Australasia or Oceania
Australasia or Oceania depending on your choice covers a vast area of the Pacific Ocean including Polynesia, Micronesia, Australia, New Zealand and more.
The Fat Birder would welcome introductions contributed by antipodean birders. Any pictures you care to contribute to enhance this site would be welcome as would be any information about your local club or reserve; better still if you have a web-site to signpost please let me know.
The Fat Birder has been to Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, Cairns, Townsville Common, the Atherton Tablelands, Daintree, Darwin and Broome all in Australia… non-Australian birders are only just beginning to realise that Oz has some of the very best birding sites in the world not to say some of the most beautiful and interesting birds. I have also visited New Zealand a number of times and even managed to drop into Tahiti - but it was dark and I was gone before first light - so no birds on my French Polynesia list!
In New Zealand Tiritiri Matangi is one of the best kept secrets in the world of birds and Miranda's wrybills a must but NZ has very little by way of birding web sites. Time you started selling yourselves a bit harder you blokes!
Many years ago I went to Fiji but managed to coincide my visit with an eye infection and I arrived the day after a hurricane left. So out of one eye all I managed by way of avifauna was one tropicbird, a cormorant and some sort of honey eater! One day I hope to see a little more of the region…
Whilst the area is vast it is not particularly rich in species numbers outside of three main landmasses [Australia, New Guinea and New Zealand]. However, there are some massive seabird colonies and Australasian pelagics come highly recommended…
American Samoa |
Australia |
Cook Islands |
Coral Sea Islands |
Federated States of Micronesia |
Fiji
French Polynesia |
Guam |
Kiribati |
Marshall Islands |
Nauru |
New Caledonia
New Zealand |
Niue |
Norfolk Island |
Northern Mariana Islands |
Palau |
Papua New Guinea |
Pitcairn Islands |
Solomon Islands
Tokelau |
Tonga |
Tuvalu |
Vanuatu |
Wallis and Fortuna Islands |
Western Samoa
This page is sponsored by...Rockjumper Birding Tours
This page is sponsored by...Birding Ecotours
This page is sponsored by...Australian ornithological Services
Number of Species
Number of bird species: c. 1800
This represents approximately 18% of the world total.
Endemics
Too many to list
Useful Reading
Where to Watch Birds in Australasia & Oceania
by Nigel Wheatley | Christopher Helm | 1998 | Hardback | 448 pages, 50 line illustrations, 100+ maps |
ISBN: 0713645431
Buy this book from NHBS.comOrganisations
Australasian Raptor Association
The Australasian Raptor Association (ARA) was founded in 1979. Our aim is to promote the study, conservation and management of diurnal and nocturnal birds of prey, as well as to foster communication and cooperation concerning such activities within the Australasian Region.
Oceanic Society
The Oceanic Society has an integrated approach to marine life preservation, combining several initiatives to achieve a single goal…
Pacific Seabird Group
The Pacific Seabird Group (PSG) is a society of professional seabird researchers and managers dedicated to the study and conservation of seabirds. PSG was formed in 1972 out of a need for increased communication among academic and government seabird researchers.
Pacific Islands Conservation Initiative
Our mission is to develop a society that works in the tropical pacific to preserve species, habitats and communities through the provision of sound science, establishment of programmes and advocating for legislative protection.
Southern Oceans Seabird Study Association
SOSSA is a wildlife conservation and research organisation. Its members are dedicated amateurs and professionals who share a common interest and concern for the marine environment and the wildlife of the Southern Oceans. SOSSA organises regular pelagic trips from Wollongong, NSW and Southport, QLD so both members and visitors can view some of the spectacular marine life that occurs off Australia's coast…
Reserves
Abbreviations Key: See the appropriate Continent Page (or Country Page of those used on country sub-divisions)
Abreviations on Country Pages
CA = Conservation Area
FR = Forest Reserve
MP = Marine Park
NP = National Park
NR = Nature Reserve
NWA = Nature & Wildlife Area
RP = Regional Park
RR = Rainforest Reserve
WR = Wildlife Reserve
WS = Wildlife Sanctuary
Trip Reports
Click on WAND for tours, guides, lodges and more…
CloudBirders
CloudBirders was created by a group of Belgian world birding enthusiasts and went live on 21st of March 2013. They provide a large and growing database of birding trip reports, complemented with extensive search, voting and statistical features.
2016 [07 July] - David Hoddinott & Rich Lindie - Southwest Pacific Islands
The birds, of course, were as spectacular as always, and our exploits secured us great sightings of no less than 79 of the region's endemics, including such megas as Kagu, Horned Parakeet, Golden Fruit Dove, Cloven-feathered Dove, Crow Honeyeater, Vanuatu Kingfisher, Maroon Shining
2017 [11 November] - Brian Gibbons - Fiji to Tahiti
...We tracked down Northern Wattled-Honeyeater, Chattering Giant-Honeyeater, Collared Lory, Many-colored Fruit-Dove, and Peale’s Imperial Pigeon, and got good scope views of Fiji Goshawk and Layard’s White-eye...
2017 [11 November] - Pete Morris & Mark Beaman
Birdquest returned to Polynesia this year with a bang! We modified our approach a little to give us an even more comprehensive coverage of the region, and this necessitated splitting the tour into two: this tour and the complementary Pitcairn, Henderson and the Tuamotus which preceded this tour. It has to be said, the two combined produced an unrivalled selection of Polynesian species, with every single target endemic being seen well!
Places to Stay
Click on WAND for tours, guides, lodges and more…
Matava
Fijis Premier Eco Adventure Resort - Welcome to Fiji Bird Watching, our website dedicated to the birds and avifauna of the Fiji Islands where 27 species were found nowhere else in the world, such as the fabulous Golden and Orange Doves (Bune or Bunako), three species of Shining-Parrots (Kaka), and the widespread Collared Lory (Kula) which is even found in town centres… although some species are now extinct.
Other Links
Pacific Birds
Pacific Birds brings numerous interests together to find common ground for conservation, and creates networks to advance long-term planning and on-the-ground project delivery. Our partners tell us the Joint Venture benefits them by sharing information, providing technical assistance, offering funding opportunities and connecting them with others. Partners also tell us they want to better understand how local conservation projects contribute to the bigger picture and how they can more effectively prioritize conservation actions for birds.
Photographers & Artists
AustralAvianImages
Photographs of Birds, Mammals and Nature from Australia, New Zealand, Madagascar and Thailand by Simon Bennett. To find a species of interest enter its name in Search e.g. black duck or just duck; or you can browse the Species Group galleries.