Australia Ramsar wetland
Western Treatment Plant
305 bird species recorded; the most from September to October and from December to January.
Ethmostigmus · CC BY-SA 4.0
This month here
250 species in January.242 species in February.234 species in March.242 species in April.235 species in May.226 species in June.225 species in July.226 species in August.244 species in September.246 species in October.233 species in November.246 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
VU
VU
VUVU
VUVU
NT
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
305 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).
- 305Speciesrecorded more than once
- 117Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 15ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 1,297,745Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 19Raptors
- 5Owls
- 53Waders
- 27Gulls & seabirds
- 20Ducks & geese
- 25Herons, ibises & grebes
- 1Storks & cranes
- 98Songbirds
- 57Other 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 305 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors19 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Swamp HarrierCircus approximans
- Whistling KiteHaliastur sphenurus
- Brown FalconFalco berigora
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Black-shouldered KiteElanus axillaris
- White-bellied Sea-EagleHaliaeetus leucogaster
- Nankeen KestrelFalco cenchroides
- Australian hobbyFalco longipennis
- Wedge-tailed EagleAquila audax
- Spotted HarrierCircus assimilis
- Black FalconFalco subniger
- Little EagleHieraaetus morphnoides
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Brown GoshawkAccipiter fasciatus
- Collared SparrowhawkAccipiter cirrocephalus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Grey GoshawkAccipiter novaehollandiae
- Letter-winged KiteElanus scriptusNT
- Eastern OspreyPandion cristatus
Owls5 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eastern Barn OwlTyto javanica
- Southern BoobookNinox boobook
- Eastern Grass-owlTyto longimembris
- Western Barn OwlTyto alba
- MopokeNinox novaeseelandiae
Waders53 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Pied StiltHimantopus leucocephalus
- Masked LapwingVanellus miles
- Red-necked StintCalidris ruficollisNT
- Pied OystercatcherHaematopus longirostris
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- Sharp-tailed SandpiperCalidris acuminataVU
- Australian Red-necked AvocetRecurvirostra novaehollandiae
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Red-kneed DotterelErythrogonys cinctus
- Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
- Banded StiltCladorhynchus leucocephalus
- Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- Banded LapwingVanellus tricolor
- Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
- Red-capped PloverCharadrius ruficapillus
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Pacific Golden PloverPluvialis fulva
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Long-toed StintCalidris subminuta
- Black-fronted DotterelElseyornis melanops
- Broad-billed SandpiperCalidris falcinellusVU
- Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatus
- Great KnotCalidris tenuirostris
- Sooty OystercatcherHaematopus fuliginosus
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- Japanese SnipeGallinago hardwickiiNT
- Terek SandpiperXenus cinereus
- Double-banded PloverCharadrius bicinctusNT
- White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisVU
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Far Eastern CurlewNumenius madagascariensis
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopusNT
- Oriental PratincoleGlareola maldivarum
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- American golden ploverPluvialis dominica
- Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaVU
- Gray-tailed TattlerTringa brevipes
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Little CurlewNumenius minutus
- Little StintCalidris minuta
- Australian Painted-snipeRostratula australis
- Charadrius mongolusCharadrius mongolus
- Greater Sand PloverCharadrius leschenaultii
- Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
- Hooded DotterelThinornis cucullatusNT
- Australian PratincoleStiltia isabella
- Plains-wandererPedionomus torquatus
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisVU
- Asian DowitcherLimnodromus semipalmatusNT
Gulls & seabirds27 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Silver GullChroicocephalus novaehollandiae
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
- Great Crested-TernThalasseus bergii
- White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterus
- Pacific GullLarus pacificus
- Fairy TernSternula nereisVU
- Little TernSternula albifrons
- Australasian GannetMorus serrator
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Arctic SkuaStercorarius parasiticus
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Australian TernGelochelidon macrotarsa
- Puffinus tenuirostrisPuffinus tenuirostris
- Blue PenguinEudyptula minor
- Fluttering ShearwaterPuffinus gavia
- Southern Black-backed GullLarus dominicanus
- Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
- Pomarine SkuaStercorarius pomarinus
- Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcan
- White-fronted TernSterna striataNT
- Brown BoobySula leucogaster
- White-faced storm petrelPelagodroma marina
- Antarctic Giant-PetrelMacronectes giganteus
- Puffinus huttoniPuffinus huttoni
- Black-winged PetrelPterodroma nigripennis
- Anous minutusAnous minutus
Ducks & geese20 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black swanCygnus atratus
- Chestnut TealAnas castanea
- Grey TealAnas gracilis
- Pacific Black DuckAnas superciliosa
- Australian ShelduckTadorna tadornoides
- HardheadAythya australis
- Musk DuckBiziura lobata
- Australasian ShovelerSpatula rhynchotis
- Pink-eared DuckMalacorhynchus membranaceus
- Blue-billed DuckOxyura australis
- Cape Barren GooseCereopsis novaehollandiae
- Freckled DuckStictonetta naevosa
- Maned DuckChenonetta jubata
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Magpie GooseAnseranas semipalmata
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Grass Whistling DuckDendrocygna eytoni
- Cairina moschataCairina moschata
Herons, ibises & grebes25 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Hoary-headed GrebePoliocephalus poliocephalus
- Australian PelicanPelecanus conspicillatus
- White-faced HeronEgretta novaehollandiae
- Australian White IbisThreskiornis molucca
- Little Pied CormorantMicrocarbo melanoleucos
- Straw-necked IbisThreskiornis spinicollis
- Royal SpoonbillPlatalea regia
- Little Black CormorantPhalacrocorax sulcirostris
- Pied CormorantPhalacrocorax varius
- Yellow-billed SpoonbillPlatalea flavipes
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Australasian GrebeTachybaptus novaehollandiae
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- White-necked HeronArdea pacifica
- Ardea modestaArdea modesta
- Australasian DarterAnhinga novaehollandiae
- Australasian BitternBotaurus poiciloptilusVU
- Egretta intermediaEgretta intermedia
- Black-faced CormorantPhalacrocorax fuscescens
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Nankeen Night HeronNycticorax caledonicus
- Eastern Cattle EgretBubulcus coromandus
Storks & cranes1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- BrolgaGrus rubicunda
Songbirds98 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Welcome SwallowHirundo neoxena
- Superb Fairy-wrenMalurus cyaneus
- Little RavenCorvus mellori
- White-fronted ChatEpthianura albifrons
- Australian MagpieGymnorhina tibicen
- Willie-wagtailRhipidura leucophrys
- Golden-headed CisticolaCisticola exilis
- Magpie larkGrallina cyanoleuca
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- Little GrassbirdMegalurus gramineus
- Fairy MartinPetrochelidon ariel
- White-browed ScrubwrenSericornis frontalis
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- Australian PipitAnthus australis
- Yellow-rumped ThornbillAcanthiza chrysorrhoa
- Australian Reed-WarblerAcrocephalus australis
- Sunda Zebra FinchTaeniopygia guttata
- Common MynaAcridotheres tristis
- Striated FieldwrenCalamanthus fuliginosus
- Red WattlebirdAnthochaera carunculata
- White-plumed HoneyeaterPtilotula penicillata
- SilvereyeZosterops lateralis
- Red-browed FiretailNeochmia temporalis
- Singing HoneyeaterGavicalis virescens
- Brown ThornbillAcanthiza pusilla
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- Tree MartinPetrochelidon nigricans
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- Black-faced CuckooshrikeCoracina novaehollandiae
- Singing BushlarkMirafra javanica
- Rhipidura albiscapaRhipidura albiscapa
- New Holland HoneyeaterPhylidonyris novaehollandiae
- Flame RobinPetroica phoenicea
- Australasian PipitAnthus novaeseelandiae
- Dusky WoodswallowArtamus cyanopterus
- Brown SonglarkMegalurus cruralis
- Spiny-cheeked HoneyeaterAcanthagenys rufogularis
- Grey ShrikethrushColluricincla harmonica
- Rufous SonglarkMegalurus mathewsi
- Crested Shrike-titFalcunculus frontatus
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- Australian Golden WhistlerPachycephala pectoralis
- Spotted PardalotePardalotus punctatus
- Noisy MinerManorina melanocephala
- Yellow ThornbillAcanthiza nana
- Yellow-faced HoneyeaterCaligavis chrysops
- Little WattlebirdAnthochaera chrysoptera
- Australian White-winged TrillerLalage tricolor
- Striated PardalotePardalotus striatus
- Scarlet RobinPetroica boodang
- Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
- Australian RavenCorvus coronoides
- White-browed WoodswallowArtamus superciliosus
- White-naped HoneyeaterMelithreptus lunatus
- Pied CurrawongStrepera graculina
- Rufous WhistlerPachycephala rufiventris
- MistletoebirdDicaeum hirundinaceum
- Grey ButcherbirdCracticus torquatus
- Eastern Yellow WagtailMotacilla tschutschensis
- Eastern Yellow RobinEopsaltria australis
- Olive-backed OrioleOriolus sagittatus
- Restless FlycatcherMyiagra inquieta
- Striated ThornbillAcanthiza lineata
- Corcorax melanoramphosCorcorax melanoramphos
- Jacky-winterMicroeca fascinans
- WeebillSmicrornis brevirostris
- Diamond FiretailStagonopleura guttataVU
- Red-whiskered BulbulPycnonotus jocosus
- Brown-headed HoneyeaterMelithreptus brevirostris
- Masked WoodswallowArtamus personatus
- Pink RobinPetroica rodinogaster
- Red-capped RobinPetroica goodenovii
- Eastern SpinebillAcanthorhynchus tenuirostris
- White-throated TreecreeperCormobates leucophaea
- Rufous FantailRhipidura rufifrons
- Yellow-tufted HoneyeaterLichenostomus melanops
- Rose RobinPetroica rosea
- Grey CurrawongStrepera versicolor
- Artamus leucorhynchosArtamus leucorhynchos
- White-backed SwallowCheramoeca leucosterna
- White-bellied CuckooshrikeCoracina papuensis
- White-throated GerygoneGerygone olivacea
- Satin FlycatcherMyiagra cyanoleuca
- Noisy FriarbirdPhilemon corniculatus
- Buff-rumped ThornbillAcanthiza reguloides
- White-winged TrillerLalage sueurii
- Brown TreecreeperClimacteris picumnus
- Black-chinned HoneyeaterMelithreptus gularis
- Southern WhitefaceAphelocephala leucopsisVU
- Crescent HoneyeaterPhylidonyris pyrrhopterus
- Hooded RobinMelanodryas cucullata
- White-eared HoneyeaterNesoptilotis leucotis
- Varied SittellaDaphoenositta chrysoptera
- Speckled WarblerPyrrholaemus sagittatus
- Black-faced MonarchMonarcha melanopsis
- Fuscous HoneyeaterPtilotula fusca
Other birds57 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- CootFulica atra
- Australasian SwamphenPorphyrio melanotus
- Crested PigeonOcyphaps lophotes
- Australian CrakePorzana fluminea
- GalahEolophus roseicapilla
- Dusky MoorhenGallinula tenebrosa
- Red-rumped ParrotPsephotus haematonotus
- Eastern Spotted DoveSpilopelia chinensis
- Buff-banded RailGallirallus philippensis
- Western SwamphenPorphyrio porphyrio
- Horsfield's Bronze CuckooChrysococcyx basalis
- Baillon's CrakePorzana pusilla
- Blue-winged ParrotNeophema chrysostomaVU
- Black-tailed NativehenGallinula ventralis
- Stubble QuailCoturnix pectoralis
- Spotless CrakePorzana tabuensis
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Brown QuailSynoicus ypsilophorus
- Orange-bellied ParrotNeophema chrysogasterCR
- Sulphur-crested CockatooCacatua galerita
- Lewin's RailLewinia pectoralis
- Coconut LorikeetTrichoglossus haematodus
- Long-billed CorellaCacatua tenuirostris
- Fan-tailed CuckooCacomantis flabelliformis
- Shining cuckooChrysococcyx lucidus
- Little CorellaCacatua sanguinea
- Eastern RosellaPlatycercus eximius
- Sacred KingfisherTodiramphus sanctus
- Pallid cuckooCuculus pallidus
- Purple-crowned LorikeetGlossopsitta porphyrocephala
- KookaburraDacelo novaeguineae
- Musk LorikeetGlossopsitta concinna
- Swift ParrotLathamus discolorCR
- Common BronzewingPhaps chalcoptera
- Crimson RosellaPlatycercus elegans
- Yellow-tailed Black CockatooZanda funerea
- Pacific SwiftApus pacificus
- Purple-crowned LorikeetParvipsitta porphyrocephala
- Tawny FrogmouthPodargus strigoides
- Needle-tailed SwiftHirundapus caudacutus
- Little LorikeetGlossopsitta pusilla
- Peaceful DoveGeopelia placida
- Rainbow Bee-eaterMerops ornatus
- Yellow-tailed Black CockatooCalyptorhynchus funereus
- CockatielNymphicus hollandicus
- Painted ButtonquailTurnix varius
- Black-eared CuckooChrysococcyx osculans
- Little Button-quailTurnix velox
- Diamond DoveGeopelia cuneata
- Oriental DollarbirdEurystomus orientalis
- Elegant ParrotNeophema elegans
- Brush BronzewingPhaps elegans
- Brush CuckooCacomantis variolosus
- Little LorikeetParvipsitta pusilla
- EmuDromaius novaehollandiae
- Pacific KoelEudynamys orientalis
- BudgerigarMelopsittacus undulatus
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species from September to October and from December to January.
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
Western Treatment Plant.
Ramsar site and sewage treatment plant in Victoria, Australia
Western Treatment Plant is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Australia.
305 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 1,297,745 open records.
The most recorded are the Black swan, the Hoary-headed Grebe and the Chestnut Teal.
67 species come for the summer, 49 for the winter and 1 only pass through.
15 are threatened worldwide, including Curlew Sandpiper, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and Fairy Tern.
The most species are recorded from September to October and from December to January.
Get there and watch
- Avalon Rest Areacampsite · 6.6 km · 1 within 10 km
- Little River Hotelplace to stay · 7.2 km · 2 within 10 km
- Little Rivernearest town · 6.9 km in a straight line
- Melbourne Avalon International Airport (AVV)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 10 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
- 2bird hides within 6 kmLittle River Bird Hide, Austin Road Bird Hide
- 1car parks within 3 km
- 1campsites within 10 kmAvalon Rest Area
- 2places to stay within 10 kmLittle River Hotel, Mansion Hotel & Spa at Werribee Park
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
- viewpoints within 5 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 Western Treatment Plant.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas13 mountains within 25 kmYou Yangs319 m · 13 kmWurdi Youang · 14 kmBird Rock · 16 kmSteeles Rock · 16 kmMount Bellarine · 17 kmWhite Woman Rock · 19 kmNorth Red Bluff · 21 kmSouth Red Bluff · 24 km
Lakeyas2 lakes within 15 kmLake Borrie Wetlands1.2 km² · 0.8 kmLake Borrie1.0 km² · 2.1 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Other places nearby.
Western Treatment Plant
Australia
- 89Birdyas Score
- 305Species
- 117Migrants
- 15Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q7988395) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 1,297,745 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
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Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
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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