Brolga — Australian Bird Identification Guide

Bird guideBrolga

Renowned for its elaborate courtship dance involving leaping, wing-flapping, bowing, and trumpeting calls.

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⚠️VIC: Vulnerable; WA: Vulnerable; NT: Endangered

🍃Indigenous: Native Companion, Australian Crane

At a glance

FamilyCranes

SizeSmall

RarityCommon

HabitatMarine and coastal; usually found over open ocean, offshore waters, islands, headlands, and other coastal areas.

Best timeReported across most months in Victoria, with no narrow seasonal peak.

Sounds

Sound sample

0:000:00

Recorded by James Lambert

Range map

Occurrence window

4747visible hotspots

95559visible records

6states

Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence

Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.

Species notes

Overview

Note red dewlap under chin. Juvenile is gray-headed, with immature birds developing a pink crown. Take care to identify from Sarus Crane.

Behavior

Renowned for its elaborate courtship dance involving leaping, wing-flapping, bowing, and trumpeting calls.

Gallery

Regional timing

New South Wales

Peak: July to November3,341 records

Queensland

Peak: June to October29,641 records

Western Australia

Peak: June to October9,075 records

Northern Territory

Peak: May9,831 records

Victoria

Peak: December to October41,556 records

South Australia

Peak: June to October1,833 records

Australian Capital Territory

Peak: March9 records

Commonly confused with

Sarus CraneAntigone antigoneJuvenile facial coloring less prominent. Unmistakable in Asia. In Australia, take care to identify from Brolga, which has black legs and gray upper neck.→