Birds: Of the 828 bird species listed in Australia about half are found nowhere else. They range from tiny honeyeaters to the large flightless emu which stands nearly two metres tall. The best chances of seeing of emus in the wild is in grasslands, sclerophyll forests and savannah woodlands. A vast array of waterbirds, seabirds and birds dwell in our open woodlands and forests. Example include cassowaries, black swans, fairy penguins, kookburras, lyrebirds and currawongs. You can easily see penguins on Kangaroo Island in South Australia and Philip Island in Victoria. The Albert's Lyrebird can be seen in Mt Warning National Park and in the Gondwana rainforest around the Gold Coast hinterland.
See the more common superb lyrebird in Dandenong Ranges and Kinglake National Parks around Melbourne and Royal national Park and Illawarra regiion south of Syddney. You' ll also find them in Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve near Canberra, Tower Hill in Victoria and a number of national parks along Australia's east coast. Kookaaburras best for their hysterical human-sounding laughter at dusk and dawn are common and you' ll most likely spot (or hear) them in the countryside and often in city suburbs. The Broome Bird Observatory and kakadu National Park are both excellent place to view many species of wetland and migratory birds. There are 55 species of parrots in Australia as numerous as they are colourful including a spectacular variety of cockatoos, rosellas, lorikeets, cockatiels, parakeets and budgerigars. They are commonly seen in rural and urban areas.
Monotremes : Another animal group only found in Australia is the monotremes or egg laying mammals. The most distinctive is the platypus a river dwelling animal with a bill like a duck a furry waterproof body and webbed feet. Platypuses live in burrows which they dig into the banks of rivers. They are very shy and difficult to spot, but your best chances are in the eastern coastal areas in small streams and quiet rivers. Good places to see them are in the Tidbinbilla Nature reserve near CAnberra on Lake Elizabeth in Victoria's Great Otway National Park Tasmania's Cradle Mountain Lake St clair National Park and in northern New South wales and Queensland.
The echidna or spiny ant eater is another monotreme, which has a long sticky tonque and a prickly coat like a hedgehog or porcupine so don't try and pick one up! Kangaroo Island is one of the best places to spot them in the wild.
