Barking Owl
The Barking Owl is a medium-sized owl (42 cm, 650 g), smaller than the similar Powerful Owl and larger than the Southern Boobook. It has bright yellow eyes and no facial-disc. Upperparts are brown or greyish-brown, and the white breast is vertically streaked with brown. The large talons are yellow. Males are typically larger than … Read more
Read MoreBlack Falcon
The Black Falcon, is a large (45-55 cm in length), very dark falcon with pale grey cere, eye-rings and feet. It is uniformly dark brown to sooty black, with a pale throat and an indistinct black streak below each eye. Some individuals have faint, narrow barring under the wings and tail. The dark form of the … Read more
Read MoreBlack-chinned Honeyeater
The Black-chinned Honeyeater is the largest of its genus, reaching 17 cm in length. The cap is black, with a white crescent around the nape, and there is a diagnostic black ‘chin’ beneath the bill and extending down the white throat (though this can be difficult to see in the field). There is a small … Read more
Read MoreBlakely’s Red Gum (Eucalyptus blakelyi)
Eucalyptus blakelyi is a common tree species in the grassy woodlands of the western slopes on the tablelands of New South Wales and Victoria. In Queensland it occurs in the Stanthorpe area. This species can attain up to 25 m in height and prefers alluvial flats, midslope terrain or depressions with seasonal water flows. It is often … Read more
Read MoreBooroolong Frog
The Booroolong Frog is a medium sized tree frog, with adults growing to about 5 cm. Their body-colour may be grey, olive or brown with indistinct black markings. The abdomen is white. The skin usually has a slightly warty appearance. The fingers and toes have well developed discs, and the toes are strongly webbed. The … Read more
Read MoreBrown Tree Creeper
The Brown Treecreeper, Australia’s largest treecreeper, is a grey-brown bird with black streaking on the lower breast and belly and black bars on the undertail. Pale buff bands across the flight feathers are obvious in flight. The face is pale, with a dark line through the eye, and a dark crown. Sexes differ slightly in … Read more
Read MoreBrush-Tailed Rock Wallaby
The Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby has a long and bushy, dark rufous-brown tail that is bushier towards its tip. It has long, thick, brown body-fur that tends to be reddish on the rump and grey on the shoulders. The fur on its chest and belly are paler. It also has a characteristic white cheek-stripe and a black … Read more
Read MoreCorben’s Long Eared Bat
The south eastern form of the Greater Long-eared Bat is also known as Eastern Long-eared Bat and has recently been described as new species Corben’s Long-eared Bat (N. corbeni). It is uniformly dark grey-brown. The ears are about 3 cm long and larger than the head. It has a low ridge of skin running between the eyes … Read more
Read MoreDusky Woodswallow
The dusky woodswallow is a medium-sized bird (16-19.5 cm, 35 g), with a longish tail. Mostly dark grey-brown, merging to blackish on the tail, with a small black-brown mask. Bluish bill with a black tip. Upper-wings are a dark blue-grey with a white leading edge. Conspicuous white corners on the tail. In flight the dark … Read more
Read MoreEastern Bentwing Bat
The Eastern Bentwing-bat has chocolate to reddish-brown fur on its back and slightly lighter coloured fur on its belly. It has a short snout and a high ‘domed’ head with short round ears. The wing membranes attach to the ankle, not to the base of the toe. The last bone of the third finger is … Read more
Read MoreEastern Pygmy Possums
Eastern Pygmy-possums are tiny (15 to 43 grams) active climbers, with almost bare, prehensile (capable of curling and gripping) tails, and big, forward-pointing ears. They are light-brown above and white below. Adults have a head and body length between 70 – 110 mm and a tail length between 75 – 105 mm. Distribution The Eastern … Read more
Read MoreFlame Robin
The Flame Robin is a small Australian robin that reaches 14 cm in length. The male has a dark grey head and upperparts, a small white forehead patch, and white wing stripes and white tail-edges. The male has a bright orange-red throat, breast and upper-belly. The lower belly is white. The female is brown, darker … Read more
Read MoreGilbert’s Whistler
The Gilbert’s Whistler is a stocky whistler (17 to 20 centimetres), possessing a short but robust bill. The male is a brownish-grey, with a black patch between the red eyes and bill (the lores), and a distinctive orange-rufous chin and throat. The female is more uniformly brownish-grey, lacking the males lore and throat pattern and … Read more
Read MoreGolden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha)
Acacia pycnantha occurs across much of Victoria and southeastern South Australia, including Eyre Peninsula and Kangaroo Island, with some extension into southern inland New South Wales, and at Mt Jerrabomba in the Australia Capital Territory. There is an putative natural occurrence near Broken Hill, in western New South Wales. It has become naturalised in many areas … Read more
Read MoreGrey Falcon
The Grey Falcon is a medium-sized, compact, pale falcon with a heavy, thick-set, deep-chested appearance. It is smaller than the Peregrine Falcon but similar in shape and flight, although with longer wings. Upperparts are uniform light grey, shading to blackish on the primaries, forming conspicuous dark wing tips. The tail has narrow blackish bars. The … Read more
Read MoreHooded Robin
The Hooded Robin is a large Australian robin reaching 17 cm in length. The male is strikingly marked in black and white, with a bold black hood extending down a white breast. The back is black with distinct white shoulder and wing-bar. The tail is black, with prominent white side-panels. Females and immatures are duller, … Read more
Read MoreKoala
The Koala is an arboreal (tree dwelling) marsupial with fur ranging from grey to brown above, and is white below. It has large furry ears, a prominent black nose and no tail. It spends most of its time in trees and has long, sharp claws, adapted for climbing. Adult males weigh 6 – 12 kg … Read more
Read MoreLarge Eared Pied Bat
A small to medium-sized bat with long, prominent ears and glossy black fur. The lower body has broad white fringes running under the wings and tail-membrane, meeting in a V-shape in the pubic area. This species is one of the wattled bats, with small lobes of skin between the ears and corner of the mouth. … Read more
Read MoreLittle Eagle
The Little Eagle is a medium-sized bird of prey that occurs in two colour forms: either pale brown with an obscure underwing pattern, or dark brown on the upper parts and pale underneath, with a rusty head and a distinctive underwing pattern of rufous leading edge, pale ‘M’ marking and black-barred wingtips. Both forms have … Read more
Read MoreLittle Lorikeet
The Little Lorikeet is a small (16-19 cm; 40 g) bright green parrot, with a red face surrounding its black bill and extending to the eye. The undertail is olive-yellow with a partly concealed red base, and the underwing coverts are bright green. The mantle is imbued with light brown. The call in flight is … Read more
Read MoreLittle Pied Bat
The Little Pied Bat is a distinctive black and white bat that weighs four to eight grams. The head and body are about 4.5 cm in length; the tail 3.5 cm. The fur is glossy black on the back, grey on the belly, with white fur along the flanks forming a ‘V’ in the pubic … Read more
Read MoreLothlorien
The NSW Office of Environment & Heritage has identified 67 animals in the south-west slopes region of NSW that are threatened with extinction. You can see the List of Threatened Species in the Wildlife panel below*. You can watch the time-lapse video of the establishment and growth of our “Lothlorien” micro-forest in the panel below, from cleared … Read more
Read MoreMasked Owl
A medium-sized owl to 40 – 50 cm long, with dark eyes set in a prominent flat, heart-shaped facial disc that is encircled by a dark border. The feet are large and powerful, with fully feathered legs down to the toes. The owl exists in several colour forms, with wide variation in plumage. The upperparts … Read more
Read MoreMugga Ironbark (Eucalyptus sideroxylon)
Eucalyptus sideroxylon extends from near Wangaratta in northern Victoria, north along the western slopes and western plains of New South Wales, with scattered occurrences into southeastern Queensland, as far as Carnarvon Range, Waaje, Wondai State Forest, Yarraman and Goombungee. Easterly occurrences in New South Wales include near Sydney and in the Hunter Valley. This species is … Read more
Read MorePainted Honeyeater
The Painted Honeyeater is small (16 cm) and distinctive, with a black head and back and white underparts with dark streaks on the flanks. The wings and tail are black with bright yellow edgings. The distinctive bill is pink with a dark tip. The female is greyer on the upperparts and has less streaking on … Read more
Read MorePied Honeyeater
The male Pied Honeyeater is a distinctive small, black and white honeyeater with white wing-bar, rump and tail-panels, and a bluish-grey wattle below the eye. The female is greyish-brown, with a strong pattern of pale edging to feathers on the wing. Distribution Widespread throughout acacia, mallee and spinifex scrubs of arid and semi-arid Australia. Occasionally … Read more
Read MorePink Robin
The male Pink Robin has a sooty black throat and upperparts. The wings have faint, tan-buff wing-bars. The breast and belly are deep lilac-pink, and there is a small white patch on the forehead. The tail is plain, making this species the only ‘red’ robin with no white markings on the tail. It differs from … Read more
Read MorePink-tailed Legless Lizard
The Pink-tailed Legless Lizard (also known as the Pink-tailed Worm-lizard) is worm-like, with a dark-brown head and nape, gradually merging with the pale grey or grey-brown body. The tail, nearly as long as its body, is pink or reddish-brown towards the tip. Its snout and tail are both rounded. There are no external ear openings. … Read more
Read MorePowerful Owl
The Powerful Owl is the largest owl in Australasia. It is a typical hawk-owl, with large yellow eyes and no facial-disc. Adults reach 60 cm in length, have a wingspan of up to 140 cm and weigh up to 1.45 kilograms. Males are larger than females. The upper parts of the Powerful Owl are dark, … Read more
Read MoreRed Box (Eucalyptus polyanthemos)
Eucalyptus polyanthemos is an attractive tree and has been used in amenity plantings. Remnant trees of this species play an important role in shelter for stock and in preventing erosion. The wood of this species is very dense, makes excellent firewood and is in strong demand for this purpose throughout its range. The wood is strong, durable, dries slowly … Read more
Read MoreRiver Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis)
Eucalyptus camaldulensis is one of Australia’s most widespread eucalypts. It occurs along riverbanks, creeks and the edges of lakes of the Murray-Darling drainage basin. It extends south from southern Queensland, across most of New South Wales and Victoria, to the south east of South Australia. Populations extend to the Hunter River basin in New South Wales to … Read more
Read MoreRiver Sheoak (Casuarina cunninghamiana)
Casuarina cunninghamiana is a tall, nitrogen fixing tree suitable for cultivation across a wide range of climates, extending from cool temperate areas to the seasonally dry tropics. Under cultivation it tolerates drought, seasonal waterlogging and slight to moderate salinity but requires protection from grazing animals during the establishment phase. It has been used in agroforestry, particularly where shelterbelts area … Read more
Read MoreScarlet Robin
The Scarlet Robin is a small Australian robin that reaches 13 cm in length. The male has a black head and upperparts, with a conspicuous white forehead patch, white wing stripes and white tail-edges. The male has a bright scarlet-red chest and a white belly. The female is pale brown, darker above, and has a … Read more
Read MoreSouthern Myotis
This species is now most often referred to as Myotis macropusor the Southern Myotis, but has previously been called the Large-footed Myotis (M. adversus). It has disproportionately large feet; more than 8 mm long, with widely-spaced toes which are distinctly hairy and with long, curved claws. It has dark-grey to reddish brown fur above and is … Read more
Read MoreSouthern Scrub Robin
The Southern Scrub-robin is a medium-sized (19 – 22 centimetres) ground-dwelling thrush-like bird. The head and upperparts are dull grey-brown, and the throat and underparts pale brown with a paler belly. The base of the long tail, which is sometimes held cocked or irregularly flicked, is bright rufous becoming darker along its length and ending … Read more
Read MoreSpeckled Warbler
The Speckled Warbler is a small well-camouflaged very heavily streaked ground-dwelling bird related to the scrubwrens, reaching a length of 13cm. The back, wings and tail are grey-brown, with soft dark streaks. The black crown is distinctively streaked with buff. The underparts are pale and particularly heavily streaked. The face is off-white with streaking on … Read more
Read MoreSpotted Gum (Corymbia maculata)
Corymbia maculata occurs along coastal and sub-coastal New South Wales from Manning River valley south to Bega, with an outlier to the south at Mottle Range, north eastern Victoria. Natural stands often comprise attractive trees up to 35–45 m in height, with long trunks. On exposed coastal headland sites they often have a low stunted habit. Corymbia maculata grows … Read more
Read MoreSpotted Harrier
The Spotted Harrier is a medium-sized, slender bird of prey having an owl-like facial ruff that creates the appearance of a short, broad head, and long bare yellow legs. The upperparts are blue-grey with dark barring, and the wingtips are black. The face, innerwing patch, and underparts are chestnut. The long tail is boldly banded, … Read more
Read MoreSpotted Tailed Quoll
The Spotted-tailed Quoll is about the size of a domestic cat, from which it differs most obviously in its shorter legs and pointed face. The average weight of an adult male is about 3500 grams and an adult female about 2000 grams. It has rich-rust to dark-brown fur above, with irregular white spots on the … Read more
Read MoreSquare-tailed Kite
The Square-tailed Kite is a reddish, medium-sized, long-winged raptor, about the size of a Little Eagle or harrier. Adults have a white face with thick black streaks on the crown and finer streaks elsewhere. The saddle, rump and central upper tail coverts are blackish with grey-brown barring. The underparts are predominantly grey-brown with black tips … Read more
Read MoreSquirrel Glider
Adult Squirrel Gliders have a head and body length of about 20 cm. They have blue-grey to brown-grey fur above, white on the belly and the end third of the tail is black. There is a dark stripe from between the eyes to the mid-back and the tail is soft and bushy averaging about 27 … Read more
Read MoreStriped Legless Lizard
The Striped Legless Lizard differs most obviously from a snake in having external ear openings, small scaly flaps for hind limbs, a long tail and a broad, undivided tongue. It is pale grey-brown above, with a darker head, and almost white below. The most distinguishing characteristic is a pattern of light and dark parallel lines … Read more
Read MoreSugar Gum (Eucalyptus Cladocalyx)
Eucalyptus cladocalyx is a commonly planted tree across southern Australia as an amenity plant, as a windbreak or shelterbelt species, or for timber and firewood production. It is drought tolerant and adaptable to a wide range of soil and climate types. The susceptibility of seedlings to frost limits its success in some areas. The wood of E. … Read more
Read MoreSuperb Parrot
The Superb Parrot is a distinctive large, bright grass-green parrot with a long, narrow tail and sharply back-angled wings in flight. Males have yellow foreheads and throats and a red crescent that separates the throat from the green breast and belly. Females are slightly duller green and have a dull, light blue wash in place … Read more
Read MoreSweet Bursaria (Bursaria spinulosa)
Once established Bursarias are extremely hardy and will last 30-50 years. They are aggressive colonisers of marginal or disturbed sites and regeneration from rhizomes, e.g. after fire, can be rapid and extensive. In Victoria, on an environmental continuum with no distinct entities, it has been observed that young plants and those from drier sites tend … Read more
Read MoreSwift Parrot
The Swift Parrot is small parrot about 25 cm long. It is bright green with red around the bill, throat and forehead. The red on its throat is edged with yellow. Its crown is blue-purple. There are bright red patches under the wings. One of most distinctive features from a distance is its long (12 … Read more
Read MoreVaried Sittella
The Varied Sittella is a small (10 cm) songbird with a sharp, slightly upturned bill, short tail, barred undertail, and yellow eyes and feet. In flight the orange wing-bar and white rump are prominent. In NSW most individuals have a grey head and are streaked with dark brown, but in the extreme north-east they have … Read more
Read MoreWestern Silver Wattle (Acacia decora)
Acacia decora is a plant native to eastern Australia. Common names include the western silver wattle and the showy wattle. The species name refers to the plant’s decorative qualities. In New South Wales, showy wattle occurs west of the Great Dividing Range while in Queensland it extends to the coast, commonly seen in semi arid … Read more
Read MoreWhite Box (Eucalyptus albens)
Before European settlement, white box was the dominant species found in large continuous forests stretching from Southern Queensland, through Western NSW and Victoria known as White Box Yellow Box Blakely’s (Red Gum) Woodlands. Box-Gum Grassy Woodland is now listed as a “critically endangered” ecological community under the Australian Federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act and … Read more
Read MoreWhite-fronted Chat
The White-fronted Chat is an endemic Australian passerine bird, 12 cm in length and weighing approximately 13 g. It has a short slender bill, long spindly legs, a short square-tipped tail and rounded wings. Classified as a honeyeater it is most similar in form to its close relatives, the Orange Chat, Yellow Chat and Crimson … Read more
Read MoreYellow Box (Eucalyptus melliodora)
Eucalyptus melliodora is a common species in the grassy woodlands of the tablelands and western slopes of the Great Dividing Range, extending from northern Victoria, through New South Wales, with a scattered extension into southeastern Queensland as far norther as the Carnvarvon Range and to near Gladstone. This species is usually 15–30 m tall and mainly occurs on on gentle slopes, foothills or on … Read more
Read MoreYellow-bellied Glider
The Yellow-bellied Glider is a large, active, sociable and vocal glider. Adults weigh 450 – 700 grams, have a head and body length of about 30 cm and a large bushy tail that is about 45 cm long. It has grey to brown fur above with a cream to yellow belly, which is paler in … Read more
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