Australia Ramsar wetland
Swan Bay
292 bird species recorded; the most in April, from September to October and in December.
Maias · CC BY-SA 3.0
This month here
208 species in January.192 species in February.196 species in March.213 species in April.187 species in May.196 species in June.192 species in July.198 species in August.220 species in September.218 species in October.205 species in November.221 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
VU- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
292 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).
- 292Speciesrecorded more than once
- 90Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 13ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 125,145Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 18Raptors
- 5Owls
- 43Waders
- 43Gulls & seabirds
- 17Ducks & geese
- 25Herons, ibises & grebes
- 1Storks & cranes
- 86Songbirds
- 54Other 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 292 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors18 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Swamp HarrierCircus approximans
- Whistling KiteHaliastur sphenurus
- Black-shouldered KiteElanus axillaris
- Nankeen KestrelFalco cenchroides
- Brown FalconFalco berigora
- White-bellied Sea-EagleHaliaeetus leucogaster
- Australian hobbyFalco longipennis
- Wedge-tailed EagleAquila audax
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Brown GoshawkAccipiter fasciatus
- Little EagleHieraaetus morphnoides
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Spotted HarrierCircus assimilis
- Black FalconFalco subniger
- Collared SparrowhawkAccipiter cirrocephalus
- Grey GoshawkAccipiter novaehollandiae
- Eastern OspreyPandion cristatus
Owls5 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eastern Barn OwlTyto javanica
- Southern BoobookNinox boobook
- Barking BoobookNinox connivens
- MopokeNinox novaeseelandiae
- Australian Masked OwlTyto novaehollandiae
Waders43 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Masked LapwingVanellus miles
- Pied OystercatcherHaematopus longirostris
- Red-necked StintCalidris ruficollisNT
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Sharp-tailed SandpiperCalidris acuminataVU
- Far Eastern CurlewNumenius madagascariensis
- Red-capped PloverCharadrius ruficapillus
- Pied StiltHimantopus leucocephalus
- Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- Hooded DotterelThinornis cucullatusNT
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Black-fronted DotterelElseyornis melanops
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Sooty OystercatcherHaematopus fuliginosus
- Pacific Golden PloverPluvialis fulva
- Red-kneed DotterelErythrogonys cinctus
- Double-banded PloverCharadrius bicinctusNT
- Gray-tailed TattlerTringa brevipes
- Great KnotCalidris tenuirostris
- Banded StiltCladorhynchus leucocephalus
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Charadrius mongolusCharadrius mongolus
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Japanese SnipeGallinago hardwickiiNT
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
- Australian Red-necked AvocetRecurvirostra novaehollandiae
- Banded LapwingVanellus tricolor
- Greater Sand PloverCharadrius leschenaultii
- Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Bush Thick-kneeBurhinus grallarius
- Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
- Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaVU
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Broad-billed SandpiperCalidris falcinellusVU
- Terek SandpiperXenus cinereus
- Little CurlewNumenius minutus
- Asian DowitcherLimnodromus semipalmatusNT
- Long-toed StintCalidris subminuta
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
Gulls & seabirds43 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Silver GullChroicocephalus novaehollandiae
- Pacific GullLarus pacificus
- Great Crested-TernThalasseus bergii
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Australasian GannetMorus serrator
- Fairy TernSternula nereisVU
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
- Little TernSternula albifrons
- Puffinus tenuirostrisPuffinus tenuirostris
- Blue PenguinEudyptula minor
- Arctic SkuaStercorarius parasiticus
- Black-browed AlbatrossThalassarche melanophris
- Shy albatrossThalassarche cautaNT
- Salvin's PrionPachyptila salvini
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Southern Black-backed GullLarus dominicanus
- Fairy PrionPachyptila turtur
- White-faced storm petrelPelagodroma marina
- Fluttering ShearwaterPuffinus gavia
- Antarctic Giant-PetrelMacronectes giganteus
- ToroaDiomedea exulansVU
- Thin-billed prionPachyptila belcheri
- Australian TernGelochelidon macrotarsa
- Antarctic PrionPachyptila desolata
- White-fronted TernSterna striataNT
- Pomarine SkuaStercorarius pomarinus
- Indian Yellow-nosed AlbatrossThalassarche carteri
- Brown SkuaStercorarius antarcticus
- Northern Giant PetrelMacronectes halli
- Pintado PetrelDaption capense
- Common Diving-PetrelPelecanoides urinatrix
- Kerguelen PetrelAphrodroma brevirostris
- White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterus
- Antarctic FulmarFulmarus glacialoides
- White-headed PetrelPterodroma lessonii
- Antarctic PetrelThalassoica antarctica
- Sooty shearwaterPuffinus griseus
- Gray-headed AlbatrossThalassarche chrysostoma
- Broad-billed PrionPachyptila vittata
- Flesh-footed ShearwaterPuffinus carneipes
- Blue PetrelHalobaena caerulea
- Wilson's Storm-PetrelOceanites oceanicus
- Puffinus huttoniPuffinus huttoni
Ducks & geese17 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Chestnut TealAnas castanea
- Black swanCygnus atratus
- Grey TealAnas gracilis
- Pacific Black DuckAnas superciliosa
- Maned DuckChenonetta jubata
- Australian ShelduckTadorna tadornoides
- HardheadAythya australis
- Musk DuckBiziura lobata
- Australasian ShovelerSpatula rhynchotis
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Blue-billed DuckOxyura australis
- Pink-eared DuckMalacorhynchus membranaceus
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Cairina moschataCairina moschata
- Cape Barren GooseCereopsis novaehollandiae
- Grass Whistling DuckDendrocygna eytoni
- Magpie GooseAnseranas semipalmata
Herons, ibises & grebes25 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Little Pied CormorantMicrocarbo melanoleucos
- Australian White IbisThreskiornis molucca
- Australian PelicanPelecanus conspicillatus
- White-faced HeronEgretta novaehollandiae
- Pied CormorantPhalacrocorax varius
- Straw-necked IbisThreskiornis spinicollis
- Little Black CormorantPhalacrocorax sulcirostris
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Royal SpoonbillPlatalea regia
- Hoary-headed GrebePoliocephalus poliocephalus
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Yellow-billed SpoonbillPlatalea flavipes
- Australasian GrebeTachybaptus novaehollandiae
- Nankeen Night HeronNycticorax caledonicus
- Ardea modestaArdea modesta
- White-necked HeronArdea pacifica
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
- Black-faced CormorantPhalacrocorax fuscescens
- Eastern Cattle EgretBubulcus coromandus
- Australasian DarterAnhinga novaehollandiae
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Egretta intermediaEgretta intermedia
- Australasian BitternBotaurus poiciloptilusVU
Storks & cranes1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- BrolgaGrus rubicunda
Songbirds86 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Australian MagpieGymnorhina tibicen
- Welcome SwallowHirundo neoxena
- Red WattlebirdAnthochaera carunculata
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Little RavenCorvus mellori
- Superb Fairy-wrenMalurus cyaneus
- Magpie larkGrallina cyanoleuca
- Willie-wagtailRhipidura leucophrys
- New Holland HoneyeaterPhylidonyris novaehollandiae
- Brown ThornbillAcanthiza pusilla
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- Spiny-cheeked HoneyeaterAcanthagenys rufogularis
- Common MynaAcridotheres tristis
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Rhipidura albiscapaRhipidura albiscapa
- SilvereyeZosterops lateralis
- White-fronted ChatEpthianura albifrons
- White-browed ScrubwrenSericornis frontalis
- White-plumed HoneyeaterPtilotula penicillata
- Grey ButcherbirdCracticus torquatus
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- Yellow-rumped ThornbillAcanthiza chrysorrhoa
- Noisy MinerManorina melanocephala
- Singing HoneyeaterGavicalis virescens
- Striated FieldwrenCalamanthus fuliginosus
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- Red-browed FiretailNeochmia temporalis
- Pied CurrawongStrepera graculina
- Grey ShrikethrushColluricincla harmonica
- Little GrassbirdMegalurus gramineus
- Spotted PardalotePardalotus punctatus
- Black-faced CuckooshrikeCoracina novaehollandiae
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- Golden-headed CisticolaCisticola exilis
- Australian Golden WhistlerPachycephala pectoralis
- Flame RobinPetroica phoenicea
- Yellow ThornbillAcanthiza nana
- Little WattlebirdAnthochaera chrysoptera
- MistletoebirdDicaeum hirundinaceum
- Yellow-faced HoneyeaterCaligavis chrysops
- Australian PipitAnthus australis
- Rufous WhistlerPachycephala rufiventris
- Australasian PipitAnthus novaeseelandiae
- Eastern Yellow RobinEopsaltria australis
- Fairy MartinPetrochelidon ariel
- Grey CurrawongStrepera versicolor
- Eastern SpinebillAcanthorhynchus tenuirostris
- Striated PardalotePardalotus striatus
- Tree MartinPetrochelidon nigricans
- Striated ThornbillAcanthiza lineata
- White-naped HoneyeaterMelithreptus lunatus
- Scarlet RobinPetroica boodang
- Dusky WoodswallowArtamus cyanopterus
- Australian Reed-WarblerAcrocephalus australis
- Rufous FantailRhipidura rufifrons
- White-eared HoneyeaterNesoptilotis leucotis
- White-browed WoodswallowArtamus superciliosus
- Australian RavenCorvus coronoides
- Singing BushlarkMirafra javanica
- Australian White-winged TrillerLalage tricolor
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- Varied SittellaDaphoenositta chrysoptera
- Brown-headed HoneyeaterMelithreptus brevirostris
- Brown SonglarkMegalurus cruralis
- Restless FlycatcherMyiagra inquieta
- Buff-rumped ThornbillAcanthiza reguloides
- Pink RobinPetroica rodinogaster
- Chestnut-rumped HeathwrenCalamanthus pyrrhopygius
- Crested Shrike-titFalcunculus frontatus
- Crescent HoneyeaterPhylidonyris pyrrhopterus
- Olive-backed OrioleOriolus sagittatus
- Jacky-winterMicroeca fascinans
- WeebillSmicrornis brevirostris
- Rufous SonglarkMegalurus mathewsi
- Tawny-crowned HoneyeaterGliciphila melanops
- Bassian ThrushZoothera lunulata
- White-throated TreecreeperCormobates leucophaea
- Masked WoodswallowArtamus personatus
- Satin FlycatcherMyiagra cyanoleuca
- Scarlet MyzomelaMyzomela sanguinolenta
- Southern Emu-wrenStipiturus malachurus
- Beautiful FiretailStagonopleura bella
- Olive WhistlerPachycephala olivacea
- Southern WhitefaceAphelocephala leucopsisVU
- Sunda Zebra FinchTaeniopygia guttata
- White-fronted HoneyeaterPurnella albifrons
Other birds54 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eastern Spotted DoveSpilopelia chinensis
- GalahEolophus roseicapilla
- Eastern RosellaPlatycercus eximius
- Crested PigeonOcyphaps lophotes
- Coconut LorikeetTrichoglossus haematodus
- Red-rumped ParrotPsephotus haematonotus
- CootFulica atra
- Crimson RosellaPlatycercus elegans
- Sulphur-crested CockatooCacatua galerita
- Fan-tailed CuckooCacomantis flabelliformis
- Orange-bellied ParrotNeophema chrysogasterCR
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Yellow-tailed Black CockatooZanda funerea
- Horsfield's Bronze CuckooChrysococcyx basalis
- Shining cuckooChrysococcyx lucidus
- Dusky MoorhenGallinula tenebrosa
- Common BronzewingPhaps chalcoptera
- Western SwamphenPorphyrio porphyrio
- Buff-banded RailGallirallus philippensis
- Little CorellaCacatua sanguinea
- Australasian SwamphenPorphyrio melanotus
- Blue-winged ParrotNeophema chrysostomaVU
- Australian CrakePorzana fluminea
- Long-billed CorellaCacatua tenuirostris
- Black-tailed NativehenGallinula ventralis
- KookaburraDacelo novaeguineae
- Brown QuailSynoicus ypsilophorus
- Stubble QuailCoturnix pectoralis
- Pallid cuckooCuculus pallidus
- Tawny FrogmouthPodargus strigoides
- Lewin's RailLewinia pectoralis
- Sacred KingfisherTodiramphus sanctus
- Baillon's CrakePorzana pusilla
- Needle-tailed SwiftHirundapus caudacutus
- Musk LorikeetGlossopsitta concinna
- Pacific SwiftApus pacificus
- Yellow-tailed Black CockatooCalyptorhynchus funereus
- Brush BronzewingPhaps elegans
- Spotless CrakePorzana tabuensis
- Gang-gang CockatooCallocephalon fimbriatumVU
- Purple-crowned LorikeetParvipsitta porphyrocephala
- Painted ButtonquailTurnix varius
- Rainbow Bee-eaterMerops ornatus
- Australian King ParrotAlisterus scapularis
- Swift ParrotLathamus discolorCR
- Peaceful DoveGeopelia placida
- Red JunglefowlGallus gallus
- Scaly-breasted LorikeetTrichoglossus chlorolepidotus
- Black-eared CuckooChrysococcyx osculans
- Pacific KoelEudynamys orientalis
- Slaty-headed ParakeetPsittacula himalayana
- Azure KingfisherCeyx azureus
- Little LorikeetParvipsitta pusilla
- Little LorikeetGlossopsitta pusilla
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 April, from September to October and in December.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan26°/14°40 mm
- Feb25°/14°42 mm
- Mar24°/13°36 mm
- Apr20°/11°50 mm
- May16°/8°47 mm
- Jun13°/7°56 mm
- Jul13°/6°54 mm
- Aug13°/6°59 mm
- Sep16°/7°53 mm
- Oct19°/8°52 mm
- Nov22°/11°62 mm
- Dec24°/12°46 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Swan Bay.
Bay in Victoria, Australia
Swan Bay is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Australia.
292 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 125,145 open records.
The most recorded are the Silver Gull, the Australian Magpie and the Masked Lapwing.
58 species come for the summer, 31 for the winter and 1 only pass through.
13 are threatened worldwide, including Fairy Tern, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and Orange-bellied Parrot.
The most species are recorded in April, from September to October and in December.
Get there and watch
- Swan Bay Holiday Parkcampsite · 0.9 km · 13 within 10 km
- The Big Houseplace to stay · 3.6 km · 8 within 10 km
- Queenscliffnearest town · 5.8 km in a straight line
- Melbourne Avalon International Airport (AVV)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 25 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
- 3viewpoints within 5 kmEdwards Point
- 3car parks within 3 km
- 2restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 13campsites within 10 kmSwan Bay Holiday Park, Victoria Park Campground, Queenscliff Recreational Reserve Caravan Park and 10 more
- 8places to stay within 10 kmThe Big House, The Yellow House, Benambra Bed & Breakfast and 5 more
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- visitor centres within 6 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 Swan Bay.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas22 mountains within 25 kmMarcus Hill · 4.5 kmSouth Red Bluff · 6.7 kmPearce Hill · 10 kmWhite Woman Rock · 11 kmSteeles Rock · 12 kmTimms Tunnel · 13 kmLondon Bridge · 13 kmMount Levy · 14 km
Lakeyas2 lakes within 15 kmLake Victoria0.2 km² · 6.5 kmSt Leonards Salt Lagoon0.4 km² · 8.3 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.
Swan Bay
Australia
- 87Birdyas Score
- 292Species
- 90Migrants
- 13Threatened
Western Treatment Plant
Australia · 25 km
- 89Birdyas Score
- 305Species
- 117Migrants
- 15Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q7653418) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 125,145 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, Lakeyas |
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