Morton National Park

National Park · Australia

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Photo © Poidabro

Photo © Poidabro — CC BY-SA 4.0 — Source: Wikimedia Commons

Across nearly 4,800 square kilometers of New South Wales's Southern Tablelands, rugged sandstone plateaus rise above sheltered valleys where cool-climate eucalypt woodland meets grassy heath and rocky scree. Morton National Park protects a landscape carved by ancient geological forces—escarpments drop away to reveal stone walls and water-carved canyons, while the higher elevations support open forest communities adapted to cooler temperatures and seasonal frost. This complex mosaic of habitats sustains a rich diversity of woodland songbirds, small forest mammals moving through the understory, insectivorous bats that emerge at dusk, raptors hunting across the open ridges, and amphibians dependent on the park's network of streams and seepage zones. The granite and sandstone outcrops create microclimates that support specialized plant communities, which in turn support the invertebrates and ground-foraging birds that form the foundation of the park's ecological web.

For wildlife observers, Morton's appeal lies in the sheer habitat variety accessible within a relatively compact area—a morning might take you from misty forest valleys to exposed heath ridges, each yielding distinct avian communities and mammalian activity patterns. Autumn and spring migrations bring waves of activity, while the cooler months offer clearer sightlines through thinner vegetation. The park's network of walking tracks and accessible vantage points makes it possible to survey multiple zones in a single visit, and the dramatic escarpment scenery provides the kind of golden-hour light that reminds photographers why they fell in love with wilderness in the first place. Early mornings and late afternoons reward patience, when forest mammals are most active and birds respond to the changing light and temperature of the day's margins.

Website nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/Morton-National-Park

Superb Lyrebird

Menura novaehollandiae

Gang-gang Cockatoo

Callocephalon fimbriatum

Crimson Rosella

Platycercus elegans

Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo

Satin Bowerbird

Ptilonorhynchus violaceus

Eastern Spinebill

Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris

Superb Fairywren

Malurus cyaneus

Glossy Black Cockatoo

Calyptorhynchus lathami

Australian Magpie

Gymnorhina tibicen

Eolophus roseicapilla

Origma solitaria

Chenonetta jubata

Brown Cuckoo-Dove

Macropygia phasianella

White-browed Scrubwren

Sericornis frontalis

Pacific Black Duck

Anas superciliosa

Eastern Rosella

Platycercus eximius

Brown Thornbill

Acanthiza pusilla

Grey Shrikethrush

Colluricincla harmonica

Yellow-faced Honeyeater

Caligavis chrysops

Australian Golden Whistler

Pachycephala pectoralis

Anthochaera carunculata

Grey Butcherbird

Cracticus torquatus

Rufous Whistler

Pachycephala rufiventris

Petroica boodang

Zosterops lateralis

Noisy Friarbird

Philemon corniculatus

Tawny Frogmouth

Podargus strigoides

New Holland Honeyeater

Phylidonyris novaehollandiae

White-faced Heron

Egretta novaehollandiae

Rhipidura leucophrys

Leucosarcia melanoleuca

Black-faced Cuckooshrike

Coracina novaehollandiae

Beautiful Firetail

Stagonopleura bella

Azure Kingfisher

Little Black Cormorant

Phalacrocorax sulcirostris

Rainbow Lorikeet

Trichoglossus moluccanus

White-naped Honeyeater

Melithreptus lunatus

Spotted Pardalote

Pardalotus punctatus

Common Bronzewing

Phaps chalcoptera

Striated Thornbill

Acanthiza lineata

Varied Sittella

Daphoenositta chrysoptera

Australian Rufous Fantail

Rhipidura rufifrons

Microeca fascinans

Grallina cyanoleuca

Australian Boobook

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Variegated Fairywren

Malurus lamberti

Little Wattlebird

Anthochaera chrysoptera

Straw-necked Ibis

Threskiornis spinicollis

Dusky Woodswallow

Artamus cyanopterus

Cacatua sanguinea

Crescent Honeyeater

Phylidonyris pyrrhopterus

White-cheeked Honeyeater

Phylidonyris niger

Manorina melanocephala

Leaden Flycatcher

Myiagra rubecula

Australian Pelican

Pelecanus conspicillatus

White-headed Pigeon

Columba leucomela

Tachyspiza fasciata

Red-browed Treecreeper

Climacteris erythrops

Brown-headed Honeyeater

Melithreptus brevirostris

Strepera versicolor

Lopholaimus antarcticus

Australasian Darter

Anhinga novaehollandiae

Eastern Shriketit

Falcunculus frontatus

Restless Flycatcher

Myiagra inquieta

Acridotheres tristis

Australasian Swamphen

Porphyrio melanotus

Great Cormorant

Phalacrocorax carbo

Aviceda subcristata

Square-tailed Kite

Lophoictinia isura

Ailuroedus crassirostris

Scarlet Myzomela

Myzomela sanguinolenta

Pycnoptilus floccosus

Large-billed Scrubwren

Sericornis magnirostra

Australian King Parrot

Alisterus scapularis

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

Cacatua galerita

Little Pied Cormorant

Microcarbo melanoleucos

Dromaius novaehollandiae

Australian Raven

Corvus coronoides

Synoicus ypsilophorus

Ocyphaps lophotes

Sahul Brush Cuckoo

Cacomantis variolosus

Coconut Lorikeet

Trichoglossus haematodus

Olive-backed Oriole

Oriolus sagittatus

Welcome Swallow

Hirundo neoxena

Shining Bronze Cuckoo

Chalcites lucidus

Laughing Kookaburra

Dacelo novaeguineae

Eastern Yellow Robin

Eopsaltria australis

White-throated Treecreeper

Cormobates leucophaea

Strepera graculina

Sacred Kingfisher

Todiramphus sanctus

Black-faced Monarch

Monarcha melanopsis

Channel-billed Cuckoo

Scythrops novaehollandiae

Rhipidura albiscapa

Red-browed Finch

Neochmia temporalis

Fan-tailed Cuckoo

Cacomantis flabelliformis

Lewin's Honeyeater

Meliphaga lewinii

Wedge-tailed Eagle

Yellow-tufted Honeyeater

Lichenostomus melanops

Eastern Whipbird

Psophodes olivaceus

White-winged Chough

Corcorax melanorhamphos

White-necked Heron

Zoothera lunulata

Oriental Dollarbird

Eurystomus orientalis

Buff-rumped Thornbill

Acanthiza reguloides

White-eared Honeyeater

Nesoptilotis leucotis

Spotted Quail-thrush

Cinclosoma punctatum

Chestnut-rumped Heathwren

Hylacola pyrrhopygia

Pachycephala olivacea

Australasian Grebe

Tachybaptus novaehollandiae

Nankeen Kestrel

Falco cenchroides

Great Crested Grebe

Podiceps cristatus

Tachyspiza novaehollandiae

Yellow-rumped Thornbill

Acanthiza chrysorrhoa

White-throated Nightjar

Eurostopodus mystacalis

Australian Owlet-nightjar

Aegotheles cristatus

Eudynamys orientalis

Heteroscenes pallidus

Brush Bronzewing

Bar-shouldered Dove

Geopelia humeralis

Buff-banded Rail

Gallirallus philippensis

Gallinula tenebrosa

Hoary-headed Grebe

Poliocephalus poliocephalus

Painted Buttonquail

Australian White Ibis

Threskiornis molucca

Eastern Cattle Egret

Ardea coromanda

Black-shouldered Kite

Elanus axillaris

Circus approximans

Long-billed Corella

Cacatua tenuirostris

Pitta versicolor

Brown Honeyeater

Lichmera indistincta

Striated Pardalote

Pardalotus striatus

Yellow-throated Scrubwren

Neosericornis citreogularis

Yellow Thornbill

Masked Woodswallow

Artamus personatus

White-browed Woodswallow

Artamus superciliosus

White-bellied Cuckooshrike

Coracina papuensis

Satin Flycatcher

Myiagra cyanoleuca

Common Starling

Sturnus vulgaris

Common Blackbird

Australian Pipit

Anthus australis

White-throated Gerygone

Gerygone olivacea

Plumed Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna eytoni

Stictonetta naevosa

Australian Shelduck

Tadorna tadornoides

Pink-eared Duck

Malacorhynchus membranaceus

Australasian Shoveler

Spatula rhynchotis

Anas platyrhynchos

Aythya australis

Blue-billed Duck

Oxyura australis

Australian Brushturkey

Alectura lathami

Helmeted Guineafowl

Numida meleagris

Coturnix pectoralis

White-throated Needletail

Hirundapus caudacutus

Spilopelia chinensis

Pacific Emerald Dove

Chalcophaps longirostris

Geopelia placida

Lewinia pectoralis

Gallinago hardwickii

Hydroprogne caspia

Chlidonias hybrida

White-fronted Tern

Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae

Larus pacificus

Larus dominicanus

Australian Pied Cormorant

Phalacrocorax varius

Royal Spoonbill

Yellow-billed Spoonbill

Platalea flavipes

Nankeen Night Heron

Nycticorax caledonicus

Ardea plumifera

Hieraaetus morphnoides

Spotted Harrier

Circus assimilis

Haliastur sphenurus

Greater Sooty Owl

Tyto tenebricosa

Eastern Barn Owl

Rainbow Bee-eater

Australian Hobby

Falco longipennis

Red-rumped Parrot

Psephotus haematonotus

Pezoporus wallicus

Scaly-breasted Lorikeet

Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus

Southern Emu-wren

Stipiturus malachurus

Tawny-crowned Honeyeater

Gliciphila melanops

Little Friarbird

Philemon citreogularis

Black-chinned Honeyeater

Melithreptus gularis

Fuscous Honeyeater

Ptilotula fusca

White-plumed Honeyeater

Ptilotula penicillata

Manorina melanophrys

Eastern Bristlebird

Dasyornis brachypterus

Smicrornis brevirostris

Australian Logrunner

Orthonyx temminckii

Sahul Cicadabird

Edolisoma tenuirostre

White-winged Triller

Lalage tricolor

Australasian Figbird

Sphecotheres vieilloti

Spangled Drongo

Dicrurus bracteatus

Petroica phoenicea

Singing Bush Lark

Mirafra javanica

Red-whiskered Bulbul

Pycnonotus jocosus

Petrochelidon ariel

Petrochelidon nigricans

Australian Reed Warbler

Acrocephalus australis

Little Grassbird

Poodytes gramineus

Rufous Songlark

Cincloramphus mathewsi

Golden-headed Cisticola

Cisticola exilis

Dicaeum hirundinaceum

Passer domesticus

Diamond Firetail

Stagonopleura guttata

Double-barred Finch

Stizoptera bichenovii

European Goldfinch

Carduelis carduelis

Australian Crake

Porzana fluminea

Western Swamphen

Porphyrio porphyrio

Baillon's Crake

Zapornia pusilla

Vanellus tricolor

Common Sandpiper

Actitis hypoleucos

Onychoprion fuscatus

Parasitic Jaeger

Stercorarius parasiticus

Eudyptula minor

Pachyptila turtur

Wedge-tailed Shearwater

Ardenna pacifica

Short-tailed Shearwater

Ardenna tenuirostris

Fluttering Shearwater

Australasian Bittern

Botaurus poiciloptilus

Egretta garzetta

Australian Masked Owl

Tyto novaehollandiae

Ninox novaeseelandiae

Forest Kingfisher

Todiramphus macleayii

Lathamus discolor

Turquoise Parrot

Neophema pulchella

Brown Treecreeper

Climacteris picumnus

Western Gerygone

Pied Butcherbird

Cracticus nigrogularis

Red-capped Robin

Petroica goodenovii

Eurasian Skylark

Alauda arvensis

Cincloramphus cruralis

New Zealand Pipit

Anthus novaeseelandiae

Eastern Gray Kangaroo

Macropus giganteus

Phascolarctos cinereus

Vombatus ursinus

Ornithorhynchus anatinus

Short-beaked Echidna

Tachyglossus aculeatus

Red-necked Wallaby

Notamacropus rufogriseus

Wallabia bicolor

Common Brush-tailed Possum

Trichosurus vulpecula

Eastern Ring-tailed Possum

Pseudocheirus peregrinus

Southern Greater Glider

Petauroides volans

European Rabbit

Oryctolagus cuniculus

Long-nosed Bandicoot

Perameles nasuta

Petaurus breviceps

Spotted-tailed Quoll

Dasyurus maculatus

Krefft's Glider

Petaurus notatus

Mountain Brush-tailed Possum

Trichosurus cunninghami

Lepus europaeus

Australian Bush Rat

Rattus fuscipes

Common Wallaroo

Osphranter robustus

Brown Antechinus

Antechinus stuartii

Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby

Petrogale penicillata

Eastern Pygmy Possum

Cercartetus nana

Narrow-toed Feather-tailed Glider

Acrobates pygmaeus

Common Fallow Deer

Eurasian Wild Pig

Common Water Rat

Hydromys chrysogaster

Gould's Wattled Bat

Chalinolobus gouldii

Gray-headed Flying Fox

Pteropus poliocephalus

Little Red Flying Fox

Pteropus scapulatus

Eastern Horseshoe Bat

Rhinolophus megaphyllus

Agile Antechinus

Antechinus agilis

White-footed Dunnart

Sminthopsis leucopus

Sminthopsis murina

Yellow-bellied Glider

Petaurus australis

Squirrel Glider

Petaurus norfolcensis

Yellow-bellied Sheath-tailed Bat

Saccolaimus flaviventris

Little Long-fingered Bat

Miniopterus australis

Southern Myotis

Myotis macropus

Rüppell's Broad-nosed Bat

Scoteanax rueppellii

Chocolate Wattled Bat

Chalinolobus morio

Lesser Long-eared Bat

Nyctophilus geoffroyi

Gould's Long-eared Bat

Nyctophilus gouldi

Little Forest Bat

Vespadelus vulturnus

Long-nosed Potoroo

Potorous tridactylus

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