The rainbow lorikeet has been identified as Australia’s most numerous bird species, according to the country’s largest citizen science study.
The 2024 Aussie Bird Count, conducted by BirdLife Australia, recorded 4.1 million bird sightings across the week-long event in October, with more than 57,000 participants taking part.
The rainbow lorikeet’s colourful plumage has kept it at the number one most-sighted bird since the Aussie Bird Count began in 2014, leading a top four that has stayed the same for a decade.
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Noisy miners, sometimes mistaken for the introduced common myna, came in at second place.
The Australian magpie swooped in at third place.
Interestingly, the magpie was the most common bird spotted by participants, despite not topping the overall count.
The data revealed no two states shared the same top three birds, which BirdLife Australia described as “a reminder of how integral birds are to each state’s unique character and identity”.
BirdLife Australia’s Senior Public Affairs Advisor Sean Dooley described the magpie as our “most familiar bird.”
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“The Australian magpie was actually the bird spotted by the most participants across the country, so it’s Australia’s most familiar bird. Almost 50 per cent of participants saw a magpie when they did the Aussie Bird Count, which is a reminder of how closely connected we are to this beautiful, intelligent bird,” said Dooley.
Counted Australia-wide, the top 10 birds were:
Rainbow lorikeet
Noisy miner
Australian magpie
Sulphur-crested cockatoo
Welcome swallow
Galah
Silver gull
White ibis
House sparrow
Little corella
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The millions of birds counted are not just numbers. BirdLife Australia is using this data to drive its conservation strategy, with ambitious goals to stop bird extinctions by 2032 and halt overall decline in bird species population by 2050.
“Watching birds is fun, but it can also be very important. Birds tell us a lot about the environment we live in.”
“The Aussie Bird Count is [also] about having fun and getting to know the birds around us a bit better. But it’s also about helping Aussies turn an interest in birds into a hobby that provides valuable information.”
The 2025 Aussie Bird Count will take place from October 20-26.
For individuals eager to contribute before then, BirdLife Australia runs two bird monitoring programs – Birds in Backyards and Birdata.
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