Your Adelaide Birding Team

Are you planning a birding trip to Adelaide? If the answer is yes, then you are in the right place. We are a team of local birding guides who have a wealth of knowledge in the local birding scene. We have decades of experience in providing quality birding services to bird enthusiasts from around the globe.

Our team of bird guides and tour specialists have close partnerships with a network of accommodation and transportation providers in the SA region. With us, rest-assured that you are covered from aiport pick-up up to the last minute of your birding holiday. We are dedicated in providing our guests with a birding experience to be remembered for years to come.

We created this website not only for you to find us, but also for us to share our knowledge about the birding spots and bird species in Adelaide. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us through our contact page.

Birding Sites in Adelaide

Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary

Go up north from Adelaide to get to the famous international bird sanctuary. Here you can find migratory, resident, bush, shore and water birds in their thousands especially during the warmer months. Check out the Magazine Road Wetlands for wood sandpiper, red-necked stint, sharp-tailed sandpiper, red-capped plover, black-winged stilt and maybe even a rare long-toed stint, plus waterbirds such as ducks, spoonbills and ibises. Whites Road Wetland is also another spot worth checking. It is a freshwater wetland full of ducks (including the rare freckled duck) and other native water fowl. Here you can also find some parrots such as musk lorikeet as well as red-kneed dotterel and black-fronted dotterel. Port Gawler and St. Kilda’s foreshore are also suitable sites especially if you want to spot shorebirds and the black-tailed native hens. One tip: The early bird catches the worm. Shorebirds are best seen just after high tide in the morning – just remember that!

Adelaide Hills

This birding site is located east of the city. It contains a string of National and Conservation Parks, each with its own character. We do have our own list of spots that we have kept secret over the years that we only share to our guests. We can help you find the most sought-after and even the most elusive species in the region including the Adelaide Rosella, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo, Long-billed Corella, Musk and Purple-Crowned Lorikeet, Scarlet Robin. A rich variety of Honeyeaters together with the rare Chestnut-rumped Heathwren and Crested Shrike-tit inhabit our birding spots in Adelaide Hills.

Fleurieu Peninsula and Coast

Bird lovers will feel like they have found paradise at Fleurieu Peninsula. With about 230 species of birds, you are surely in for a treat. Here you can find a high number of good birding sites within a relatively small area. Wetlands, swamps, coastal reserves, native bushland and a sea-watching spot attract birds such as Little Penguin, Hooded Plover, Cape Barren Goose, Southern Emu-wren, raptors, rails and crakes, waterfowl and migratory waders. You can also visit the The Coorong National Park, which is famous for its migratory waders. There is also the Onkaparinga River Estuary, Aldinga Scrub and areas around Mount Compass and Hindmarsh Island. which are also rewarding for bird watchers.

Murray River

Aha! The Spectacular Murray River! Being the longest river in the land down under, it is home of a wealth of native and migratory birds that will surely delight you. Murray river’s floodplains and wetlands is where rails, crakes, and many good waterbirds including Freckled Duck may be found. The rare, beautiful Regent Parrot makes its home in the stately Eucalypt trees on the river banks. Whether you are a serious birding enthusiast or one who just want to experience a leisure birdwatching trip, this site is simply a top destination you shoudn’t miss.

Mallee Wilderness

Surrounding the Murray river you find extensive areas of Mallee, the multi-stemmed eucalypt bushland covering much of the semi-arid regions. Birdlife’s Gluepot reserve, a vast expanse of mallee bushland, contains many rare and threatened birds such as Malleefowl, Red-lored Whistler, Chestnut Quail Thrush, Major Mitchell Cockatoo, Black-eared Miner, Striated Grasswren, Shy Heathwren Southern Scrub-robin, and occasionally Scarlet-chested Parrot. Other good reserves such as Murray-Sunset, Danggali and Ngarkat contain much the same species – but many of them are elusive and hard to find…! The surrounding, endless bluebush plains are home to White-winged Fairy Wren, Redthroat, Pied Honeyeater, Crimson and Orange Chat.

Are You Interested?

If you think you we can help you with your planned birding trip in Adelaide or the surrounding regions, please get in touch with us today!

ADELAIDE BIRD SPECIES LIST

Adelaide Rosella

Australian Magpie

Eastern Rosella

Australian White Ibis

Crested Pigeon

Australasian Grebe

Black Swan

Australasian Darter

Australian Pelican

Australian Reed Warbler

Black-fronted Dotterel

Blue-faced Honeyeater

Find these birds with us!

Do you need a guide in finding all the birds on this list? Get in touch with us today!

TOUR OPTIONS FOR ADELAIDE BIRDING

Option #1: “Half Day”

Duration: 5-6 Hours

Features:
• A leisurely morning birdwatching the key sites near Adelaide
• Based on your requests, this tour takes in 3-4 different locations.
• Depending on the season, this tour has the potential of producing 40-70 species.

Inclusions:
• Hotel pickup and drop off
• National Park fees
• Use of Spotting Scope, Field Guides
• A bird checklist
• Guiding by one of our professional and friendly guides
• Personalised service, travel in comfortable and reliable air-conditioned vehicle.
• Some snacks, morning tea/coffee, drinking water refill

Some key species:
Adelaide Rosella, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo, Musk Lorikeet, Scarlet Robin, White-throated Treecreeper, Freckled Duck

Option #2: "Highlights"

Duration: 9 Hours Maximum

Features:
• A morning and afternoon birdwatching the greater Adelaide region.
• Expect 60-90 species depending on time of year and weather
• Wonderful photographic opportunities.

Option #3: "Big Day"

Duration: Dawn till Dusk or 12 Hours Maximum

Features:
• A ‘big day birding or bird photography in the greater Adelaide region.
• The day is designed to maximise our time out in the field, and can be adjusted to your wishes.
• The best photographic opportunities.

Some key species:
Adelaide Rosella, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo, Musk Lorikeet, Scarlet Robin, White-throated Treecreeper, Freckled Duck, Spotted & Spotless Crake, Long-billed Corella, Crested Shrike-tit, Red-browed Finch, Southern Scrubrobin, Shy Heathwren, Tawny-crowned & Purple-gaped Honeyeater, Purple-backed Fairy – wren

Add-on options may be arranged in advance. These are subject to availability and include:

• Coorong Cruise (various options, 1-6 hr cruises on the Ramsar-listed Murray river estuary and Coorong coastal lagoons, cruises don’t go every day)
• Accommodation at our partner property “Wings Bird & Bush Retreat”, a luxury B&B situated scenically on a private nature sanctuary in the Adelaide Hills. Our guide will pick you up and drop you back at Wings at no extra cost.
• We also provide guiding services elsewhere in South Australia, particularly at Birdlife’s ‘Gluepot’ Reserve, 2½ hrs from Adelaide – options and prices as above. At Gluepot, we look for key species such as Red-lored & Gilberts Whistler and Black-eared Miner, Chestnut Quail-thrush, Southern Scrub-robin, Striated Grasswren, Regent Parrot and up to 8 species of honeyeater. A popular option is a two-day combination of a day around Adelaide and a day at Gluepot – feel free to ask us for details if interested.