Australia Ramsar wetland
Churchill Island Marine National Park
267 bird species recorded; the most in January and from October to November.
Pavel Špindler · CC BY 3.0
This month here
213 species in January.181 species in February.194 species in March.179 species in April.175 species in May.176 species in June.183 species in July.177 species in August.176 species in September.201 species in October.199 species in November.190 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
NTNT- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
267 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 267Speciesrecorded more than once
- 88Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 9ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 197,520Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 16Raptors
- 3Owls
- 35Waders
- 38Gulls & seabirds
- 17Ducks & geese
- 25Herons, ibises & grebes
- 83Songbirds
- 50Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 267 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors16 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Swamp HarrierCircus approximans
- Whistling KiteHaliastur sphenurus
- White-bellied Sea-EagleHaliaeetus leucogaster
- Wedge-tailed EagleAquila audax
- Brown FalconFalco berigora
- Nankeen KestrelFalco cenchroides
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Black-shouldered KiteElanus axillaris
- Australian hobbyFalco longipennis
- Brown GoshawkAccipiter fasciatus
- Little EagleHieraaetus morphnoides
- Spotted HarrierCircus assimilis
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Collared SparrowhawkAccipiter cirrocephalus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Black FalconFalco subniger
Owls3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Southern BoobookNinox boobook
- Eastern Barn OwlTyto javanica
- Powerful OwlNinox strenua
Waders35 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Masked LapwingVanellus miles
- Pied OystercatcherHaematopus longirostris
- Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
- Hooded DotterelThinornis cucullatusNT
- Red-necked StintCalidris ruficollisNT
- Far Eastern CurlewNumenius madagascariensis
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Sooty OystercatcherHaematopus fuliginosus
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Pied StiltHimantopus leucocephalus
- Red-capped PloverCharadrius ruficapillus
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- Japanese SnipeGallinago hardwickiiNT
- Red-kneed DotterelErythrogonys cinctus
- Sharp-tailed SandpiperCalidris acuminataVU
- Double-banded PloverCharadrius bicinctusNT
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Black-fronted DotterelElseyornis melanops
- Great KnotCalidris tenuirostris
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Gray-tailed TattlerTringa brevipes
- Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
- Pacific Golden PloverPluvialis fulva
- Banded LapwingVanellus tricolor
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Bush Thick-kneeBurhinus grallarius
- Banded StiltCladorhynchus leucocephalus
- Charadrius mongolusCharadrius mongolus
- Australian Red-necked AvocetRecurvirostra novaehollandiae
- Terek SandpiperXenus cinereus
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
Gulls & seabirds38 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Silver GullChroicocephalus novaehollandiae
- Pacific GullLarus pacificus
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Great Crested-TernThalasseus bergii
- Australasian GannetMorus serrator
- Puffinus tenuirostrisPuffinus tenuirostris
- Fairy TernSternula nereisVU
- Blue PenguinEudyptula minor
- Southern Black-backed GullLarus dominicanus
- Shy albatrossThalassarche cautaNT
- Black-browed AlbatrossThalassarche melanophris
- Fluttering ShearwaterPuffinus gavia
- Fairy PrionPachyptila turtur
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
- Arctic SkuaStercorarius parasiticus
- Australian TernGelochelidon macrotarsa
- Antarctic FulmarFulmarus glacialoides
- Sooty shearwaterPuffinus griseus
- Common Diving-PetrelPelecanoides urinatrix
- Indian Yellow-nosed AlbatrossThalassarche carteri
- Light-mantled Sooty AlbatrossPhoebetria palpebrataNT
- Antarctic Giant-PetrelMacronectes giganteus
- Antarctic PrionPachyptila desolata
- Little TernSternula albifrons
- Kerguelen PetrelAphrodroma brevirostris
- Northern Giant PetrelMacronectes halli
- Blue PetrelHalobaena caerulea
- Thin-billed prionPachyptila belcheri
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Fulmar PrionPachyptila crassirostris
- Mottled PetrelPterodroma inexpectataNT
- Rockhopper PenguinEudyptes chrysocomeVU
- Arctic TernSterna paradisaea
- Salvin's PrionPachyptila salvini
- Gray-headed AlbatrossThalassarche chrysostoma
- Great-winged PetrelPterodroma macroptera
- Brown SkuaStercorarius antarcticus
- Sooty TernOnychoprion fuscatus
Ducks & geese17 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black swanCygnus atratus
- Cape Barren GooseCereopsis novaehollandiae
- Chestnut TealAnas castanea
- Grey TealAnas gracilis
- Pacific Black DuckAnas superciliosa
- Maned DuckChenonetta jubata
- Australian ShelduckTadorna tadornoides
- Australasian ShovelerSpatula rhynchotis
- Musk DuckBiziura lobata
- HardheadAythya australis
- Pink-eared DuckMalacorhynchus membranaceus
- Blue-billed DuckOxyura australis
- Freckled DuckStictonetta naevosa
- Magpie GooseAnseranas semipalmata
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Cairina moschataCairina moschata
Herons, ibises & grebes25 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Australian White IbisThreskiornis molucca
- Little Pied CormorantMicrocarbo melanoleucos
- Australian PelicanPelecanus conspicillatus
- White-faced HeronEgretta novaehollandiae
- Pied CormorantPhalacrocorax varius
- Royal SpoonbillPlatalea regia
- Little Black CormorantPhalacrocorax sulcirostris
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Straw-necked IbisThreskiornis spinicollis
- Hoary-headed GrebePoliocephalus poliocephalus
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Yellow-billed SpoonbillPlatalea flavipes
- Nankeen Night HeronNycticorax caledonicus
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Ardea modestaArdea modesta
- Australasian GrebeTachybaptus novaehollandiae
- Black-faced CormorantPhalacrocorax fuscescens
- White-necked HeronArdea pacifica
- Australasian DarterAnhinga novaehollandiae
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Egretta intermediaEgretta intermedia
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Eastern Cattle EgretBubulcus coromandus
- Australasian BitternBotaurus poiciloptilusVU
Songbirds83 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Australian MagpieGymnorhina tibicen
- Red WattlebirdAnthochaera carunculata
- Welcome SwallowHirundo neoxena
- Little WattlebirdAnthochaera chrysoptera
- Little RavenCorvus mellori
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- Willie-wagtailRhipidura leucophrys
- Superb Fairy-wrenMalurus cyaneus
- Magpie larkGrallina cyanoleuca
- New Holland HoneyeaterPhylidonyris novaehollandiae
- Rhipidura albiscapaRhipidura albiscapa
- Brown ThornbillAcanthiza pusilla
- Grey CurrawongStrepera versicolor
- Grey ShrikethrushColluricincla harmonica
- Grey ButcherbirdCracticus torquatus
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- White-plumed HoneyeaterPtilotula penicillata
- SilvereyeZosterops lateralis
- White-browed ScrubwrenSericornis frontalis
- White-eared HoneyeaterNesoptilotis leucotis
- Common MynaAcridotheres tristis
- Yellow-faced HoneyeaterCaligavis chrysops
- Australian RavenCorvus coronoides
- Red-browed FiretailNeochmia temporalis
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- Spotted PardalotePardalotus punctatus
- Yellow-rumped ThornbillAcanthiza chrysorrhoa
- White-fronted ChatEpthianura albifrons
- White-naped HoneyeaterMelithreptus lunatus
- Striated PardalotePardalotus striatus
- Black-faced CuckooshrikeCoracina novaehollandiae
- Eastern SpinebillAcanthorhynchus tenuirostris
- Australian Golden WhistlerPachycephala pectoralis
- Eastern Yellow RobinEopsaltria australis
- Flame RobinPetroica phoenicea
- Fairy MartinPetrochelidon ariel
- Pied CurrawongStrepera graculina
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- Little GrassbirdMegalurus gramineus
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- Tree MartinPetrochelidon nigricans
- Dusky WoodswallowArtamus cyanopterus
- Rufous WhistlerPachycephala rufiventris
- Striated ThornbillAcanthiza lineata
- Noisy MinerManorina melanocephala
- Australian PipitAnthus australis
- Singing HoneyeaterGavicalis virescens
- Australian Reed-WarblerAcrocephalus australis
- Satin FlycatcherMyiagra cyanoleuca
- Spiny-cheeked HoneyeaterAcanthagenys rufogularis
- Spangled DrongoDicrurus bracteatus
- Australasian PipitAnthus novaeseelandiae
- Pink RobinPetroica rodinogaster
- Golden-headed CisticolaCisticola exilis
- Olive WhistlerPachycephala olivacea
- MistletoebirdDicaeum hirundinaceum
- Crescent HoneyeaterPhylidonyris pyrrhopterus
- Bassian ThrushZoothera lunulata
- Scarlet RobinPetroica boodang
- Scarlet MyzomelaMyzomela sanguinolenta
- Olive-backed OrioleOriolus sagittatus
- Noisy FriarbirdPhilemon corniculatus
- Brown-headed HoneyeaterMelithreptus brevirostris
- Rose RobinPetroica rosea
- Rufous FantailRhipidura rufifrons
- Crested Shrike-titFalcunculus frontatus
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- Australian White-winged TrillerLalage tricolor
- Restless FlycatcherMyiagra inquieta
- Jacky-winterMicroeca fascinans
- Yellow ThornbillAcanthiza nana
- Leaden FlycatcherMyiagra rubecula
- White-throated TreecreeperCormobates leucophaea
- White-browed WoodswallowArtamus superciliosus
- Brown SonglarkMegalurus cruralis
- Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
- Buff-rumped ThornbillAcanthiza reguloides
- WeebillSmicrornis brevirostris
- Forest RavenCorvus tasmanicus
- Striated FieldwrenCalamanthus fuliginosus
- Singing BushlarkMirafra javanica
- White-winged TrillerLalage sueurii
Other birds50 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- GalahEolophus roseicapilla
- KookaburraDacelo novaeguineae
- Eastern Spotted DoveSpilopelia chinensis
- Coconut LorikeetTrichoglossus haematodus
- Australasian SwamphenPorphyrio melanotus
- Eastern RosellaPlatycercus eximius
- CootFulica atra
- Fan-tailed CuckooCacomantis flabelliformis
- Sulphur-crested CockatooCacatua galerita
- Dusky MoorhenGallinula tenebrosa
- Little CorellaCacatua sanguinea
- Western SwamphenPorphyrio porphyrio
- Yellow-tailed Black CockatooZanda funerea
- Crested PigeonOcyphaps lophotes
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Horsfield's Bronze CuckooChrysococcyx basalis
- Shining cuckooChrysococcyx lucidus
- Sacred KingfisherTodiramphus sanctus
- Australian CrakePorzana fluminea
- Black-tailed NativehenGallinula ventralis
- Pallid cuckooCuculus pallidus
- Common BronzewingPhaps chalcoptera
- Buff-banded RailGallirallus philippensis
- Crimson RosellaPlatycercus elegans
- Indian PeafowlPavo cristatus
- Musk LorikeetGlossopsitta concinna
- Blue-winged ParrotNeophema chrysostomaVU
- Brush BronzewingPhaps elegans
- Long-billed CorellaCacatua tenuirostris
- Needle-tailed SwiftHirundapus caudacutus
- Yellow-tailed Black CockatooCalyptorhynchus funereus
- Scaly-breasted LorikeetTrichoglossus chlorolepidotus
- Spotless CrakePorzana tabuensis
- Baillon's CrakePorzana pusilla
- Swift ParrotLathamus discolorCR
- Pacific KoelEudynamys orientalis
- Pacific SwiftApus pacificus
- Australian King ParrotAlisterus scapularis
- Stubble QuailCoturnix pectoralis
- Brown QuailSynoicus ypsilophorus
- Red-rumped ParrotPsephotus haematonotus
- Red JunglefowlGallus gallus
- Orange-bellied ParrotNeophema chrysogasterCR
- Painted ButtonquailTurnix varius
- Pink CockatooCacatua leadbeateri
- EmuDromaius novaehollandiae
- Tawny FrogmouthPodargus strigoides
- Lewin's RailLewinia pectoralis
- Oriental DollarbirdEurystomus orientalis
- Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species in January and from October to November.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan24°/14°48 mm
- Feb23°/15°52 mm
- Mar22°/14°54 mm
- Apr19°/12°72 mm
- May16°/10°77 mm
- Jun13°/9°83 mm
- Jul13°/8°82 mm
- Aug13°/8°91 mm
- Sep15°/9°78 mm
- Oct17°/10°74 mm
- Nov20°/12°79 mm
- Dec22°/13°66 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Churchill Island Marine National Park.
Protected area in Victoria, Australia
Churchill Island Marine National Park is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Australia.
267 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 197,520 open records.
The most recorded are the Masked Lapwing, the Silver Gull and the Australian Magpie.
54 species come for the summer, 33 for the winter and 1 only pass through.
9 are threatened worldwide, including Fairy Tern, Curlew Sandpiper and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper.
The most species are recorded in January and from October to November.
Get there and watch
- BIG4 Phillip Island Caravan Parkcampsite · 4.0 km · 12 within 10 km
- Phillip Island YHAplace to stay · 4.0 km · 20 within 10 km
- Cape Woolamainearest town · 5.5 km in a straight line
- Melbourne Moorabbin Airport (MBW)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 61 km in a straight lineCar hire at AVV airport (Geelong/Melbourne)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 1bird hides within 6 km
- 1visitor centres within 6 kmPhillip Island Visitor Information Centre
- 17viewpoints within 5 kmMangrove Lookout, Conservation Hill, Diamond Dolly Quarry Lookout and 14 more
- 11car parks within 3 km
- 3restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 12campsites within 10 kmBIG4 Phillip Island Caravan Park, Beach Haven Caravan Park, A Maze'N Things Holiday Park and 9 more
- 20places to stay within 10 kmPhillip Island YHA, Koala Park Resort, San Remo Hotel Motel and 17 more
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Churchill Island Marine National Park.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas27 mountains within 25 kmRichardsons Hill · 8.9 kmPenguin Rock · 12 kmThe Pinnacles · 15 kmWestern Hill · 16 kmSteenholdts Hill · 17 kmMount Wellington · 18 kmPlum Pudding Rock · 23 kmNolans Hill · 25 km
Coastya6 beaches within 10 kmChildrens Beach · 4.9 kmBack Beach · 5.6 kmSmiths Beach · 5.7 kmWoolamai Surf Beach · 5.9 kmBlack Beach · 7.3 kmHutchinson Beach · 9.8 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Other places nearby.
Churchill Island Marine National Park
Australia
- 84Birdyas Score
- 267Species
- 88Migrants
- 9Threatened
Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands
Australia · 51 km
- 85Birdyas Score
- 283Species
- 93Migrants
- 9Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q5118197) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 197,520 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Islandyas, Coastya |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit 
lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit 
dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit