Shore Birds Found In Australia
Shore Feeders and Nesters
Shore birds, 'waders' or 'coastal water birds' are found on beaches, mudflats and wetland lagoons. Many are migratory and visit Australia during the cold Northern Hemisphere winter.
Their main food source is at the edge of the ocean and may include insects, worms, small crabs, crustaceans and molluscs; some even feed on small fish and others on lizards and seeds.
Their means of 'catching' or finding their food is varied with some benefitted by long beaks that reach into burrows in the tidal sand and others depending on their speed to catch prey on the surface or in shallow water.
Most Shore birds nest on the ground rather than in nests high above the ground; the Migratory birds nest in the Northern Hemisphere in burrows and shallow depressions. Other characteristics are their long legs in relation to their body size and they do not webbing on their feet and thus they do not swim.
SEE LIST OF ALL AUSTRALIAN SHORE BIRDS BELOW
CLICK ON PHOTOS AND BIRD NAMES TO ENLARGE
 "White Faced Heron Australian Shore Bird")
WHITE FACED HERON "Pied oystercatcher")
PIED OYSTERCATCHER "Wood Sandpiper Australian Shore Bird")
WOOD SANDPIPER "Hooded Plover Australian Shore Bird")
HOODED PLOVERList of Shore Birds of Australia
Herons
• Black-crowned Night Heron
• Great-billed Heron
• Nankeen Night Heron
• Pied Heron
• Striated Heron
• White-Faced Heron
• White-necked Heron
Egrets
• Cattle Egret
• Eastern Reef Egret
• Eastern Great Egret
• Great Egret
• Intermediate Egret
• Little Egret
Curlews
• Beach stone-curlew [Resident]
• Bush Stone-curlew [Resident]
• Eastern Curlew [Migratory:]
• Little Curlew [Migratory:]
Godwits
• Bar-tailed Godwit [Migratory: Northern Siberia and Alaska]
• Black-tailed Godwit [Migratory: Mongolia and Eastern Siberia Siberia]
• Hudsonian Godwit [Vagrant Migratory: North America to South America]
Oystercatchers
• Sooty Oystercatcher [Resident]
• Pied Oystercatcher [Resident]
Whimbrel
• Eurasian Whimbrel [Migratory: Subarctic Asia and Europe]
Plovers, Lapwings and Dotterels
• Australian Pratincole [Migratory]
• Caspian Plover [Vagrant]
• Double-banded Plover [Migratory:]
• Greater [or Large] Sand Plover [Migratory:]
• Grey Plover [Migratory:]
• Hooded Plover [Resident]
• Lesser [or Mongolian] Sand Plover [Migratory:]
• Little Ringed Plover [Vagrant]
• Oriental Plover [Migratory:]
• Pacific Golden Plover [Migratory:]
• Red-capped Plover [Resident]
• Banded Lapwing [Endemic]
• Grey-headed Lapwing [Very Rare Vagrant]
• Masked Lapwing [Resident]
• Black-fronted Dotterel [Resident]
• Inland Dotterel [Resident]
• Red-kneed Dotterel [Resident]
• Ruddy Turnstone [Sea-Dotterel - M/Q]
Sandpiper
• Baird's Sandpiper [Vagrant]
• Broad-billed Sandpiper [Migratory:]
• Buff-breasted Sandpiper [Vagrant]
• Common Sandpiper [Migratory:]
• Curlew Sandpiper [Migratory:]
• Marsh Sandpiper [Migratory:]
• Pectoral Sandpiper [Migratory:]
• Sanderling [Migratory:]
• Sharp-tailed Sandpiper [Migratory:]
• Terek Sandpiper [Migratory:]
• White-rumped Sandpiper [Vagrant]
• Wood Sandpiper [Migratory:]
Snipes
• Australian Painted-snipe [Resident]
• Latham's Snipe [Migratory:]
• Pin-tailed Snipe [Migratory:]
• Swinhoe's Snipe [Migratory:]
Stints
• Banded Stilt [Resident]
• Black-winged Stilt [Resident]
• Long-toed Stint [Migratory:]
• Red-necked Stint [Migratory:]
Spoonbills
• Royal Spoonbill
• Yellow-billed Spoonbill
Others
• Black-faced Sheathbill
• South Island Pied Oystercatcher [Vagrant]
• American Golden Plover [Vagrant]
• Ringed Plover [Vagrant]
• Kentish Plover [Vagrant]
• Pheasant-tailed Jacana [Vagrant]
• Eurasian Curlew [Vagrant]
• Upland Sandpiper [Vagrant]
• Green Sandpiper [Vagrant]
• Spotted Redshank [Vagrant]
• Nordmann's Greenshank [Vagrant]
• Lesser Yellowlegs [Vagrant]
• Short-billed Dowitcher [Vagrant]
• Little Stint [Vagrant]
• White-rumped Sandpiper [Vagrant]
• Dunlin [Vagrant]
• Stilt Sandpiper [Vagrant]
• Wilson's Phalarope [Vagrant]
• Grey Phalarope [Vagrant]
Stacpoole Music and Internet Mount Barker WA
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Indentifying Australian Birds
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