Australia Ramsar wetland
Gippsland Lakes
202 bird species recorded; the most in January and in March.
Kacey Chong · CC BY-SA 4.0
This month here
151 species in January.132 species in February.145 species in March.131 species in April.119 species in May.119 species in June.111 species in July.119 species in August.121 species in September.116 species in October.123 species in November.123 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.
VU
NT
NT
VU- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
202 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).
- 202Speciesrecorded more than once
- 63Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 7ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 12,705Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 14Raptors
- 3Owls
- 19Waders
- 16Gulls & seabirds
- 13Ducks & geese
- 22Herons, ibises & grebes
- 75Songbirds
- 40Other 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 202 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors14 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- White-bellied Sea-EagleHaliaeetus leucogaster
- Whistling KiteHaliastur sphenurus
- Wedge-tailed EagleAquila audax
- Swamp HarrierCircus approximans
- Brown GoshawkAccipiter fasciatus
- Brown FalconFalco berigora
- Nankeen KestrelFalco cenchroides
- Black-shouldered KiteElanus axillaris
- Australian hobbyFalco longipennis
- Collared SparrowhawkAccipiter cirrocephalus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Little EagleHieraaetus morphnoides
- Grey GoshawkAccipiter novaehollandiae
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
Owls3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Southern BoobookNinox boobook
- Eastern Barn OwlTyto javanica
- Powerful OwlNinox strenua
Waders19 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Masked LapwingVanellus miles
- Pied OystercatcherHaematopus longirostris
- Red-necked StintCalidris ruficollisNT
- Sharp-tailed SandpiperCalidris acuminataVU
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Red-capped PloverCharadrius ruficapillus
- Pied StiltHimantopus leucocephalus
- Australian Red-necked AvocetRecurvirostra novaehollandiae
- Banded StiltCladorhynchus leucocephalus
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- Hooded DotterelThinornis cucullatusNT
- Japanese SnipeGallinago hardwickiiNT
- Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
- Far Eastern CurlewNumenius madagascariensis
- Black-fronted DotterelElseyornis melanops
- Great KnotCalidris tenuirostris
- Double-banded PloverCharadrius bicinctusNT
- Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
Gulls & seabirds16 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Silver GullChroicocephalus novaehollandiae
- Great Crested-TernThalasseus bergii
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Pacific GullLarus pacificus
- Little TernSternula albifrons
- Fairy TernSternula nereisVU
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
- Australasian GannetMorus serrator
- White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterus
- Fairy PrionPachyptila turtur
- Fluttering ShearwaterPuffinus gavia
- Puffinus tenuirostrisPuffinus tenuirostris
- Arctic SkuaStercorarius parasiticus
- Shy albatrossThalassarche cautaNT
- Black-browed AlbatrossThalassarche melanophris
Ducks & geese13 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black swanCygnus atratus
- Chestnut TealAnas castanea
- Grey TealAnas gracilis
- Australian ShelduckTadorna tadornoides
- Pacific Black DuckAnas superciliosa
- Maned DuckChenonetta jubata
- Musk DuckBiziura lobata
- Australasian ShovelerSpatula rhynchotis
- HardheadAythya australis
- Pink-eared DuckMalacorhynchus membranaceus
- Magpie GooseAnseranas semipalmata
- Blue-billed DuckOxyura australis
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
Herons, ibises & grebes22 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Little Pied CormorantMicrocarbo melanoleucos
- Australian PelicanPelecanus conspicillatus
- White-faced HeronEgretta novaehollandiae
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Little Black CormorantPhalacrocorax sulcirostris
- Hoary-headed GrebePoliocephalus poliocephalus
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Ardea modestaArdea modesta
- Pied CormorantPhalacrocorax varius
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
- Australian White IbisThreskiornis molucca
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Royal SpoonbillPlatalea regia
- Straw-necked IbisThreskiornis spinicollis
- Black-faced CormorantPhalacrocorax fuscescens
- Nankeen Night HeronNycticorax caledonicus
- Yellow-billed SpoonbillPlatalea flavipes
- Australasian GrebeTachybaptus novaehollandiae
- Egretta intermediaEgretta intermedia
- White-necked HeronArdea pacifica
- Australasian DarterAnhinga novaehollandiae
- Eastern Cattle EgretBubulcus coromandus
Songbirds75 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Red WattlebirdAnthochaera carunculata
- Superb Fairy-wrenMalurus cyaneus
- Australian MagpieGymnorhina tibicen
- Little WattlebirdAnthochaera chrysoptera
- Noisy MinerManorina melanocephala
- Welcome SwallowHirundo neoxena
- Rhipidura albiscapaRhipidura albiscapa
- Brown ThornbillAcanthiza pusilla
- Grey ShrikethrushColluricincla harmonica
- White-browed ScrubwrenSericornis frontalis
- Eastern Yellow RobinEopsaltria australis
- Eastern SpinebillAcanthorhynchus tenuirostris
- SilvereyeZosterops lateralis
- Yellow-faced HoneyeaterCaligavis chrysops
- Grey ButcherbirdCracticus torquatus
- Grey CurrawongStrepera versicolor
- Magpie larkGrallina cyanoleuca
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- New Holland HoneyeaterPhylidonyris novaehollandiae
- Spotted PardalotePardalotus punctatus
- Little RavenCorvus mellori
- White-eared HoneyeaterNesoptilotis leucotis
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- Australian Golden WhistlerPachycephala pectoralis
- Willie-wagtailRhipidura leucophrys
- Australian RavenCorvus coronoides
- Striated PardalotePardalotus striatus
- Black-faced CuckooshrikeCoracina novaehollandiae
- Rufous WhistlerPachycephala rufiventris
- White-throated TreecreeperCormobates leucophaea
- Striated ThornbillAcanthiza lineata
- Eastern WhipbirdPsophodes olivaceus
- Red-browed FiretailNeochmia temporalis
- Tree MartinPetrochelidon nigricans
- Olive-backed OrioleOriolus sagittatus
- Bassian ThrushZoothera lunulata
- Forest RavenCorvus tasmanicus
- Striated FieldwrenCalamanthus fuliginosus
- Crescent HoneyeaterPhylidonyris pyrrhopterus
- White-fronted ChatEpthianura albifrons
- Pied CurrawongStrepera graculina
- Dusky WoodswallowArtamus cyanopterus
- Common MynaAcridotheres tristis
- Australasian PipitAnthus novaeseelandiae
- MistletoebirdDicaeum hirundinaceum
- Brown-headed HoneyeaterMelithreptus brevirostris
- Yellow-rumped ThornbillAcanthiza chrysorrhoa
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- Australian PipitAnthus australis
- Noisy FriarbirdPhilemon corniculatus
- Flame RobinPetroica phoenicea
- Lewin's HoneyeaterMeliphaga lewinii
- Scarlet RobinPetroica boodang
- Jacky-winterMicroeca fascinans
- Rufous FantailRhipidura rufifrons
- Scarlet MyzomelaMyzomela sanguinolenta
- White-naped HoneyeaterMelithreptus lunatus
- Corcorax melanoramphosCorcorax melanoramphos
- Chestnut-rumped HeathwrenCalamanthus pyrrhopygius
- Yellow ThornbillAcanthiza nana
- Brown GerygoneGerygone mouki
- Fairy MartinPetrochelidon ariel
- Buff-rumped ThornbillAcanthiza reguloides
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Satin FlycatcherMyiagra cyanoleuca
- Regent HoneyeaterAnthochaera phrygiaCR
- Crested Shrike-titFalcunculus frontatus
- WeebillSmicrornis brevirostris
- Restless FlycatcherMyiagra inquieta
- White-bellied CuckooshrikeCoracina papuensis
- Bell MinerManorina melanophrys
- Hooded RobinMelanodryas cucullata
- Golden-headed CisticolaCisticola exilis
- Beautiful FiretailStagonopleura bella
Other birds40 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Crimson RosellaPlatycercus elegans
- Coconut LorikeetTrichoglossus haematodus
- KookaburraDacelo novaeguineae
- Eastern RosellaPlatycercus eximius
- Common BronzewingPhaps chalcoptera
- CootFulica atra
- Sulphur-crested CockatooCacatua galerita
- GalahEolophus roseicapilla
- Fan-tailed CuckooCacomantis flabelliformis
- Yellow-tailed Black CockatooZanda funerea
- EmuDromaius novaehollandiae
- Eastern Spotted DoveSpilopelia chinensis
- Brush BronzewingPhaps elegans
- Shining cuckooChrysococcyx lucidus
- Musk LorikeetGlossopsitta concinna
- Pallid cuckooCuculus pallidus
- Tawny FrogmouthPodargus strigoides
- Needle-tailed SwiftHirundapus caudacutus
- Sacred KingfisherTodiramphus sanctus
- Crested PigeonOcyphaps lophotes
- Pacific KoelEudynamys orientalis
- Gang-gang CockatooCallocephalon fimbriatumVU
- Australian Owlet-NightjarAegotheles cristatus
- Little CorellaCacatua sanguinea
- Swift ParrotLathamus discolorCR
- Yellow-tailed Black CockatooCalyptorhynchus funereus
- Horsfield's Bronze CuckooChrysococcyx basalis
- Western SwamphenPorphyrio porphyrio
- Australian King ParrotAlisterus scapularis
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Dusky MoorhenGallinula tenebrosa
- Australian CrakePorzana fluminea
- Painted ButtonquailTurnix varius
- Azure KingfisherCeyx azureus
- Stubble QuailCoturnix pectoralis
- Brown QuailSynoicus ypsilophorus
- Blue-winged ParrotNeophema chrysostomaVU
- Wonga PigeonLeucosarcia melanoleuca
- Pacific SwiftApus pacificus
- Purple-crowned LorikeetParvipsitta porphyrocephala
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 in March.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan25°/15°50 mm
- Feb24°/15°60 mm
- Mar23°/14°52 mm
- Apr20°/12°62 mm
- May16°/9°39 mm
- Jun14°/8°68 mm
- Jul13°/7°52 mm
- Aug14°/7°52 mm
- Sep16°/8°45 mm
- Oct19°/10°64 mm
- Nov21°/12°84 mm
- Dec23°/13°64 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Gippsland Lakes.
Lake network in Victoria, Australia
Gippsland Lakes is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Australia.
202 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 12,705 open records.
The most recorded are the Black swan, the Silver Gull and the Chestnut Teal.
31 species come for the summer, 32 for the winter and 0 only pass through.
7 are threatened worldwide, including Fairy Tern, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and Curlew Sandpiper.
The most species are recorded in January and in March.
Get there and watch
- Emu Bight Campgroundcampsite · 0.6 km · 9 within 10 km
- Mariners Cove Motel & Apartmentsplace to stay · 11 km · 1 within 10 km
- Paynesvillenearest town · 11 km in a straight line
- Mount Hotham Airport (MHU)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 110 km in a straight lineCar hire at ABX airport (East Albury)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
- 2viewpoints within 5 kmLake Reeve lookout tower, Lake Victoria
- 9campsites within 10 kmEmu Bight Campground, Camp Coorong, Cormorant By The Lakes and 6 more
- 1places to stay within 10 kmMariners Cove Motel & Apartments
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
- car parks within 3 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 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 Gippsland Lakes.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas11 mountains within 25 kmWhite Cliffs · 6.9 kmGoon Nure Hill · 7.1 kmStockyard Hill · 7.6 kmPenrose Hill · 8.7 kmRed Bluff · 12 kmBracken Hill · 17 kmAmboyne Hill · 20 kmMount Cunninghame · 22 km
Coastya1 beaches within 10 kmCherry Tree Beach · 1.8 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.
Gippsland Lakes
Australia
- 72Birdyas Score
- 202Species
- 63Migrants
- 7Threatened
Ninety Mile Beach Marine National Park
Australia · 62 km
- 66Birdyas Score
- 176Species
- 59Migrants
- 5Threatened
Churchill Island Marine National Park
Australia · 211 km
- 84Birdyas Score
- 267Species
- 88Migrants
- 9Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q1526535) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 12,705 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, 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