Animals and Birdlife of the Blue Mountains

Family

Cockatoos are short to medium size stocky parrots, with a moveable head crest and strong curved beaks. Though not as brightly coloured as other parrots, their crests are.

Their prominent crests flex when landing or taking off and when excited or alerted. They come in a range of colours and while their plumage tends to be either gray, black or white, their impressive crests can be a variety of colours, with added colour in their cheeks, under their wings and on their tails.

They get their nourishment from things like seeds, flowers, fruit and insects, they can be in very large flocks when feeding on the ground.

Like other parrots, they are curious and intelligent birds.

West of Sydney

In the Blue Mountains you will see multi-coloured parrots to brilliant white crested cockatoos. You can recognise them, being larger than other parrots and by their showy yellow crests and sharp curved bills.

Blue Mountains Animals

Most of the furry animals that can be found in the Blue Mountains are nocturnal, although you can spot kangaroos and wallabies feeding early in the morning and at dusk. There are some koalas here too. Though they are usually difficult but not impossible to see during the day, high up and asleep in an eucalypt tree, usually red gums or grey gums.

Spotted-tailed quolls, also nocturnal, are the largest predator found in the mountains here. Although rarely reaching a length of more than 78 centimeters, they can attack other animals, including kangaroos and even wombats.

Possums, bandicoots, grey-headed flying foxes, bats, gliders and many others can be seen at night here if your careful and quiet. Echidnas, which can be spotted during the day also live here.

Reptiles

Reptiles of all kinds inhabit the mountains, from snakes to goannas and everything in between. Some of them have a nasty venomous bite, so don’t approach or try to scare them away. Discretion is the better part of valour, just walk away quietly.

Other reptiles here include long necked turtles and blue-tongued lizards, as well as a whole array of geckos, skinks as well as bearded dragons, mountain dragons and eastern water dragons (Though not as big and fierce as the H. Potter kinds). Curious calls from different types of frogs can also be heard near water sources.

Birdlife

The highly successful and brightly coloured noisy rainbow lorikeet can be seen and heard throughout the mountains. Bellbirds with their ringing call and whip birds, with their distinctive whip-crack call can be heard echoeing in the valleys. Whip birds are very difficult to see, however, you will know of their presence through this unusual but somehow seemingly ever present call.

Kookaburras also have a very distinct call with their laugh. Other birds that inhabit the woodlands here are gang gangs, rosellas, currawongs, three creepers and many others. As said earlier, this is a bird spotter’s paradise.

Another very interesting bird that lives in the patches of rainforest scattered around the mountains is the male satin bowerbird. Glossy black in colour, they use blue colour objects to attract a mate. They can even include clothes pegs and bits of blue plastic. Hey, if it works, it works!

Further Reading

More about Australian animals and Great Australian Things to See.

Main Photo: Sulphur Crested Cockatoos are believed to mate for life.