Get in a flap about these feathery fellows​

Shorebirds are the birds you’ll find feeding along the coastline. Many species are migratory, so will only call Gladstone home for a short time as they fly from place to place with the seasons. Many of these birds enjoy Gladstone’s range of habitats, and usually love to get a feed from mudflats, like this terek sandpiper eating a delicious worm!

On this page you will find information on some of the common bird species to wing their way into the Port Curtis region.

​There are 36 species of shorebirds that regularly migrate to Australia from places like China, Mongolia, Siberia, and Alaska — see how many you can find in our Big6 bird find-a-word​!​​

​Then, once you’ve become an expert by reading our fact sheets​, show how much you know by finishing the crossword!

Feathery Facts

Australia’s leading the world, again!

Australia has the most recognised internationally important sites for migratory shorebirds with 118. Japan is next with 89 sites and China third with 51 sites.

The creepy calls of the curlew!

Eastern curlews have a haunting, mournful call that can sound a bit scary — especially at night.

​Long distance champions!

The tiny red-necked stint can fly more than 3,200 kilometres in one go — that’s almost six times the distance from Gladstone to Brisbane.