thornbill Buff-rumped Thornbill Mountain Thornbill - E Spotted Pardalote Red-browed Pardalote Striated Pardalote Eastern Spinebill Lewin’s Honeyeater Yellow-spotted Honeyeater Graceful Honeyeater Bridled Honeyeater - E Yellow-faced Honeyeater Yellow Honeyeater Fuscous Honeyeater White-plumed Honeyeater Noisy Miner Yellow-throated Miner Brown-backed Honeyeater Rufous-throated Honeyeater Dusky Honeyeater Scarlet Honeyeater Banded Honeyeater Brown Honeyeater White-cheeked Honeyeater Black-chinned Honeyeater White-throated Honeyeater White-naped Honeyeater Blue-faced Honeyeater Helmeted Friarbird Noisy Friarbird Little Friarbird Macleay’s Honeyeater - E Grey-crowned Babbler Chowchilla - E Eastern Whipbird Varied Sittella Ground Cuckoo-shrike Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike Barred Cuckoo-shrike Cicadabird White-winged Triller Varied Triller Crested Shrike-tit Golden Whistler Grey Whistler Rufous Whistler Little Shrike-thrush Bower’s Shrike-thrush - E Grey Shrike-thrush Australasian Figbird Yellow Oriole Olive-backed Oriole White-breasted Woodswallow Masked Woodswallow White-browed Woodswallow Black-faced Woodswallow Dusky Woodswallow Little Woodswallow Black Butcherbird Grey Butcherbird Pied Butcherbird Australian Magpie Pied Currawong Spangled Drongo Rufous Fantail Grey Fantail Northern Fantail Willie Wagtail Torresian Crow Leaden Flycatcher Satin Flycatcher Shining Flycatcher Restless Flycatcher White-eared Monarch Black-faced Monarch Spectacled Monarch Magpie-lark Pied Monarch - E Yellow-breasted Boatbill Apostlebird Victoria’s Riflebird - E Jacky Winter Lemon-bellied Flycatcher Pale-yellow Robin Eastern Yellow Robin Grey-headed Robin - E White-browed Robin Horsfield’s Bushlark Golden-headed Cisticola Australian Reed-Warbler Tawny Grassbird Silvereye Barn Swallow Welcome Swallow Fairy Martin Tree Martin Red-rumped Swallow - R Bassian Thrush Russet-tailed Thrush Metallic Starling Common Myna - I Mistletoebird Olive-backed Sunbird Zebra Finch Double-barred Finch Black-throated Finch Plum-headed Finch Red-browed Finch Blue-faced Parrot-Finch Nutmeg Mannikin - I Chestnut-breasted Mannikin House Sparrow - I Australasian Pipit 327 species Bird watching in the tropics The Cairns Highlands has a wide variety of habitats such as riverine, wetland, woodland, rainforest, grassland, agricultural and parkland and also has one of the largest avifauna of any region in Australia. It is home to over 300 species of birds and 12 of these are local endemics, being: • Fernwren: generally seen in the higher altitude rainforests. • Atherton Scrubwren: higher altitude rainforests. • Mountain Thornbill: higher altitude rainforests. • Macleay’s Honeyeater: common at lower and mid altitudes in and around rainforest areas • Bridled Honeyeater: common, found in rainforest and adjacent woodlands. • Grey-headed Robin: common in rainforest, generally at higher altitudes. • Chowchilla: easiest when calling in the early morning, higher altitude rainforest. • Bower’s Shrike-Thrush: fairly easy to find in higher altitude rainforests. • Pied Monarch: throughout except at highest altitudes. • Victoria’s Riflebird: throughout rainforested areas and adjacent woodlands. • Tooth-billed Bowerbird: easily seen when displaying in mid to high altitude rainforest. • Golden Bowerbird: seen at bowers during breeding season (Sep-Jan) at higher altitudes Lesser Sooty Owl now lumped with Sooty Owl so is no longer a Wet Tropics endemic. Additionally many distinct subspecies occur including: • Double-eyed Fig-Parrot • Crimson Rosella • Southern Boobook • Masked Owl • White-throated Treecreeper • Yellow-throated Scrubwren • Brown Gerygone • Yellow Thornbill • Yellow-faced Honeyeater • Eastern Spinebill • Pale-yellow Robin • Grey Fantail • Satin Bowerbird • Bassian Thrush Whatever time of year you decide to visit there will always be plenty of birds to see. October to April may be our hotter and wetter months, but it is the time when the migrant species arrive from Papua New Guinea including the beautiful Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher, Channel-billed Cuckoo and Common Koel. Many birds such as Noisy Pitta are also breeding at this time of year and are easier to observe as they search for food. During our cooler, drier, winter months (May to September) the Victoria’s Riflebirds are displaying and winter breeders such as White-eared Monarch can be easier to see. During this period, Brolgas and Sarus Cranes are also found on the Tableland feeding on the agricultural fields. Cairns Highlands The Cairns Highlands has long been a favourite destination for locals from the coast. Plenty of quality accommodation is available to suit all styles of travel — bed and breakfast houses, self-contained cottages, motels, caravan parks and camping grounds. Marvel at the picturesque volcanic crater lakes, cascading waterfalls, rainforest and woodland scenery. Numerous national parks provide for ample bushwalking opportunities and the rich fertile soils offer a cornucopia of local produce. Tasting rooms for coffee, tea, cheese and tropical wines welcome visitors. Other attractions abound with nature parks allowing up close viewing of native animals. The elevation of the Cairns Highlands makes our climate very pleasant all year round. It is a place to explore and enjoy in all seasons. For further information visit Tropical Tablelands Tourism at: www.athertontablelands.org.au Or contact the following friendly visitor information centres: Atherton (07) 4091 4222 [email protected] Mareeba (07) 4092 5674 [email protected] Kuranda (07) 4093 9311 [email protected] Malanda (07) 4096 6957 [email protected] Herberton (07) 4096 3474 [email protected] Ravenshoe (07) 4097 7700 [email protected] Chillagoe (07) 4094 7111 [email protected] Bird Watching Capital of Australia Tropical Tablelands Tourism www.athertontablelands.org.au Cairns Highlands There are over 430 bird species in the Wet Tropics and the Great Barrier Reef