Australia’s big birds
UPDATED AUGUST 2025
Australia is home to some very large, charismatic birds. In fact, the emu is the second largest in the world, after the ostrich.
Extremely large beaks, stilt-like legs and long necks are what set these birds apart. These guys are also among the last survivors of some mostly extinct bird groups.
Here, we look at some of their defining attributes – comically stealthy runs and all – and why we’re lucky to have them here in Australia.
Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae)
Size: Up to 2m, up to 50kg
There’s a lot to love about emus, from the way they run scared and confused from your backyard sprinkler, to their wild, excited dancing.
The emu is a member of the genus Dromaius, of which it is the only living member. Other members of the genus including the Tasmanian emu and King Island emu are now extinct. The resilience of the last living emus is best exemplified in the story of the emu wars.
Back in 1932, Australian troops were dumbfounded when they found themselves outmaneuvered. A group of 20,000 emus had been devastating farms across WA for some time. The farmers under attack (many ex-soldiers themselves) had eventually petitioned for military aid.
Once the conflict began, the emus proved almost impossible to hit with machine-gun fire, and they seemed able to shrug off even serious injury from bullets without breaking stride.
If this doesn’t make you love them or, at least, respect them, then their weather-reading skills will. Young emus learn to read the weather based on how their fathers react to different conditions. This is because the father has learnt that thunder clouds mean rain and that rain means grass and herbage, so when he is cued to move he heads towards the biggest cloud bank he can see. So yes, they’re also very smart.
Southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius)
Size: Up to 2m tall, up to 76kg
The southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) is one of the three living species of cassowary, alongside the dwarf cassowary (Casuarius bennetti) and the northern cassowary (Casuarius unappendiculatus).
The southern cassowary is found throughout New Guinea and eastern Indonesia, with only the subspecies Casuarius casuarius johnsonii found in Australia.
With a towering stature, helmet-like casque and dagger-sharp claws, the southern cassowary cuts an unmistakable figure in the tropical rainforests of Far North Queensland. Sometimes referred to as the “world’s most dangerous bird” due to its powerful legs and sharp claws, this flightless giant plays a gentle yet vital role in its ecosystem: dispersing the seeds of more than 200 rainforest plant species.
In truth, they’re mostly shy and solitary, but cassowaries can become aggressive if threatened – especially when defending chicks. They were once far more widespread across Australia’s north-east, but their numbers have plummeted due to habitat loss, car strikes and dog attacks. Today, spotting one in the wild is both a thrill and a privilege.
Also, ever wondered what’s inside the cassowary’s casque (the appendage on their head)? Well, an autopsy revealed that it’s filled with a spongey, honeycomb like structure. We still don’t quite know what its purpose is though. Some have speculated that it’s a helmet, others that it plays a part in courtship.
Australian pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus)
Size: Up to 1.8m, up to 13kg
Synonymous with long stretches of coastline, lakeside jetties and beachside fish-and-chip picnics, Australian pelicans may not be as tall as the emu or the cassowary, but they are considered to be one of the heaviest flying birds in the world, weighing up to 13kg. They also have an impressive wingspan to match.
Then there’s the bill – holding a Guiness World Record for the longest bill of any bird in the world. And these bills are very intimidating. Often a pelican will crane its neck with it mouth agape, scaring off invaders.
The gular pouch (the stretchy skin attached to its lower jaw) and bill play an important role in finding dinner for the Aussie pelican, helping it locate fish in murky water. A hook at the tip of its upper mandible is also useful for gripping slippery fish.
The pouch isn’t used to store marine snacks for later as some may think, but instead acts as a type of fishing net, with the pelican plunging their bill into the water in the hope of catching prey. The bird then draws the pouch to its breast, emptying the water and manoeuvring its meal into position – so the prey’s head is pointed towards its throat – to swallow.
Brolga (Antigone rubicunda)
Size: Up to 1.5m, up to 8kg
The brolga’s scientific name was updated to Antigone rubicunda in 2010.
The brolga is the absolute dancing queen of Australia with its elaborate, ritualised moves. They can be seen bobbing their heads, bowing and strutting their stuff all over Australia. Sometimes, they even lean back, tilt their bill to the sky and let out a loud trumpet noise.
The brolga is considered to be sacred by Aboriginal Australians, with its common name taken from the Aboriginal language Gamilaraay, in which they’re called, burralga. The dance of the brolga is regularly performed as part of traditional ceremonies.
The tall, proud figure of the dancing brolga is also revered in the wider community, so much so that in 1986 the Queensland Government made the brolga its official bird emblem and it also decorates the state’s coat of arms, alongside the red deer (representing the state’s historical link to Britain).
Brolgas inhabit open wetland and grassland environments and are most common across Northern and Eastern Australia.
Australian bustard (Ardeotis australis)
Size: Up to 1.2m, up to 6kg
The Australian bustard – also commonly known as the plains turkey or bush turkey – is one of Australia’s heaviest flying birds and favours habitats of grasslands, open woodland and dry plains.
It is known by various names across Aboriginal language groups, including kere artewe (Arrernte), kipara (Luritja), danimila (Larrakia) and bebilya (Noongar). It features prominently in Dreaming stories and art, and in the traditional diets of many First Nations groups.
This large ground-dwelling bird has grey-brown plumage (which offers excellent camouflage), long legs, a slender neck and a small head topped with black fathers. It holds it head high while strutting about on open plains – lending it an imperious, snobbish air.
Males are significantly larger than females. During courtship displays, males inflate their feathery throat pouch to produce ‘roaring’ noise in a bid to impress females.
Once widespread across open habitats throughout mainland Australia, the Australian bustard has declined significantly in the south and southeast due to habitat destruction and historical hunting pressure. Today, it’s most abundant in northern and central Australia, although isolated populations do persist in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
Aside from habitat loss and predation by introduced predators such as foxes and cats, the Australian bustard is also impacted by altered fire regimes and vehicle collisions.
Black-necked stork/ jabiru (Ehippiorhynchus asiaticus)
Size: Up to 1.3m, up to 4kg
The black-necked stork is actually two subspecies: Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus asiaticus (which occurs across India and Southeast Asia) and Ehippiorhynchus asiaticus australis (which is found in Australia and New Guinea).
In Australia, these birds – also known as jabirus – are often seen alone or in pairs in wetlands across coastal and near-coastal areas in northern and eastern Australia and are especially abundant in the monsoonal areas of Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
They were once commonly found in eastern New South Wales, but populations have now declined or become locally extinct across much of its former range.
With a black bill, long red legs punctuated by knobbly knees, a black-and-white body and a slender neck covered in iridescent green-and-purple plumage, Australia’s only native stork has a striking appearance. Males have dark brown eyes, while females have yellow-golden eyes.
Black-necked storks communicate through guttural grunts and snapping their bills.
