Birds found in Australia in or near bodies of water (mostly freshwater and wetlands)
Avocets (Wetland Birds)
- Red-necked Avocet (Recurvirostra novaehollandiae) – Range: Found throughout Australia, except for the northern parts of the Northern Territory
Bird of Prey Hunting in Water (Freshwater Hunters)
- Ospreys (P. h. cristatus) – Range: Along the coastline of, and along some large rivers within, Australia
- White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) – Resident on coasts and major waterways
Bitterns (Wetland Birds / Waders)
- Australasian Bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus) aka Brown Bittern – Range: South-western and south-eastern Australia
- Black Bittern (Ixobrychus flavicollis)
Curlews (Waders)
- Far Eastern Curlew or Eastern Curlew (Numenius madagascariensis) – Range: Winter in coastal Australia
Dowitcher (Waders)
- Asiatic Dowitcher (Limnodromus semipalmatus) – Northern Australia
Egrets (Shallow Water / Wetland Habitats)
- Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
- Eastern Great Egret (Ardea modesta)
- Eastern Reef Egret (Egretta sacra)
- Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
- Intermediate Egret (Ardea intermedia)
Herons (Waders)
- Striated Heron (Butorides striata)
- Nankeen Night Heron aka Rufous Night Heron and in Melanesia as Melabaob (Nycticorax caledonicus)
Ibises (Waders)
- Australian White Ibis (Threskiornis molucca) – Range: Widespread in eastern, northern and southwestern Australia
- Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) – Range: Introduced into Australia
- Straw-necked Ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis)
Jacanas (Waders)
- Comb-crested Jacanas (Irediparra gallinacea), also known as the Lotusbird or Lilytrotter – Range: Northern and eastern Australia
Knots (Waders)
- Great Knot (Calidris tenuirostris) – Range: Winter visitor
Lapwings (Waders)
- Banded Lapwing (Vanellus tricolor)
- Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles) aka Masked Plover or Plover
- Grey-headed Lapwing (Vanellus cinereus) – Range: Vagrant
Oystercatchers (Waders)
- Pied Oystercatcher (Haematopus longirostris)
- South Island Oystercatcher (Haematopus finschi) – Vagrant – Range: Eastern coast of mainland Australia
- Sooty Oystercatcher (Haematopus fuliginosus) – Range: Commonly found on its coastline. It prefers rocky coastlines, but will occasionally live in estuaries.
Pelicans (Found in inland and coastal waters)
- Australian Pelican (Pelicanus conspicillatus) aka Goolayyalibee
Penguins (Shore / Sea)
- Erect-crested Penguins (Eudyptes sclateri)
- Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor) – Range: Southern Australia.
Plovers (Waders)
- Caspian Plover (Charadrius asiaticus) – Range: Vagrant
- Greater Sand Plover (Charadrius leschenaultii) – Range: Winter visitor
- Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola), known as the Black-bellied Plover in North America – Seabirds
Sanderlings (Waders)
- Sanderling (Calidris alba, syn. Crocethia alba or Erolia alba) – Range: Winters in Australia
Snipe (Waders)
- Latham’s Snipe (Gallinago hardwickii) aka Japanese Snipe – Range: Winters in eastern Australia, where it is the commonest Gallinago snipe
- Pintail Snipe (Gallinago stenura) aka Pin-tailed Snipe – Range: Vagrant to north-western and northern Australia
Spoonbills (Waders)
- Royal Spoonbill (Platalea regia) also known as the Black-billed Spoonbill – Range: Fresh and saltwater wetlands in Australia
- Yellow-billed Spoonbill (Platalea flavipes): Common in south-east Australia
Stilts (Waders)
- Banded Stilts (Cladorhynchus leucocephalus)
- Pied Stilt or White-headed Stilt (Himantopus leucocephalus or Himantopus himantopus leucocephalus)
Stints (Waders)
- Red-necked Stint (Calidris ruficollis)
Stone-curlews (Waders)
- Beach Stone-curlew (Esacus giganteus) aka Beach Thick-knee – Range: Uncommon. Coastal eastern Australia as far south as far eastern Victoria, the northern Australian coast and nearby islands
- Bush Stone-curlew (Burhinus grallarius)
- Stone-curlews or Thick-knees (Burhinidae)
Birds of Inland Waters, Marshes and Wetlands: Ducks, Geese, Shelducks, Shovelers, Moorhens, Crakes, Rails, Grebes, Cormorants, Cranes, Darters, Swans and Storks
Sea and Shorebirds: Birds mostly occurring on the shore or out on the ocean (Seabirds) (Albatrosses, Petrels, Fulmars, Frigatebirds, Godwits, Gannets, Gulls, Sandpipers, Shearwaters, Tattlers, Terns)
