Prepared by Birds Australia
Western Australia Inc.

BIRDS OF
SHARK BAY

Number 06b in a series of
Bird Guides of Western Australia

White-bellied Sea Eagle
White-bellied Sea Eagle
CODE
First column Breeding records B
Second column Species
Third column Relative abundance C Common
M Moderately common
U Uncommon
Ra Rare
Fourth column Ecological status R Resident
M Migrant
Vi Visitor
N Nomad
V Vagrant
Fifth column Notes  ❖︎ Also recorded Dirk Hartog Is.
B Emu C N also Faure Is.
MOUNDBUILDERS, QUAILS
Malleefowl U R to Tamala, south P.P.Int. to Peron N.P
B Stubble Quail UM R/Vi  ❖︎
WATERFOWL
Black Swan  U Vi
Australian Shelduck  U Vi ❖︎
Australian Wood Duck U Vi
Pacific Black Duck U Vi
Australasian Shoveler U Vi Hamelin Bore Jan ’91 WA database
Grey Teal U Vi
Pink-eared Duck U Vi
Hardhead R Vi
SEABIRDS
Southern Giant-Petrel  Ra Vi open seas winter
Cape Petrel Ra Vi open seas winter
Soft-Plumaged Petrel C Vi well off-shore, follows ships
Streaked Shearwater U Vi open seas summer
 B Wedge-tailed Shearwater  C Vi breeding on islands, flocks 10 – 100+
Little Shearwater Ra Vi open seas
Yellow-nosed Albatross C Vi May-Nov near fishing boats
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel M M passage migrant, open seas
PELICANS, CORMORANTS, ALLIES
Australasian Gannet Ra Vi usually single birds, winter
 B Little Pied Cormorant U R breeds islands Freycinet Estuary
 B Pied Cormorant C B breeds islands
Great Cormorant U Vi
 B Australian Pelican C Vi breeds Pelican Is.
Lesser Frigatebird Ra Vi 1 Monkey Mia ’75 Davies & Chapman
HERONS, IBIS        
White-faced Heron C R
 B Eastern Reef Egret C R
White-necked Heron R Vi Hamelin Bore overflow
Little Egret M R
Striated Heron C R
Nankeen Night Heron Ra ? Peron Pen. ’75 Davies & Chapman
Hamelin Bore ’95 O’Connor
Glossy Ibis U R Hamelin Bore overflow
HAWKS, EAGLES, FALCONS
 B Osprey C R mainly islands
Black-shouldered Kite U Vi winter
Letter-winged Kite Ra V 1 Monkey Mia Sept ’94 (dead) WABN
No 72 2 Oct 94 Useless Loop WABN
No 72 both during irruption west
coast (Ed)
Whistling Kite M R near water
BisWhite-bellied Sea-Eagle  M R ❖︎
Spotted Harrier U Vi ❖︎
Swamp Harrier Ra Vi
B Brown Goshawk U R/Vi ❖︎
B Collared Sparrowhawk U R/Vi ❖︎
B Wedge-tailed Eagle M R ❖︎
Little Eagle U R ❖︎
Brown Falcon C R ❖︎
B Australian Hobby M R/Vi an autumn-winter visitor
B Nankeen Kestrel C R/Vi ❖︎ autumn-winter visitor
CRAKES, RAILS, BUSTARD
Buff-banded Rail Ra N 2 Nanga Mill overflow Oct ’84 Storr
Baillon’s Crake Ra N Hamelin Bore
B Australian Spotted Crake Ra R 1 Hamelin Bore July ’92 database
Spotless Crake Ra N Hamelin Bore
Black-tailed Native-hen Ra N wet years
Eurasian Coot U to Hamelin
B Australian Bustard U NR ❖︎
Painted Button-quail Ra Dirk Hartog ’75 Davies & Chapman
WADERS
Black-tailed Godwit Ra Vi 1 Hamelin Bore ’64 Ford
Bar-tailed Godwit C Vi ❖︎
Little Curlew  R Vi
Whimbrel C Vi ❖︎
Eastern Curlew C Vi ❖︎
Marsh Sandpiper U Vi
Common Greenshank M Vi ❖︎
Wood Sandpiper M Vi Hamelin Bore, coastal
Terek Sandpiper U Vi Monkey Mia
Common Sandpiper M Vi ❖︎
Grey-tailed Tattler M Vi ❖︎
Ruddy Turnstone M Vi ❖︎
Great Knot M Vi
Red Knot M Vi ❖︎
Sanderling Ra Vi
Red-necked Stint C Vi ❖︎
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper M Vi ❖︎
Curlew Sandpiper M Vi
Broad-billed Sandpiper Ra Vi Hamelin Bay
Ruff Ra Vi Hamelin Bore ’64 Ford
 B Bush Stone-curlew U R ❖︎
 B Pied Oystercatcher M R ❖︎
 B Sooty Oystercatcher M R ❖︎ North Peron Pen., islands
Black-winged Stilt M Vi ❖︎ locally common wet years
Banded Stilt M Vi ❖︎ uncommon to common visitor
Red-necked Avocet U Vi Hamelin
Pacific Golden Plover Ra Vi
Grey Plover U Vi
 B Red-capped Plover  C R
Lesser Sand Plover U Vi
Greater Sand Plover U Vi
Inland Dotterel Ra ? Dirk Hartog ’73 Davies & Chapman
Black-fronted Dotterel Ra Vi
Banded Lapwing C R/Vi also autumn-winter visitor- first
report C1915
Oriental Pratincole Ra V Hamelin Bay ’76 Serventy & Whittell
SKUAS, GULLS, TERNS
B Pacific Gull M R ❖︎ breeding islands
B Silver Gull C R ❖︎ breeding islands
Gull-billed Tern Ra Vi
B Caspian Tern M R ❖︎ breeding islands
Lesser Crested Tern U Vi
B Crested Tern C  R ❖︎ breeding islands
B Roseate Tern M R ❖︎ breeding Meade Is.
B Fairy Tern  M R ❖︎ breeding on islands
B Bridled Tern C Vi ❖︎ breeding on islands
Whiskered Tern  U Vi Hamelin
PIGEONS, DOVES
Rock Dove M
B Laughing Turtle-Dove U R first recorded Monkey Mia Aug ’94
numbers increasing
B Common Bronzewing C R ❖︎
B Crested Pigeon C R
COCKATOOS, PARROTS
B Galah  U R nests in hollows in cliffs ’89 M. Brooker
Cockateil U Vi to Hamelin
Regent Parrot U Vi 3 Monkey Mia feeding on mistletoe
fruit ’89 M.Brooker, southern P.P.
Budgerigar U Vi accidental Dirk Hartog. Flock
Monkey Mia ’89 M. Brooker
B Rock Parrot U R common some islands, elsewhere scarce
CUCKOOS
Pallid Cuckoo U Vi v May – Sept
Black-eared Cuckoo U Vi Host White-browed Scrub-wren ’96
B Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo M Vi Hosts White-winged Wren ’75 Davies &
Chapman – Thick-billed Grasswren and
Variegated Fairy-wren ’89 M.Brooker
Shining Bronze-Cuckoo Ra M 1 Monkey Mia Sept ’94 B. Brooker
OWLS, FROGMOUTH, ALLIES
Southern Boobook Ra 1 Dirk Hartog ’75 Davies & Chapman
Barn Owl Ra Vi
Tawny Frogmouth Ra 1 Monkey Mia ’89 M. Brooker
Spotted Nightjar Ra 2 records ’23 ’75 Davies & Chapman
B Australian Owlet-nightjar U R heard Monkey Mia ’89 M. Brooker,
breeding Hamelin ’96
Fork-tailed Swift U Vi summer also April ’89 M Brooker
Sacred Kingfisher U M perhaps passage migrant
Rainbow Bee-eater U Vi Hamelin
FAIRY-WRENS, ALLIES
B Splendid Fairy-wren C R
B Variegated Fairy-wren M R ❖︎
B Blue-breasted Fairy-wren M R North to Tamala
B White-winged Fairy-wren C R also sub-species leucopterus Dirk Hartog
B Southern Emu-wren M R race Hartogi, endemic Dirk Hartog
B Thick-billed Grasswren C R south to Nanga Homestead
PARDALOTES, THORNBILLS, ALLIES
B White-browed Scrubwren C R ❖︎
B Rufous Fieldwren M R ❖︎
B Redthroat M R
Weebill M R North to Tamala, Hamelin
Western Gerygone U Vi visitor and passage migrant
B Inland Thornbill C R
B Chestnut-rumped Thornbill C R north to Monkey Mia Road
B Slender-billed Thornbill Ra R northern Peron Pen. south to Monkey
Mia Road ’75 Davies & Chapman
B Yellow-rumped Thornbill U R north to Tamala
Southern Whiteface M R north to Tamala
HONEYEATERS, CHATS
B Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater U R
B Singing Honeyeater C R ❖︎
Grey-fronted Honeyeater U R north to Tamala, south P.P.
Brown-headed Honeyeater U R north to Tamala, Nanga
B Brown Honeyeater U R/Vi ❖︎
White-fronted Honeyeater Vi irregular, common wet years
B Pied Honeyeater Vi irregular, common wet years
Crimson Chat Vi ❖︎ irregular, mainly wet years
Orange Chat R Vi nomadic
White-fronted Chat U R/Vi ❖︎ All three species of chats present Hamelin Bore Jan ’91 Barrett, Clegg (pers. com.)
AUSTRALIAN ROBINS
B Red-capped Robin U R/Vi ❖︎ winter visitor
B Hooded Robin U R ❖︎
B Western Yellow Robin M R north to Tamala
B Southern Scrub-robin M R
BABBLERS, QUAIL-THRUSH
 B White-browed Babbler M R
B Chiming Wedgebill C R
B Chestnut Quail-thrush M R South of Peron Pen.
WHISTLERS, FLYCATCHERS
B Crested Bellbird C R ❖︎
B Rufous Whistler U R Monkey Mia ’96 B. Brooker
B Grey Shrike-thrush M R not islands
Magpie-lark  U Vi
B Grey Fantail C Vi winter visitor, south to Little Lagoon
B Mangrove Grey Fantail C R
B Willie Wagtail M R ❖︎
CUCKOO-SHRIKES, TRILLERS
B Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike  C  R ❖︎ also passage migrant
B White-winged Triller  M  Vi passage – breeding wet years
WOODSWALLOWS, BUTCHERBIRDS
White-breasted Woodswallow U R north P.P., mangroves
B Masked Woodswallow C Vi breeding wet years
Black-faced Woodswallow U R ❖︎ small population Nanga station
Dusky Woodswallow Ra V winter
Little Woodswallow U V winter-rocky coasts
B Grey Butcherbird M R ❖︎ Edel Land
Pied Butcherbird Ra 1 Hamelin Bore Jan ’91 WA database
Grey Currawong U R North to Tamala
Australian Raven U R north of Nanga
B Little Crow C R ❖︎
B Richard’s Pipit C R ❖︎
B Zebra Finch C R ❖︎
Mistletoebird U N ❖︎
SWALLOWS, MARTINS
B White-backed Swallow C R
B Welcome Swallow C R/Vi ❖︎
B Tree Martin M R/Vi ❖︎ also passage migrant
B Fairy Martin M Vi
OLD WORLD WARBLERS
Clamorous Reed-Warbler Ra R Hamelin Bore
Little Grassbird U R Hamelin Bore
Brown Songlark U Rn ❖︎ common wet years
SILVEREYES
 B Yellow White-eye  C R mangroves -Monkey Mia in transit
‘89 B.Brooker
 B Silvereye  C  R ❖︎

The area includes the seas and land south of Dirk Hartog Island to a line joining Tamala and Hamelin. This line roughly coincides with the acacia dominated vegetation to the north and the eucalypt dominated vegetation to the south.

REFERENCES

BLAKERS, M., DAVIES, S.J.J.F. and REILLY, P.N. 1984. The Atlas of Australian Birds. Melbourne University Press: Melbourne.

BROOKER, B. 1996. Land Birds of Monkey Mia – a study, 1994-1996 (unpublished)

BROOKER, M.G. 1989. Land birds at Monkey Mia, Peron Peninsula, Western Australia. 1985 – 1987. West. Aus. Nat. 18, 29 – 34

DATABASE OF WESTERN AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. W.A. Group Headquarters.

DAVIES, S.J.J.F. and CHAPMAN, G.S. 1975. The status of birds on Peron Peninsula and Dirk Hartog Island, Shark Bay, W.A. Emu 75: 55-61.

FORD, J. 1966. Aquatic Birds of Hamelin Pool Lake. Western Australia. pp 71 – 74. The West Australian Naturalist. Vol 010 No. 3.

Johnstone, R.E., Burbidge, Allan H., and Stone, P. Birds of the southern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia: distribution, status and historical changes. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement No. 61:371-448 (2000)

SERVENTY, D.L.and WHITTELL, H.M. 1976. Birds of Western Australia. University Press, Perth.

STORR, G.M. 1985. Birds of the Gasgoyne Region Western Australia. Rec. West. Aust. Mus. suppl. No. 21.

STORR, G.M. 1990. Birds of the Shark Bay area, Western Australia. pp 299
– 312. In Research in Shark Bay. Eds. Berry, P.F., Bradshaw, S.D. and
Wilson, B.R. West. Aus. Mus. Perth.

Western Australian Bird Notes. Issues 19-76.

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