AUSTRALASIAN Temperate Freshwater
Animals

Class Insecta

Order Diptera

Family Culicidae: Mosquitoes

There are some 3,600 species of mosquito. The females take blood from other animals to provide for their young. Several species can take human blood, and during piercing and feeding, they may pass pathogens to their host, with the result that mosquitoes can transmit deadly diseases to humans. As they can not function below about 10 degrees, it is only in the warmer times of the years when they increase in numbers around the freshwater wetlands of southern Australia.

Order Anura: Frogs

 Ranoidea moorei, 'Motorbike Frog'. Endemic to south-west Australia.

Class Aves: Birds

Family Anatidae: Ducks and Swans

Cygnus atratus, 'Black Swan'. Found on freshwater and saline waters, mostly in southern Australia (rare in tropical north and central arid areas)

Anas superciliosa, 'Pacific Black Duck'.

Anas gracilis, 'Grey Teal'.

Spatula rhynchotis, 'Australasian Shoveller'.

Family Podicipedidae: Grebes

Podiceps cristatus, 'Great Crested Grebe'.

Family Rallidae: Rails, Gallinules, Coots

Fulica atra, 'Eurasian Coot'.

Porphyrio melanotus, 'Australasian Purple Swamphen'.

Family Recurvirostridae: Stilts & Avocets

Himantopus himantopus, 'Black-winged Stilt'.

Family Charadriidae: Plovers, Dotterels

Erythrogonys cinctus, 'Red-kneed Dotterel'.

Family Phalacrocoracidae: Cormorants

Phalacrocorax carbo, 'Great Cormorant'.

Family Threskiornithidae: Ibis and Spoonbill

Threskiornis molucca, 'Australian White Ibis'.

Family Pelecanidae

Pelecanus conspicillatus, 'Australian Pelican'.

Family Ardeidae: Herons, including Egrets

Ardea alba, 'Great Egret'.

Family Cacatuidae: Cockatoos

Cacatua sanguinea, 'Little Corella'.

Family Monarchidae

Grallina cyanoleuca, 'Magpie Lark', 'Pee-wee'. This species is found in a range of open habitats, but is common on the edge of freshwater bodies.

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