Skip to content
birdfact
Identify
Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in South Australia

Our list for South Australia has 71 bird species recorded regularly there: 46 residents, 18 summer visitors, 1 winter visitor, 5 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor

The list comes from 1.3 million birdwatchers' records from 2019–2024, shared through the eBird Observation Dataset on GBIF. A bird is listed when it was recorded in at least 3 of the 6 years and has a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur here than are listed; the months show when it is recorded most years.

Species on our list
71
In October
59
Common
17
Busiest month
Oct

What's special about South Australia

vs Australia

The birds recorded far more often here than across Australia, as a share of all bird records. These are the ones South Australia is worth visiting for.

  1. RedthroatRedthroat8.6×Resident · 0.40% of records here, 0.05% across Australia
  2. Mulga ParrotMulga Parrot7.3×Resident · 1.3% of records here, 0.17% across Australia
  3. EmuEmu3.5×Resident · 1.3% of records here, 0.36% across Australia
  4. Purple-crowned LorikeetPurple-crowned Lorikeet3.1×Resident · 0.78% of records here, 0.25% across Australia
  5. BudgerigarBudgerigar2.6×Resident · 0.84% of records here, 0.32% across Australia
  6. New Holland HoneyeaterNew Holland Honeyeater2.5×Resident · 7.5% of records here, 3.0% across Australia
  7. House SparrowHouse Sparrow1.8×Resident · 4.3% of records here, 2.4% across Australia
  8. Wood SandpiperWood Sandpiper1.6×Summer visitor · 0.14% of records here, 0.09% across Australia

This month: October

GBIF · Oct

Most likely

  1. Australian MagpieAustralian Magpie3.16%
  2. GalahGalah2.55%
  3. Red WattlebirdRed Wattlebird2.31%
  4. Willie WagtailWillie Wagtail1.77%
  5. Common StarlingCommon Starling1.71%
  6. New Holland HoneyeaterNew Holland Honeyeater1.68%

Arriving now

  1. Pacific Golden-PloverPacific Golden-PloverSummer visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.01%
  2. Indian PeafowlIndian PeafowlResidentSep 0.00% → Oct 0.01%
  3. Little TernLittle TernSummer visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.00%
  4. WhimbrelWhimbrelResidentSep 0.00% → Oct 0.00%
  5. Common TernCommon TernSummer visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.00%

Share of all bird records in South Australia in October, 2019–2024. “Arriving now” are the birds whose share rises most from last month. Each month links to that month’s page.

The bird calendar for South Australia

Month by month

When each bird is around, through the year. The darker the square, the closer that month is to the bird’s busiest. Filter by summer or winter visitors to see the seasons turn over.

The year in South Australia

Records by month
Bird records in South Australia by month, 2019–2024
January121,175
February79,229
March94,036
April102,515
May114,545
June82,181
July90,781
August96,944
September137,164
October161,253
November114,831
December110,804

October has the most records (161,000). Records follow birdwatchers as well as birds: a busy month means more people out looking, as well as more birds passing through.

By family

12 of 15
All 15 families in South Australia

How common

More of Australia

All of Australia

All 71 birds, A to Z

Show all 71 birds

Questions

4

What birds is South Australia known for?

Compared with the rest of Australia, South Australia stands out for Redthroat, Mulga Parrot, Emu and Purple-crowned Lorikeet. Each is recorded at least 3.1 times as often here as across Australia, as a share of all bird records (2019–2024).

How many birds are on Birdfact's list for South Australia?

71 species, each recorded regularly in South Australia (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 46 residents, 18 summer visitors, 1 winter visitor, 5 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in South Australia, and rarer vagrants are not listed.

What birds can I see in South Australia in October?

59 species on our list for South Australia are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are Australian Magpie, Galah, Red Wattlebird, Willie Wagtail and Common Starling.

What are the most common birds in South Australia?

Of the birds on our list, the ones birdwatchers record most often in South Australia are Australian Magpie, Galah, Red Wattlebird, Willie Wagtail and New Holland Honeyeater.

Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made

Download citations (7)