Whitsunday Fauna

The Whitsunday region has an array of interesting fauna above the water.

You will come across many different types of fauna while on your bareboat holiday but with a little bit of knowledge, you’ll be spotting out some of the different types like a pro:

Birds of Prey

The Whitsundays often offer spectacular aerial courtship displays from birds of prey during breeding seasons.

The Whitsunday Region is home to White-bellied Sea Eagles, Brahminy Kites and Ospreys that nest on the islands and hunt fish, crabs and other small animals commonly founds around the Whitsundays.

Seabirds

Birds are particularly plentiful between October to April when thousands of waders and seabirds such as Whimbrels, Lesser Sand Plovers and Bar-tailed Godwits migrate here to nest.

They feed and roost on the reef flats and island beaches and in order to protect these species from energy expenditure that they require for their return migration, some beach closures may apply (see HERE for details).

Proserpine Rock-wallaby

A number of macropods are found in the Whitsundays with the most notable being the endangered Proserpine Rock-wallaby.

Although unpopular on the Islands themselves, these can often be seen in the Conway National Park and around the Airlie Beach Township.

Due to their conservation status, there are a number of recovery strategies in place to ensure their survival.

Lace Monitors or Goannas

Lace Monitors or Goannas are commonly seen around the Whitsundays and on the Islands.

These reptiles can reach up to 2m in length and are usually a dark colour with contrasting white, cream or yellow scales.

When disturbed, a lace monitor will often climb a tree to escape and their natural diet consists of insects, reptiles, small animals, nesting birds and any rotting carcasses.