Resources
Friends often ask us for assistance with identifying creatures they’ve spotted in their garden or their local park. If you don’t have someone like us to call on, there are plenty of resources out there to help you!
This page contains some of my go-to online references.
General
I’ve been a fan of this natural history museum since I was a kid. Their website has a huge section on Australian animals, with digital fact sheets and information on mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs, marine life, insects, and even extinct Australian fauna.
The Animals of Queensland section has info and pictures on commonly-encountered insects, spiders, reptiles, frogs, sea life, fish, crustaceans, mammals, molluscs and parasites. They also have a very cool ask an expert feature, which I have used a few times!
The ALA is a collaborative, digital, open infrastructure that pulls together Australian biodiversity data from multiple sources. It’s so big that it can be a bit challenging to find what you’re looking for, but they do have pages on Australia’s iconic species, and a tool that allows you to search your local area to find out which species have been recorded there.
Birds
Use the Find a Bird tool to browse Birdlife Australia’s comprehensive database of Australian bird images and information.
A Birdlife Australia project that focuses on commonly-encountered backyard birds. The site has an excellent Bird Finder tool where you can search based on bird size, shape, colour, and distinctive features.
Photos of 710 Aussie bird species (and a bunch of other animals and insects) by Vik Dunis, Larry Dunis, Nikki Dunis, Geoff Walker, and Kay Parkin. I love this site as it’s super-easy to navigate and has handy thumbnail galleries of all the birds sorted by group—you can browse through and nearly always spot the one you’re looking for.
Fish & Crustaceans
Information on the diversity and biology of Australia’s marine and freshwater fishes, including interactive keys to assist with identification.
Freshwater Crayfish of Australia
A full list of all freshwater crayfish species found in Australia (with images) by Rob McCormack at Australian Aquatic Biological.
A PDF developed by the NSW Department of Primary Industries to assist commercial fishers.
Frogs
Descriptions, images, and distribution information for Australian frogs, all filterable by state and region.
Insects & Spiders
The electronic version of A Field Guide to Spiders of Australia by Robert Whyte and Greg Anderson, the most comprehensive account of Australian spiders ever published.
Info about Australia’s 1700 native bee species, with an ID guide and helpful galleries.
Info and images of 5081 Australian caterpillars, butterflies and moths. The site was built by Don Herbison-Evans and Stella Crossley, and also has a great list of links to other helpful sites.
I’m not sure who owns this site, but it has a LOT of photos of Australian beetles.
An extensive online resource developed by amateur naturalist Peter Chew. If you’re looking for an insect or spider and aren’t sure where to start, this is a great place to begin, even if you don’t live in south-east Queensland.
An extensive online resource by L.W. Popple. Contains a wealth of images, distribution information, and links to other cicada resources.
Donald Hobern’s Australian Lepidoptera collections
Donald Hobern is former Director of the Atlas of Living Australia, a life-long amateur naturalist, and a moth expert. He has tens of thousands of moth pics on Flickr—his Australian Lepidoptera collections are a great place to look for IDs.
Photos of European and Australian dragonflies and damselflies.
A CSIRO entomology site by Adam Slipinski, Anne Hastings, and Ben Boyd. There’s an excellent easy-to-browse gallery that makes short work of species ID.
An extraordinary collection of insect and spider images by macro photographer and insect enthusiast Nick Monaghan. (Check out the gorgeous wildflower galleries while you’re there.)
Photos of Australian spiders by Ed Nieuwenhuys.
Reptiles
Australian Reptile Online Database (AROD)
A searchable database containing information on all currently recognised Australian reptile species, with excellent info and photos.
Plants & Fungi
Australian National Botanic Gardens
Heaps of resources here, including specific information on Eucalypts, Orchids, Mistletoes, Ferns, Bryophytes, Lichens, and Fungi.
The electronic version of Stephanie Haslam’s book, featuring pics and information about plants of the Sunshine Coast, Cooloola and Fraser Island. The Find A Plant tool allows you to search by flower colour, fruit colour, plant type, and more.
Weed Identification (Brisbane)
An interactive tool for identifying weeds that grow around Brisbane, including information on control methods and native alternatives.