Birding Tour Australia: Northern Territory - Top End Birding

Australia: Northern Territory – Top End Birding
September 2026/2027

Our updated Northern Territory – Top End Birding tour travels along a well-trodden path around the Top End of the Northern Territory in a loop starting and ending in the coastal city of Darwin, then moving across to Kakadu National Park (via the excellent Adelaide River, Mary River, and Point Stuart areas), as well as visiting Katherine, Victoria River, and Timber Creek, before returning north to Darwin. The tour focuses on the special and endemic birds of the region and is ideal for anyone who has never birded Australia before, or anyone who has only birded the east or west of the country as lots of exciting new birds will be on offer in this fantastically bird-rich area in the north of Australia.

The exquisite Rainbow Pitta is one of our targets on this trip.

Darwin is one of the top birding cities in the world with numerous key species on offer right within the city and we will venture into botanic gardens, mangroves, beaches, and monsoon forest for a wide range of quality and specialist birds. Highlights possible around the city include Rainbow Pitta, Chestnut Rail, Beach Stone-curlew, White-breasted Whistler, Red-headed Myzomela, Arafura Fantail, Arafura Shrikethrush, Northern Rosella, Red-collared Lorikeet, Varied Lorikeet, Paperbark Flycatcher, Canary White-eye, Green-backed Gerygone, Mangrove Robin, Mangrove Fantail, Torresian Kingfisher, Rufous Owl, and Barking Owl.

The tough-to-see White-breasted Whistler can be found in mangroves around Darwin.

Kakadu is famous for its ancient rock art, but this area also has some of the most incredible wetlands in the whole country and vast mixed flocks of waterfowl can be seen – it really is an impressive sight watching flocks of hundreds of Australasian Swamphens, Magpie Geese, Comb-crested Jacanas, and Pied Herons, with Sarus Crane, Brolga, and Black-necked Stork dotted around among them. Raptors are abundant in the area with top targets including Wedge-tailed Eagle, Red Goshawk, Pacific Baza, and Black-breasted Buzzard. Numerous localized species can be found here too such as Black-banded Fruit Dove, Chestnut-quilled Rock Pigeon, Partridge Pigeon, Mangrove Golden Whistler, Black-tailed Treecreeper, Sandstone Shrikethrush, Great Bowerbird, Cockatiel, and White-lined Honeyeater to name a few.

The localized White-lined Honeyeater will be a target in the Top End.

The final section of this tour will be the furthest south and west we venture as we cover the Katherine, Victoria River, and Timber Creek areas, where we will look for the spectacular Gouldian Finch, as well as a range of other equally impressive finches, likely to include Masked Finch, Long-tailed Finch, Star Finch, Yellow-rumped Mannikin and Pictorella Mannikin. Additional targets from this area include Hooded Parrot, Red-winged Parrot, Budgerigar, White-quilled Rock Pigeon, Red-backed Kingfisher, Purple-crowned Fairywren, Northern Shriketit, and Varied Sittella. For a complete desert adventure, consider combining this tour with our Birding Tour Australia: Northern Territory – Alice Springs and Uluru Birding Tour in the south of the territory, for a range of local desert specials such as Spinifexbird, Spinifex Pigeon, Banded Whiteface, Rufous-crowned Emu-wren, and much more!

For those wishing to explore Australia further, this tour (and the aforementioned Northern Territory – Alice Springs and Uluru Birding Tour) can be combined with our Birding Western Australia: Southwest Australian Endemic Birds tour.

Itinerary (10 days/9 nights)

Day 1. Arrival in Darwin

After your late-morning arrival in Darwin you will make the short transfer to our city hotel. We will meet at the hotel for lunch prior to a late-afternoon birding session in the city. We are sure to get our lists off to a great start with a selection of common local birds and likely some of the regional specials such as Orange-footed Scrubfowl, Red-headed Myzomela, Paperbark Flycatcher, Red-collared Lorikeet, White-gaped Honeyeater, Blue-faced (“White-quilled”) Honeyeater, Rufous-banded Honeyeater, and Rose-crowned Fruit Dove. After our evening meal we will go through our checklist from the afternoon’s birding session (as we will do on every evening – as we do on all of our tours) and go through our plans for the next week or so of exciting birding, starting off with the plans for the following day’s city birding.

Overnight: Darwin

Day 2. Birding the Darwin environs

We will spend the full day birding around Darwin. Coastal habitats including tidal mudflats, mangroves, and coastal monsoon forest will be searched for the secretive Chestnut Rail. Further targets here will include Mangrove Gerygone, Canary White-eye, Shining Flycatcher, Broad-billed Flycatcher, Mangrove Fantail, Mangrove Robin, and White-breasted Whistler. Shorebirds here can include Beach Stone-curlew and Grey-tailed Tattler.

We will hope to repeat the fantastic views of Chestnut Rail as we’ve had on previous tours.

Monsoon forest around the city offers a great many species, including one of the many standout targets of the trip, Rainbow Pitta. It is a magical sight to see this avian jewel hopping around on the forest floor. Here plenty of other birds are possible, such as Canary White-eye, Arafura Shrikethrush, and Arafura Fantail. We may even get lucky and find a roosting Large-tailed Nightjar. The Orange-footed Scrubfowl nest mounds here are breathtaking and certainly are impressive engineering feats to witness! We will look out for Varied Lorikeets, Red-collared Lorikeets, and Northern Rosellas here too, as well as an assortment of honeyeaters, trillers, and cuckooshrikes.

Our lunch will be taken at one of the many delightful locally owned coffeeshops where we are sure of some great food and excellent service. Once we have finished our lunch, we will be sure to head out birding again to make the most of our time in the city. One site that we will fit into our day’s birding is the George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens. Here we can find some great birds and marvel at the incredible plants growing here – it’s hard to not dream of birding in Madagascar when walking through the baobab garden! Some of the species we hope to encounter during our time here include Rose-crowned Fruit Dove, Australian Figbird, Bush Stone-curlew, Rufous Owl, Barking Owl, Tawny Frogmouth, Azure Kingfisher, Double-barred Finch, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Northern Fantail, Red-headed Myzomela, and Brahminy Kite.

Overnight: Darwin

Red-headed Myzomela is an attractive small honeyeater and one we should enjoy seeing (along with many other species of this varied family) while in the Top End.

Day 3. Darwin to Mary River/Point Stuart Area

After a final early morning birding session around Darwin, we will commence our drive into the more remote areas in the east of our circuit. Along the way to the famed Kakadu National Park, there are several great birding areas and we will call in at some of these. One such spot is Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve. The wetland landscape of the Adelaide River floodplain is stunning and usually packed full with an assortment of wetland birds such as Comb-crested Jacana, Wandering Whistling Duck, Green Pygmy Goose, Pied Heron, Black-necked Stork, Brolga, Australasian Darter, White-necked Heron, Straw-necked Ibis, Royal Spoonbill, and Nankeen Night Heron (along with many more widespread species). Smaller passerines around the floodplain include the globally widespread, but in Australia very localized (and potentially warranting specific species status with a couple of other subspecies) Zitting Cisticola, along with Golden-headed Cisticola, Double-barred Finch, and Crimson Finch. The monsoon forest and forest edge along the floodplain here is also great for plenty of species as well, including Blue-winged Kookaburra, Forest Kingfisher, Pheasant Coucal, Arafura Fantail, Rainbow Pitta, Paperbark Flycatcher, Leaden Flycatcher, Lemon-bellied Flyrobin, Hooded Robin, Jacky Winter, Green-backed Gerygone, and Mangrove Golden Whistler.

We will spend the night at Mary River. Here we will look for the regional special Black-tailed Treecreeper, but other targets will include Bush Stone-curlew, Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Mistletoebird, Rufous Whistler, White-throated Honeyeater, White-winged Triller, Torresian Crow, Red-collared Lorikeet, Helmeted Friarbird, Green Oriole, and we might even find Channel-billed Cuckoo – this is one of the most impressive cuckoos in the world!

Overnight: Mary River/Point Stuart Area

Another localized species that we will be looking for on this tour, Black-tailed Treecreeper.

Day 4. Mary River/Point Stuart to Kakadu National Park

We will spend the early morning enjoying birds around the Mary River area where we will also likely take a boat ride on one of the billabongs (known as waterholes here), to get close to some spectacular wildlife such as Saltwater Crocodile, Freshwater Crocodile, White-bellied Sea Eagle, and a whole host of waterbirds. There are several excellent billabongs here and we could find Magpie Goose, Wandering Whistling Duck, Radjah Shelduck, Hardhead, Australasian Swamphen, Brolga, Comb-crested Jacana, Australian Tern, Whiskered Tern, Australasian Darter, Australian Pelican, Pied Heron, and Black-necked Stork. Some of the above are often present in flocks of several hundred and offer a spectacular sight (and sound).

Our accommodation is set in grounds that attract a range of birds (such as Rainbow Pitta) and we will likely explore areas from the previous afternoon for more of our targets such as Black-tailed Treecreeper, Mangrove Golden Whistler, Rufous-banded Honeyeater, and Varied Lorikeet.

Our route into Kakadu National Park takes us through great habitat and we will keep our eyes peeled for roadside Silver-backed Butcherbird, Northern Rosella, Black-breasted Buzzard, and Wedge-tailed Eagle.

The tiny Pied Heron is sure to delight.

The afternoon will be spent birding within Kakadu National Park, making a start on the birds mentioned for Days 5 as we check-in for our two-night stay in the area.

Overnight: Kakadu National Park area

Day 5. Birding in Kakadu National Park

We will have the full day to explore this excellent, wildlife rich area, as well as the afternoon of Day 4 and morning of Day 6. There are several target birds on our radar here, many can be found among the impressive sandstone hills, either in the monsoon forest surrounding them in the case of Northern Rosella, Black-banded Fruit Dove, Rainbow Pitta, Forest Kingfisher, Northern Fantail, White-lined Honeyeater, Helmeted (Sandstone) Friarbird, Green Oriole, and Olive-backed Oriole, or actually in the hills themselves, such as Chestnut-quilled Rock Pigeon, Sandstone Shrikethrush, and Little Woodswallow. The area is often very busy with birds and we will likely see many other species as we bird our way around it.

Incredibly well-camouflaged, we will certainly need to have our eyes peeled to locate the Chestnut-quilled Rock Pigeon.

Dry woodland areas in the vicinity are also home to Partridge Pigeon, Red-winged Parrot, Cockatiel, Galah, Great Bowerbird, Red-backed Fairywren, Buff-sided Robin, White-bellied Cuckooshrike, Pied Butcherbird, and Blue-winged Kookaburra among others.

While in the area we will also check out several waterholes and riverine systems that may offer us further chances of some of the waterbirds previously mentioned, or maybe something rare or different like a Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, or Azure Kingfisher.

We will also make sure to visit some of the spectacular rock art, etched thousands of years ago by the indigenous people which offers a fantastic window into the human history of the region.

Overnights (two nights): Kakadu National Park area

We will look for Cockatiel during our time in the Kakadu area.

Blue-winged Kookaburra will be one of our target birds during the tour.

Day 6. Kakadu National Park to Katherine

We will bid farewell to the Kakadu area after our final morning birding session. We will slowly drive southwest to the township of Pine Creek. Along the way we will look for Black-breasted Buzzard and other raptors, along with Buff-sided Robin, Red-backed Kingfisher, Northern Rosella, Red-winged Parrot, and Silver-backed Butcherbird.

On the way to our accommodation in Katherine, we will stop in the township of Pine Creek to find one of the area’s special birds, Hooded Parrot, and we will also look out for the gorgeous Gouldian Finch along with Masked Finch, Long-tailed Finch, Crimson Finch, Double-barred Finch, and Australian Zebra Finch.

Overnight: Katherine

The shy Buff-sided Robin can be found in wooded river valleys in the area.

Day 7. Birding the Katherine area and travel to, and birding at Victoria River

We will spend some time in the morning birding in the bush in the vicinity of Katherine, looking for several tough species, including Northern Shriketit, Northern Rosella, and Chestnut-backed Buttonquail. We may also find Apostlebird and Cockatiel here. After our early morning birding we will leave town and head west to Victoria River. We will have several key targets over the next couple of days so will start looking for those as soon as it cools down in the late afternoon.

Overnight: Victoria River

The tough Northern Shriketit, a recent split, will be a target during this tour.

Day 8. Birding Victoria River and Timber Creek

We will have numerous important targets during the day (as well as opportunities to look for them during the afternoon of Day 7 and the morning of Day 9). We will check rocky escarpments for the habitat-reliant White-quilled Rock Pigeon and keep our eyes peeled along riparian corridors for the spectacular Purple-crowned Fairywren. This is Australia’s largest fairywren and arguably the best-looking of them all…! Plenty of other quality birds will no doubt feature here, such as Spinifex Pigeon, Diamond Dove, Red-winged Parrot, Cockatiel, Budgerigar, Red-backed Kingfisher, Great Bowerbird, and Buff-sided Robin.

As we change locations, we will focus on some finches, and we will hope to find Star Finch, Gouldian Finch, Australian Zebra Finch, Long-tailed Finch, Masked Finch, Double-barred Finch, Crimson Finch, Yellow-rumped Mannikin, Pictorella Mannikin, and Chestnut-breasted Mannikin. There are lots of exciting possibilities in this remote part of the Northern Territory and there could be some great surprises in store.

Overnight: Timber Creek

Day 9. Timber Creek to Katherine

We will have a final morning birding the Timber Creek area looking for the birds mentioned above, and more, before we retrace our steps to Katherine where we will spend the night. We will of course be looking out for any good birds along the way!

Overnight: Katherine

The gorgeous Hooded Parrot is a target during the second half of this tour.

 As we spend the day exploring other areas nearby, we will look out for several other species that we may have yet to see during the tour, such as Apostlebird, Australian Bustard, Black-fronted Dotterel, Red-kneed Dotterel, Fairy Martin, Grey-crowned Babbler, Diamond Dove, Common Bronzewing, and Spotted Harrier.

Overnight: Katherine

Day 10. Katherine to Darwin, where the tour concludes

We will spend a final morning birding in the Katherine vicinity where we will have the flexibility to target anything we may still be “needing” from the area, such as the three difficult species of the area: Northern Shriketit, Northern Rosella, and Chestnut-backed Buttonquail. In the mid-morning we will commence our journey north back to Darwin, possibly stopping off along the way for a final look for the gorgeous Hooded Parrot if time permits. The tour will conclude in the late afternoon in time for your evening flight home or onto one of our other Australian tours (our exciting Birding Tour Australia: Northern Territory – Alice Springs and Uluru Birding Tour starts tomorrow and combines excellently with this tour to give you an extremely comprehensive birding trip in the Northern Territory).

Overnight: Not included

Please note that the itinerary cannot be guaranteed as it is only a rough guide and can be changed (usually slightly) due to factors such as availability of accommodation, updated information on the state of accommodation, roads, or birding sites, the discretion of the guides and other factors. In addition, we sometimes have to use a different international guide from the one advertised due to tour scheduling.

Northern Australia – Top End Birding Trip Report, September 2025

10 – 19 SEPTEMBER 2025

By Andrew Walker

The stunning Purple-crowned Fairywren was a huge tour highlight.­

Overview

This Australia birding tour started in Darwin, Northern Territory on the 10^th of September 2025 and ended back there on the 19^th of October 2025. This Northern Territory birding tour visited some of the best birding sites in Australia’s Top End region, and included birding at Lee Point, Buffalo Creek, George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens, East Point Reserve, Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve, Point Stuart Wilderness Lodge area, Mary River Wetlands, Kakadu National Park, Pine Creek, Katherine, Victoria River, and Timber Creek.

Birding around the Top End of the Northern Territory resulted in many excellent birds, in fact we recorded 201 species during the tour (two of these were heard only). Take a look at our eBird trip report, here. Species lists for birds, mammals, and reptiles recorded during this Australian bird tour follow the daily account, below.

Some of the highlight birds seen on this Top End bird tour included regional specials such as Chestnut Rail, Radjah Shelduck, Rufous Owl, Black-banded Fruit Dove, Chestnut-quilled Rock Pigeon, White-quilled Rock Pigeon, Partridge Pigeon, Red-backed Buttonquail, Black-necked Stork, Pied Heron, Hooded Parrot, Northern Rosella, Red-collared Lorikeet, Varied Lorikeet, Cockatiel, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Red-backed Kingfisher, Rainbow Pitta, Purple-crowned Fairywren, Black-tailed Treecreeper, Great Bowerbird, Bar-breasted Honeyeater, White-lined Honeyeater, Red-headed Myzomela, Arafura Fantail, Sandstone Shrikethrush, Silver-backed Butcherbird, Mangrove Golden Whistler, Paperbark Flycatcher, Broad-billed Flycatcher, Buff-sided Robin, Canary White-eye, Green-backed Gerygone, Mangrove Gerygone, Yellow-rumped Mannikin, Chestnut-breasted Mannikin, Star Finch, Crimson Finch, Masked Finch, Long-tailed Finch, and Gouldian Finch.

Rainbow Pitta was an early highlight on this Northern Territory Top End birding tour.

In addition to the great special birds of the Northern Territory Top End, we also recorded a long list of some exciting wide-ranging Australian birds, such as Magpie Goose, Plumed Whistling Duck, Green Pygmy Goose, Orange-footed Scrubfowl, Brolga, Australian Bustard, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Rose-crowned Fruit Dove, Diamond Dove, Royal Spoonbill, Black-breasted Buzzard, Pacific Baza, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Spotted Harrier, Barking Owl, Forest Kingfisher, Torresian Kingfisher, Azure Kingfisher, Rainbow Bee-eater, Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Red-winged Parrot, Rufous-banded Honeyeater, Rufous-throated Honeyeater, White-gaped Honeyeater, Yellow-tinted Honeyeater, Banded Honeyeater, Silver-crowned Friarbird, Blue-faced Honeyeater, Grey-crowned Babbler, Black Butcherbird, Varied (White-winged) Sittella, Varied Triller, Green Oriole, Northern Fantail, Apostlebird, Lemon-bellied Flyrobin, and Mangrove Robin.

Rufous-banded Honeyeater was one of many species of honeyeater that gave us some great views during the tour.

In addition to the incredible birds seen, this Top End birding tour also proved great for crocodile sightings, with many huge Saltwater Crocodiles and several Australian Freshwater Crocodiles seen from land and from our boat trip in the Mary River Wetlands. Rather cute Agile Wallabies were seen almost daily, impressive views of flying foxes were a highlight, and sightings of several interesting reptiles were enjoyed too.

Furthermore, this tour visited some of the most beautiful and interesting landscapes in the whole of Australia and included viewing the magical, ancient rock art dating back many years. Everything combined for a fun, thoroughly enjoyable, and interesting bird-filled birdwatching tour of the Northern Territory.

Detailed Report

Day 1, 10^th September 2025. Arrival in Darwin and birding at Buffalo Creek

We met at lunchtime after early arrivals in Darwin (following successful tours in Fiji and Samoa and New Caledonia) and discussed what we were hoping to see on this thrilling Australian birding tour of the Top End, Northern Territory. As all clients had already completed our Tasmania and Eastern Australian (from the Outback to the Wet Tropics) birding tours in 2023, everyone was excited to reunite and for what this part of Australia would offer us in terms of wonderful birds and incredible wildlife (and a lot more laughs along the way).

Our first group birding session saw us checking out the Buffalo Creek area, not far out of Darwin city. Amazingly we pulled out of our hotel, commenced our journey, looked out of the window and saw a Rainbow Pitta foraging on the side of the road! Possibly the easiest pitta in the world to see, it was just hopping around right in the open. An incredible start to our tour.

Chestnut Rail came right out into the open to bathe on the incoming tide and showed nicely.

On arriving at Buffalo Creek we headed straight into the mangroves ahead of the incoming tide. A quick scramble into position had us watching a pair of stunning Chestnut Rails that were also feeding out in the open, incredibly good (and quickly found) views of a most wanted species – our luck was definitely in with these two quick fire quality birds. We then spent some time birding in and around the mangroves and nearby beach. As this was our first birding in the region we added lots of new and exciting species, such as Orange-footed Scrubfowl, Australasian Darter, Little Bronze Cuckoo, Red-collared Lorikeet, Rainbow Bee-eater, White-gaped Honeyeater, Rufous-banded Honeyeater, Red-headed Myzomela, and Canary White-eye.

The tide was rapidly coming in and so we focused our attention on the shorebirds. There were lots of birds but they were getting flushed all over the place by people fishing, playing, and walking dogs, which was rather unfortunate, especially given how tired these birds must have been after their long migrations from their northern breeding grounds. The main numbers were made up by Great Knot, Greater Sand Plover, and Siberian Sand Plover, with moderate numbers of Red Knot, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, and Red-capped Plover. Species also noted, but in smaller numbers, included Terek Sandpiper, Bar-tailed Godwit, Far Eastern Curlew, Eurasian Whimbrel, Grey Plover, and Pied Oystercatcher. Both Greater and Lesser Crested Terns were patrolling the coast, along with Silver Gulls, and Australian Pelicans were also seen. Black Kites were ever present (and would be for the whole tour), and careful scanning gave us sightings of Brahminy Kite, Whistling Kite, and White-bellied Sea Eagle. A distant small flock of Red-tailed Black Cockatoos was noted flying over too.

We finished up at nearby Lee Point enjoying a wonderful sunset followed by a nice dinner and a welcome catch up on sleep, though a pair of vocal Bush Stone-curlews tried their best to keep us awake!

Day 2, 11^th September 2025. Birding the Darwin area

An early start today saw us arriving back at Buffalo Creek at dawn, where we enjoyed a nice showing from a vocal Large-tailed Nightjar. We again saw Rainbow Pitta and added several passerines to our lists, such as Arafura Fantail and Green-backed Gerygone. We spent some time watching the thousands of shorebirds seen yesterday, but at a much closer distance and without the constant disturbance. It was a treat to work through them all with some birds still holding on to a decent amount of their breeding plumage, e.g. Great Knot, Siberian Sand Plover, and Red Knot. A few Little Terns and Whiskered Terns flew into the shorebird roost too.

After breakfast back at our hotel we moved over to some nearby monsoon forest where, in addition to hundreds of Black Kites, we found a pair of beautiful Barking Owls which eventually gave some good views. Here we saw Rose-crowned Fruit Dove, Nankeen Night Heron, Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Varied Lorikeet, Forest Kingfisher, Red-backed Fairywren, Torresian Crow, Golden-headed Cisticola, Crimson Finch, and Double-barred Finch.

In the late morning we dropped into Darwin Botanic Gardens, where a short walk gave us a sighting of a recently fledged Rufous Owl, along with Radjah Shelduck, Red-collared Lorikeet, Black Butcherbird, Little Friarbird, Helmeted Friarbird, Blue-faced Honeyeater, and some showy Rainbow Bee-eaters. After lunch we headed back to our hotel for a short siesta.

Our afternoon birding session saw us exploring the East Point Reserve area and it was wonderful. We enjoyed a bird-filled walk through the mangroves, where we connected with Torresian Kingfisher, Mangrove Gerygone, Mangrove Golden Whistler, Mangrove Robin, Shining Flycatcher, Broad-billed Flycatcher, and Canary White-eye. We then checked the rocky coast to look for roosting shorebirds, and we added several new species for our trip and improved views of some others, such as Pacific Reef Heron, Little Heron, Pacific Golden Plover, Grey-tailed Tattler, Terek Sandpiper, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, and Curlew Sandpiper. As dusk came we saw several pairs of Bush Stone-curlews waking up for a night of feeding and screaming at each other! Another Barking Owl was also waking up and announcing its presence. The sunset was again rather special too.

The striking Mangrove Golden Whistler showed very nicely.

Day 3, 12^th September 2025. Darwin to Point Stuart Wilderness and Mary River areas

A short pre-breakfast walk near our hotel in Darwin provided us with a few new birds, such as Red-winged Parrot, Galah, Little Corella, Great Bowerbird (a female building a nest), Bar-breasted Honeyeater, Striated Pardalote, White-bellied Cuckooshrike, Black-faced Cuckooshrike, White-breasted Woodswallow, Tree Martin, Masked Finch, and Chestnut-breasted Mannikin.

After breakfast, we left Darwin behind until the end of the tour. We then drove east to Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve, and along the way we noted Oriental Dollarbird and Nankeen Kestrel. We spent the rest of the morning birding at Fogg Dam. Birding at Fogg Dam always turns up some interesting species and today we found lots of birds in the wetland and forest, with some of the highlights including Magpie Goose, Radjah Shelduck, Wandering Whistling Duck, Brolga, White-necked Heron, Pied Heron, Great Egret, Plumed Egret, Little Egret, Eastern Cattle Egret, Royal Spoonbill, Glossy Ibis, Comb-crested Jacana, Rose-crowned Fruit Dove, Sahul Bush Cuckoo, Azure Kingfisher, Grey (Brown) Whistler, Lemon-bellied Flyrobin, Arafura Fantail, Paperbark Flycatcher, Broad-billed Flycatcher, Shining Flycatcher, Dusky Myzomela, and Willie Wagtail.

After lunch, with the temperature soaring, we continued our journey to Point Stuart Wilderness Lodge area. Several Brown Falcons were seen along the road, and a fortuitous stop yielded a couple of Black-tailed Treecreepers, along with several Red-tailed Black Cockatoos. Once we had checked into our accommodation, we had a short walk before dusk, where we saw three more Rainbow Pittas! A few other species were noted on our relaxed walk, including Orange-footed Scrubfowl (with several of their huge nest mounds noted), Blue-winged Kookaburra, Arafura Fantail, Northern Fantail, Shining Flycatcher, and a very brief, flighty Arafura Shrikethrush.

Day 4, 13^th September 2025. Mary River to Kakadu National Park

We enjoyed an early morning boat trip in the Mary River Wetlands. The boat trip was an excellent way to observe a wide range of waterbirds and we also had close views of both Saltwater Crocodile and Australian Freshwater Crocodile. During the boat trip, we saw the following great birds: Radjah Shelduck, Wandering Whistling Duck, Green Pygmy Goose, Magpie Goose, Great-billed Heron, Pied Heron, Plumed Egret, Comb-crested Jacana, Glossy Ibis, Australasian Darter, Black-necked Stork, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Sacred Kingfisher, Azure Kingfisher, Paperbark Flycatcher, and Sahul Brush Cuckoo.

Comb-crested Jacana gave us some excellent close views.

We then drove towards Kakadu National Park, picking up Black-breasted Buzzard, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Brown Falcon, and Nankeen Kestrel along the way. Stopping at a wetland briefly, we saw more waterbirds seen earlier in the day along with Long-tailed Finch and Masked Finch.

In the late afternoon we visited a viewpoint of the highly impressive Nourlangie Rock in Kakadu National Park. It was a tough hike but worth it for the incredible view. Seeing a pair of White-lined Honeyeaters and a Great Bowerbird were nice bonuses.

The localized White-lined Honeyeater showed well after a bit of a hike.

In the late afternoon, we explored a billabong (wetland) and got to watch an interesting mix of species. Little Corellas were numerous (and noisy), but we also had a flock of majestic Red-tailed Black Cockatoos coming down to drink from the edge of the lake. Several species of ducks were present and included Plumed Whistling Duck, Wandering Whistling Duck, Pacific Black Duck, and Green Pygmy Goose. Magpie Geese were also present in moderate numbers, always nice to see. Numerous herons, egrets, and ibis were present and showing well, as was a Royal Spoonbill and Black-necked Stork. Several Agile Wallabies were also coming out into the open to forage. Collared Sparrowhawk and Grey-crowned Babbler were also both seen briefly.

There are plenty of crocodiles in the Northern Territory, such as this Saltwater Crocodile that gave some great views from our early morning boat trip.

Day 5, 14^th September 2025. Birding Kakadu National Park

After breakfast we started exploring Kakadu National Park. As soon as we exited the vehicle we could hear the raucous calls of Channel-billed Cuckoos screaming overhead, but they flew off before we could get proper views. As we entered some stunning rocky landscape we quickly found one of our main targets, a pair of Chestnut-quilled Rock Pigeons sat very camouflaged in their rocky habitat. We then spent some more time looking for the Channel-billed Cuckoos and got some better views of at least three birds. We also heard Pheasant Coucal and saw our first Diamond Doves of the tour.

We moved locations and spent some time exploring some fascinating rock art and birding as we went. Here we found two more pairs of Chestnut-quilled Rock Pigeons (with much closer views) and also enjoyed great looks at Forest Kingfisher, Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Little Corella, Leaden Flycatcher, Paperbark Flycatcher, Rufous Whistler, and more. A stop at a famous river crossing gave us further looks at Saltwater Crocodiles, and these were big ones!

Around town we improved our views of Black-breasted Buzzard, with a pair giving a few close flybys and these were quickly followed by a sighting of half a dozen Partridge Pigeons. Sensibly, they were sat in the shade and showed nicely. We also decided that sitting out the heat of the middle day was sensible, so did the same!

Chestnut-quilled Rock Pigeon gave us very good views.

In the late afternoon, we went to a gorgeous lookout to admire the ancient rock art and saw a few more good birds too! It was a great way to end the day with sightings of several Black-banded Fruit Doves, another brief sighting of White-lined Honeyeaters, an incredible observation of a male Brown Goshawk catching a lizard, and a distant and vocal Sandstone Shrikethrush. We followed this with another excellent meal in town.

Day 6, 15^th September 2025. Kakadu National Park to Katherine

We spent the morning driving out of Kakadu National Park across to Pine Creek, then south to the town of Katherine. We made several short birding stops along the way and each of these yielded something different from new birds, better views of previously seen birds, or some new scenic views (and included some rather impressive and huge termite mounds).

We enjoyed a relaxed breakfast in Jabiru, where we noted an Australian Hobby on a tower and this was followed by another sighting of a couple of Partridge Pigeons (one in town, one out of town). Driving through the national park we saw another Australian Hobby, along with our first Pied Butcherbirds and Yellow-throated Miners of the trip. A few parrots were noted flying through, and these included Cockatiel, Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Red-collared Lorikeet, and Varied Lorikeet.

Our first scheduled birding stop quickly got us our main target, the cute and localized Buff-sided Robin and nearby we also saw another Black-breasted Buzzard, this one on a nest. Here we also enjoyed a sighting of a Papuan (Greater Black) Whipsnake.

We found the secretive Buff-sided Robin along a densely vegetated stream.

Another couple of brief stops on the edge of the national park produced Nankeen Kestrel, Brown Falcon, Silver-backed Butcherbird, Silver-crowned Friarbird, Blue-faced Honeyeater, Red-winged Parrot, plenty of Yellow-throated Miners, Great Bowerbird, and a heavily molting Little Eagle. Our traditional stop at Pine Creek gave us our hoped for Hooded Parrots, with a flock of around 20 birds loafing in the shade of a tree. Other birds noted on the drive included Wedge-tailed Eagle, Black-necked Stork, and White-breasted, Little, and Black-faced Woodswallows. A huge roost of Black Flying Foxes was also seen.

We had some good views of Hooded Parrots as they sought shelter during the heat of the day.

After sitting out the heat of the day at our hotel in Katherine, after a very nice café lunch, we commenced birding in the late afternoon. A drive around town gave us opportunities for several new trip birds, the highlight being a group of three Australian Bustards. Other new species included Black-fronted Dotterel, Wood Sandpiper, Crested Pigeon, Common Bronzewing, Fairy Martin, and Rufous-throated Honeyeater.

Day 7, 16^th September 2025. Birding Katherine to Victoria River

After an early breakfast we drove into some woodland near Katherine, noting a couple of groups of Apostlebirds along the way. On arrival at our birding site, we started our walk, picking up lots of birds. We found several new species for our trip, such as Yellow-tinted Honeyeater, Black-chinned (Golden-backed) Honeyeater, Banded Honeyeater, Jacky Winter, Black-faced Woodswallow, White-throated Gerygone, Weebill, Varied (White-winged) Sittella, Grey Shrikethrush, and Red-backed Kingfisher. We also improved our views of Black-tailed Treecreeper, Cockatiel, Varied Lorikeet, White-winged Triller, and Striated Pardalote. Unfortunately Northern Shriketit remained heard only after a pair of Brown Goshawks flew into the area they were calling from and all went quiet!

After an early lunch we drove across to Victoria River Roadhouse at Gregory, where we arrived in the early afternoon and enjoyed watching a Great Bowerbird at its bower. The eucalyptus trees around the accommodation were full of noisy Red-collared Lorikeets and Blue-faced Honeyeaters.

After a short siesta we headed out into the nearby area, where we were successful in our pursuit of Purple-crowned Fairywren. We found two family groups of this stunning species (see cover image) with adult males, younger males, and females/female-type birds all present and showing very well. Several other species were noted in the area, but most of our time and focus was given to the fairywrens! We also had great views of Fairy Martin, Crimson Finch, Rainbow Bee-eater, and plenty more Agile Wallabies.

The gorgeous Purple-crowned Fairywren put on a nice show for us.

Day 8, 17^th September 2025. Birding Victoria River and Timber Creek

During a pre-breakfast birding session, some of the group hiked up the nearby escarpment and got some brief views of White-quilled Rock Pigeon (as well as a beautiful view of the gorge below). The other part of the group checked out a nearby waterhole and were rewarded with a sighting of a flock of Northern Rosellas. Both groups had further sightings of the common regional birds we had become familiar with over the previous week.

After breakfast we started our drive towards Timber Creek. We stopped at a few river crossings to look for any water and attendant birds and, while we didn’t find much water, we did have a brief sighting of a stunning adult male Gouldian Finch, with additional sightings of Masked Finches and Long-tailed Finches. Walking around the dry riverbeds we found Diamond Dove, Little Woodswallow, Black-faced Woodswallow, Red-browed Pardalote, Rufous-throated Honeyeater, White-winged Triller, and Jacky Winter,to name a few of the more exciting birds.

After a siesta during the hot part in the middle of the day, we headed out around Timber Creek for some more late afternoon birding. We found several groups of Masked, Long-tailed, Crimson, and Double-barred Finches as well as several Diamond Doves, however the highlight bird was a stunning male Spotted Harrier that flew below us while we were stood on a bridge – great views. We also spent some time admiring an interesting Great Bowerbird bower, which was fascinating, especially the fish scales being used in the display arena! Additional sightings of Purple-crowned Fairywrens were also welcome.

Day 9, 18^th September 2025. Birding Timber Creek to Katherine

We spent the early morning birding around Timber Creek where we connected with our two main targets, Star Finch and Yellow-rumped Mannikin. Both gave some nice views in the dawn light.

Star Finches were soaking up the early morning sun!

Our target finches were leaving their roost site, along with Crimson Finch, Double-barred Finch, and Chestnut-breasted Mannikin and were giving occasional great views perched up in the tall grass. Their presence hadn’t gone unnoticed however, as a Brown Goshawk was making the occasional attempt for a finch breakfast!

Yellow-rumped Mannikins were found in the mixed species finch flock.

Satisfied with our sightings, we had a late breakfast and commenced the journey back to Katherine, arriving for a late lunch and a short siesta after checking into our comfortable hotel. During the drive to Katherine we saw several flocks of Cockatiels and a brief roadside stop gave us sightings of Weebill, Masked Finch, and Long-tailed Finch. We also had a Blue-winged Kookaburra fly in and land in a tree at very close range, allowing incredible views of this huge kingfisher.

In the late afternoon we took a walk through some woodland near Katherine, where we found a small group of Red-backed Buttonquails, a party of four foraging Hooded Parrots, and a mixed flock of finches, containing Gouldian Finch, Masked Finch, and Long-tailed Finch, all of which was quite exciting. A few Black-tailed Treecreepers were noted, as were Cockatiel, Red-winged Parrot, Varied (White-winged) Sittella, Striated Pardalote, White-winged Triller, Banded Honeyeater, and more. We finished up the day with a wonderful dinner in Katherine.

Black-tailed Treecreeper was a highlight of birding in the Top End of the Northern Territory.

Day 10, 19^th October 2025. Katherine to Darwin and tour conclusion

We had a final morning birding session at some sites between Katherine and Pine Creek, where we added a couple of final trip birds, finding Australasian Grebe and Grey Teal in a water treatment plant. Near Katherine we had a brief look at a small gathering of Apostlebirds, and a stop at a river that was surprisingly full of water and there weren’t as many birds as we hoped, with some Hooded Parrots just flying over the site rather than stopping for a drink (another pesky Brown Goshawk was looking for a snack and disturbing the few birds present too). However, a walk around a campsite gave us some nice species and some good views too, including our best views of Galah, Oriental Dollarbird, and Olive-backed Oriole.

Once we had finished up our birding session we drove north to Darwin, where this exciting tour finished in the middle of the afternoon. We all flew to Alice Springs to start our next tour together.

Bird List – Following IOC (15.1)

Birds ‘heard only’ are marked with (H) after the common name, all other species were seen. The following notation after species names is used to show conservation status following BirdLife International: EN = Endangered, VU = Vulnerable.

Reptile List

Mammal List

This is a sample trip report. Please email us ([email protected]) for more trip reports from this destination.

Birding Tour Australia: Northern Territory – Top End Birding

 Tour-Specific Information

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT AUSTRALIA CAN BE READ HERE

TOUR OUTLINE

This exciting Northern Territory, Top End birding tour starts and ends in Darwin city. Darwin itself offers some excellent birding right within and around the city – such as at Lee Point, George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens, and Holmes Jungle Nature Reserve. After birding in Darwin, this Top End bird tour makes a circuit of this part of the Northern Territory and takes in Adelaide River, Mary River, Kakadu National Park, Pine Creek, Katherine, Victoria River, and Timber Creek.

There are so many high-quality birds on this Top End birdwatching tour, and it is difficult to summarize them, so please take a look at the detailed itinerary here. A few of the highlights include Red Goshawk, Rainbow Pitta, White-breasted Whistler, Mangrove Golden Whistler, Hooded Parrot, Northern Rosella, Mangrove Fantail, Northern Shriketit, Chestnut-quilled Rock Pigeon, White-quilled Rock Pigeon, Partridge Pigeon, Sandstone Shrikethrush, Black-tailed Treecreeper, and one of the stars of the show – Gouldian Finch. In addition to the special birds mentioned, we will also likely be impressed by huge numbers of waterfowl at desert billabongs (wetlands). The sight of wetlands here teeming with birds is seriously impressive.

This Top End birding tour combines perfectly with our other Northern Territory birding tour, which takes us birding around Alice Springs.

While the birds on our Top End birding tour are the main reason for our trip, we will also pass through some beautiful and unique landscapes that have been home to native people for thousands of years, and we will be sure to soak in these sights, too.

DAILY ACTIVITIES, PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS, AND TOUR PACE

This Top End birding tour moves at a relaxed pace yet still targets all of the readily accessible regional specials, of which there are many.

The city of Darwin offers wonderful birds, with numerous great birdwatching sites within and very close to the city. We will start our tour by visiting some of these places, such as Lee Point, George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens, and Holmes Jungle Nature Reserve. Our accommodation in Darwin is situated an easy short walk from one of these sites, so if you arrive ahead of the tour (always recommended), you can get your Australia birding trip off to a good start as you get acclimatized to the time zone, the weather, and the birds!

After a stint of birding in Darwin, we will start our loop of the Northern Territory’s Top End. We will visit Adelaide River, Mary River, Kakadu National Park, Pine Creek, Katherine, Victoria River, and Timber Creek and each of these areas will give us different target birds. We will situate ourselves in accommodation that offers a great base to explore the surrounding areas. As we don’t spend every night of this tour in a different hotel, the tour shouldn’t feel as rushed as other tours where we cover further distances and require different hotels most nights. Most drives between different accommodations/bases will take 1 – 2.5 hours; however, we will often break up drives for birding stops or bathroom breaks, so the journey times are likely to take longer than this. The longest drives are from Jabiru to Katherine and Katherine to Darwin; both are around 3 – 4 hours of driving time. We may make trips of around one hour from our accommodation to get to certain birding areas (potentially more as we explore around the remote Timber Creek and Victoria Falls area for key target birds.

The tour is generally considered easy in terms of physical exertion. However, the temperatures during the day could get high (see the “Weather” section below), so dehydration needs to always be considered a possibility, as does heat stroke and sunburn.

We will make quite a few short and productive walks from our vehicle at different sites in a loop of up to 0.6 – 1.2 miles (1 – 2 kilometers/km), and we may make several of these a day. We are also likely to make some slightly longer walks of 2.5 miles (4 km), and we may make a couple of these a day. Walking is mainly on flat or occasionally undulating ground. In some areas, we will be walking on maintained trails, but at other times, we will be walking on sandy or rough ground, which may have loose rocks or holes, so care should always be taken.

At some waterhole locations, we might make use of viewing blinds (bird hides) to observe the site and attending birds.

TRANSPORTATION

We will use a 12-seater minibus on this Top End birding tour. There will be limited baggage space, so please pack as lightly as possible for the tour (including within the seating area).

DOMESTIC FLIGHTS

There are no domestic flights on this Top End birdwatching tour.

LUGGAGE

Please pack as lightly as possible for this Top End bird tour due to the limited space inside vehicles. A medium, soft-sided, and robust duffle bag is likely to work best for packing in the tour vehicles. You will be expected to load and unload your own bags into and out of vehicles.

We recommend that a daypack is used to keep items that you wish to use daily when in the vehicle or when birding in the field (such as binoculars, camera, notebook, field guide, personal supply of water, snacks, umbrella, rain jacket, extra layers of clothing, etc.).

ACCOMMODATION

This birding tour of the Top End of the Northern Territory stays in comfortable accommodation throughout (possibly with the exception of when we are in the more remote Timber Creek and Victoria River areas). All accommodation has private bathrooms. Once we leave Darwin, we will be staying in remote areas and we will eat most of our meals (particularly breakfasts and dinners) at our accommodations, which have restaurants.

In Darwin, we will stay at a comfortable resort on the edge of the city in the northern suburbs, just a short drive from Darwin International Airport and close to some great birding areas and beaches. The resort has stylish accommodations with air conditioning, a private bathroom, free Wi-Fi, two saltwater swimming pools, and an on-site restaurant and bar. We will stay here for the first two nights of the tour, and if you plan to arrive ahead of the tour (or need to stay after your tour has finished due to flight schedules, etc.), we recommend staying here and can help make bookings subject to availability.

As we commence our loop around the Top End birdwatching circuit, we will first stop in the Adelaide River and Mary River areas. We will spend one night in a wilderness lodge with great birdwatching on our doorstep. Our rooms here will be typical Australian motel-style rooms with air conditioning and private bathrooms, set in a wonderfully birdy area. There is a restaurant on site where we will eat our meals. There is no Wi-Fi available here.

Our base in Kakadu National Park will be on the edge of the town called Jabiru (the local name for Black-necked Stork, rather than the similarly named bird of South America!). Our accommodation is nestled amongst tropical landscaped gardens in the heart of Kakadu National Park, and we will spend two nights here. The lodge has a lagoon-style swimming pool, a spa pool, and an on-site bar and restaurant. We will stay in bungalows, each with air conditioning and a private bathroom. There is laundry facilities but there is no Wi-Fi available here.

In Katherine, we will stay at a resort (with motel-style rooms) just out of town either side of our trip into more remote areas. Our rooms will have air conditioning and private bathrooms. The resort has an outdoor swimming pool, restaurant, and bar. The hotel has laundry facilities, and Wi-Fi is available.

Our accommodations at Timber Creek and Victoria River consists of a more basic motel-style rooms in remote areas. At Timber Creek, rooms have air conditioning, there are laundry facilities, and there is Wi-Fi. The accommodation at Victoria River is more basic with no phone signal or Wi-Fi (though Wi-Fi might be coming soon), the rooms have air conditioning.

WEATHER

Darwin has a similar temperature range year-round, and we can expect lows of around 70 degrees Fahrenheit (^oF) (21 degrees Centigrade/^oC) at night and highs of around 95 ^oF (35 ^oC) during the day. It is often humid in Darwin, but at this time of year, it should be less humid than other times, 45 – 50% humidity in September/October versus 70%+ in the November-March period. Rain is considered unlikely during the time our Top End bird tour visits the area, as we are traveling outside of the rainy season. Still, rain is always possible in tropical regions.

SAFETY

We do not recommend walking around Darwin or Katherine at night for personal safety reasons. Please do not leave valuables (or anything at any time) inside the vehicle when it is parked to help reduce the risk of anyone breaking into the vehicle. Please keep a close watch on your possessions (e.g., bags, wallet, optics, etc.) when we are out and about in the city, such as during lunch and city birding stops. Keep a careful watch on your possessions in busy areas for pickpockets. Make sure the doors and windows are always closed and locked in your hotel rooms (when you are in the room and when you are out of it).

We need to take extreme care on this Top End birding tour due to the presence of Saltwater Crocodiles that can occur in or near the smallest waterbodies; they can also be found up to 0.6 miles (1 km) from water. We will be birding and staying overnight within habitats that crocodiles inhabit, such as rivers (including inland rivers – “salties” can occur over 124 miles (200 km) from the coast), coastal mangroves, and wetlands. Please do not stand close to the water’s edge or go anywhere near water at night. Crocodile warning signs are often in place and should always be adhered to. Do not swim in any rivers, creeks, or anywhere else that is not a swimming pool in a hotel (and check the pool first before jumping in!). Please refer to the Be Crocwise website for more information. As referred to in the Australia general information document, other general safety information should be considered, e.g., regarding snakes, etc.

WHAT TO BRING: CLOTHING AND OTHER ITEMS

The following is a list of useful items to bring on this Northern Territory birding tour and should be read in conjunction with the Australia general information document.

1. A field guide to the birds of the region. See the general information for our recommendations for this tour.
2. Hiking pole or walking stick to help on the tracks and trails. While probably not necessary for everyone, a walking stick is compulsory for anyone who is unsteady walking, as we feel this is a safety issue. We do not want anyone slipping while walking around. Please discuss with us if you are unsure whether you will need one or not.
3. Torch (flashlight) and/or headlamp (headtorch), and spare batteries.
4. High-concentration DEET insect repellant or similar.
5. A flynet for your face is very useful in some years.
6. A small personal first aid kit. See the suggested items from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) here.
7. Lightweight hiking boots are likely the best footwear for this tour. A set of sandals (flip-flops) and/or trainers would be useful for walking around some of the accommodations but are not suitable for birding time (consider snake bites, mud, slips, trips, falls, etc.).
8. Quick-drying birding clothes (in suitable colors) are the best for this tour.
9. All of the accommodations we stay at have swimming pools.
10. A small hand towel or washcloth can be handy for cleaning sand and dust off cameras and yourself. Not essential, but people do find these useful.
11. A dry bag to keep valuable documents in, such as passports, cell phones, wallets, etc., as well as cameras, if it rains or is particularly dusty.