Notes and help
Notes
- Pages to search set to Species only when a Region/Conservation option is selected because these categories are only available for species. Region/Conservation status is set to “Any region/conservation status” when Search all pages changed to “Subfamilies only”, “Families only” or “Orders only”. Region/Conservation status is also set to “Any region/conservation status” when sort order is not Title.
- Reverse English name applied to species only; for orders, the Reverse English name is set to double em dash (——); for family and subfamily, the Reverse English name is set to title. For other pages, reverse English name is blank so they appear at the top of list and show the title.
- For pages that are not taxonomic (eg. FAQs), scientific name is blank so they appear at the top of list (in relevance order) and show the title.
- If the search contains a request not covered in the options below the search box, the result for the request is displayed but the option is set to a default value. If search is pressed, the request will be changed to the options set.
Hints for searching
- characters such as open and close parenthesis, apostrophe and dash are ignored – for example, a search for “Halls” will also return matches for “Hall’s” but listed in a different order. However, note that “Halls Babbler” returns nothing, unlike “Hall’s Babbler”, so it is best to include these characters in the search terms.
- use double quotes around multiple words to ensure they are treated as a single search term. However, if formatting of words may cause the search term to not be found. Eg. a search for “Black Duck” may not find ‘Black Duck‘.
- a search containing multiple words, not in quotes, will locate entries that contain all the words, not necessarily together or in the order entrered. Eg. a search for ‘black duck’ (without quotes) will locate all entries containing ‘black’ and ‘duck’.
- Note that searches for partial words only work if the partial word is at the start or end of a word, not for the middle. Eg. a search for ‘lbatros’ will not find ‘albatross’; search for ‘albat’ or ‘atoss’ will find ‘albatross’
Distribution and conservation categories
- To search for species in a conservation category, select an option from the ‘region/classification’ status option below the search box.
- To search for species recorded in a geographic area, select an option from the ‘region/classification’ status option below the search box.
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…M.A. Hindell, D.W. Eades, & M. Newman. In prep. Atlas of Seabirds of Southeast Australia. AviList 2025 AviList Core Team. 2025. AviList: The Global Avian Checklist, v2025. https://doi.org/10.2173/avilist.v2025. Errata AviList 2025 errata. Barker & Vestjens Barker, RD., & W.J.M. Vestjens. No date [c. & Vestjens 1989]. The Food of Australian Birds. 1.…
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Alaskan Whimbrel Numenius hudsonicus (Polytypic)Hudsonian Whimbrel (AviList 2025) American Whimbrel (NZCL 2024)
- Global: Not Evaluated (IUCN)
- Australia: –
- New Zealand: –
- Taxonomic change. Latest: AviList 2025
Text to be added. Field Identification ⓘ Habitat ⓘ a-z Distribution and Population ⓘ Australia Accepted BARC records: none – under review (BARC list v2026-01) Conservation Status ⓘ Threats and Human Interactions ⓘ Movements ⓘ Food ⓘ Social Organisation ⓘ Social Behaviour ⓘ Voice ⓘ Breeding ⓘ Plumages ⓘ a-z…
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The albatrosses are a small group of some 13-16 large petrels with long wings adapted for gliding flight and with long powerful beaks adapted for seizing prey at the surface; nine species breed in our region and one other has been recorded as a vagrant. Because they are so large,…
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Allen’s Gallinule Porphyrio alleni (Monotypic)
- Global: Least Concern (IUCN)
- Antarctica: –
- Taxonomic change. Latest: AviList 2025
Text to be added. Field Identification ⓘ Habitat ⓘ a-z Distribution and Population ⓘ Conservation Status ⓘ Threats and Human Interactions ⓘ Movements ⓘ Food ⓘ Social Organisation ⓘ Social Behaviour ⓘ Voice ⓘ Breeding ⓘ Plumages ⓘ a-z Bare Parts ⓘ a-z Moults ⓘ Measurements ⓘ a-z Weights ⓘ…
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Amsterdam Wigeon Mareca marecula (Monotypic)
- Global: Extinct (IUCN)
- Antarctica: –
- Taxonomic change. Latest: AviList 2025
Text to be added. Field Identification ⓘ Habitat ⓘ a-z Distribution and Population ⓘ Conservation Status ⓘ Threats and Human Interactions ⓘ Movements ⓘ Food ⓘ Social Organisation ⓘ Social Behaviour ⓘ Voice ⓘ Breeding ⓘ Plumages ⓘ a-z Bare Parts ⓘ a-z Moults ⓘ Measurements ⓘ a-z Weights ⓘ…
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Large, aquatic birds of still inland waters. On all continents except Europe and Antarctica, but does occur on Madagascar. Not in areas where lakes freeze over in winter. One genus with 2-4 species, depending on whether melanogaster is split into three full species or regarded as having three subspecies; one…
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Antarctic Tern Sterna vittata (Polytypic)
- Global: Least Concern (IUCN)
- Australia: Endangered (APAB), Endangered (EPBC) Vulnerable (EPBC)
- New Zealand: Threatened – Nationally Increasing (NZTCS)
- Antarctica: –
- Taxonomic change. Latest: AviList 2025
- Content update. Latest: 19 January 2026 R 2.0
Field Identification ⓘ Length 32–36 cm; wingspan 72–79 cm; weight 140–160 g. Medium-sized, rather bulky sea tern. General shape and proportions similar to Arctic Sterna paradisaea and Kerguelen S. virgata Terns but bigger and bulkier, with heavier bill, legs and feet. Adult plumages similar to Arctic Tern but juvenile and…
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A superficially heterogeneous order of three families of rather small to tiny land birds: APODIDAE: cosmopolitan, almost wholly aerial and insectivorous swifts; HEMIPROCNIDAE: e. Palaeotropic tree-swifts; and TROCHILIDAE: nectarivorous New World hummingbirds. Apodiformes stand apart from other non-passerine land birds in sharing, in combination: Holorhinal and impervious nares. No basipterygoid…
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Arafura Fantail Rhipidura dryas (Polytypic)
- Global: Not Evaluated (IUCN)
- Australia: –
- Taxonomic change. Latest: AviList 2025
- Content update. Latest: 19 January 2026 R 2.0
…BirdLife Photography Macaulay Library Videos Macaulay Library Audio Macaulay Library Xeno-canto . . . . . Content Updates (For site wide changes and release dates, see Release Notes) Release 2.0 accepted BARC submissions added. IUCN status changed from Least Concern to Not Evaluated due to taxonomic change in AviList 2025…
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Arctic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus (Monotypic)Parasitic Jaeger (AviList 2025) Arctic Skua (NZCL 2024)
- Global: Least Concern (IUCN)
- Australia: –
- New Zealand: –
- Antarctica: –
- Taxonomic change. Latest: AviList 2025
Field Identification ⓘ Length 46–67 cm (including tail-streamers that project up to 10.5 cm in breeding adult); wingspan 97–115 cm; weight: male 420 g, female 510 g. Medium-sized jaeger, with slender bill, small head, deep rounded belly, long narrow wings, medium-length tail, elegant appearance, and fast rather falcon-like flight. Size,…
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Ashy-bellied White-eye Zosterops citrinella (Polytypic)
- Global: Least Concern (IUCN)
- Australia: –
- Taxonomic change. Latest: AviList 2025
Field Identification ⓘ Length 10–12 cm. Small predominantly arboreal passerine, with rather large head; pointed, short and sturdy bill; plump body; moderately long wings with pointed tips; and fairly long tail with rather square or slightly cleft tip. In flight, appears rather small and rotund with moderately long tail and…
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Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica (Polytypic)
- Global: Not Evaluated (IUCN)
- Australia: –
- Taxonomic change. Latest: AviList 2025
- Content update. Latest: 19 January 2026 R 2.0
…BirdLife Photography Macaulay Library Videos Macaulay Library Audio Macaulay Library Xeno-canto . . . . . Content Updates (For site wide changes and release dates, see Release Notes) Release 2.0 BARC accepted submissions added IUCN status changed from Least Concern to Not Evaluated due to taxonomic change in AviList 2025…
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Asian House Martin Delichon dasypus (Polytypic)
- Global: Least Concern (IUCN)
- Australia: –
- Taxonomic change. Latest: AviList 2025
- Content update. Latest: 19 January 2026 R 2.0
…Asian House Martin Delichon dasypus. Various locations, Christmas Island, Indian Ocean. 23-28 April 2008. 565: Asian House Martin Delichon dasypus Christmas Island 13 January 2008. 531: Asian House Martin Delichon dasypus Christmas Island. 4th March 2007 Cocos (Keeling) Islands Accepted BARC records (Jun 2025): 1129: Asian House Martin Delichon dasypus, Cocos (Keeling) Islands IOT 9th December 2019 to…
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Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopaceus (Polytypic)
- Global: Not Evaluated (IUCN)
- Australia: –
- Taxonomic change. Latest: AviList 2025
- Content update. Latest: 19 January 2026 R 2.0
Text to be added. Field Identification ⓘ Habitat ⓘ a-z Distribution and Population ⓘ Australia Accepted BARC submission (June 2025): 1088: Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopacea, WAPET Landing, Barrow Island WA 9th to 19th June 2018 Outlying Islands Christmas Island Accepted BARC submissions (June 2025): Accepted BARC submissions (June 2025): 643: Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopacea, Christmas…
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Asian Stubtail Urosphena squameiceps (Monotypic)
- Global: Least Concern (IUCN)
- Australia: –
- Taxonomic change. Latest: AviList 2025
Text to be added. Field Identification ⓘ Habitat ⓘ a-z Distribution and Population ⓘ Australia Accepted BARC submission: 1281 Asian Stubtail Urosphena squameiceps, Ashmore Reef WA, 24/04/2012 (accepted 1 Nov. 2023) Conservation Status ⓘ Threats and Human Interactions ⓘ Movements ⓘ Food ⓘ Social Organisation ⓘ Social Behaviour ⓘ Voice…
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Auckland Rail Lewinia muelleri (Monotypic)Auckland Island Rail (NZCL 2024)
- Global: Vulnerable (IUCN)
- New Zealand: –
- Taxonomic change. Latest: AviList 2025
Text to be added. Information below copied from Lewin’s Rail where it is clearly refers to Aukland Rail. Field Identification ⓘ Similar Species Much smaller than Australian Lewin’s Rail, with slightly straighter bill (see Measurements, Structure); plumage somewhat softer and denser. Only sexed specimen, an adult female, and photographs of…
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Audubon’s Shearwater Puffinus lherminieri (Polytypic)
(Species not recognised in current HANZAB taxonomy – see Taxonomic changes)Sargasso Shearwater (AviList 2025)- Global: Not Evaluated (IUCN)
- Taxonomic change. Latest: AviList 2025
- Content update. Latest: 19 January 2026 R 2.0
…audio in the Voice section. Photographs Macaulay Library Videos Macaulay Library Audio Macaulay Library Xeno-canto . . . . . Content Updates (For site wide changes and release dates, see Release Notes) Release 2.0 IUCN status changed from Least Concern to Not Evaluated due to taxonomic change in AviList 2025…