A page dedicated to Victorian birds and birders.

350+ Big Year List

For the sake of standardising Victorian Big Year totals, this list follows rules laid out in the Australian Big Years Rulebook (ABYRB). The exception to this is that species which are heard-only have been included in totals here, as most birders included heard-only species prior to the development of the rulebook in 2022. General rules are as follows: inclusions must be wild birds that are part of established wild populations including vagrant and introduced species. Pelagic species are also accepted, following VORAC guidelines for the extension of borders. Controversial species not considered part of an established population include the following: Red-whiskered Bulbul - generally not considered tickable since at least the 1970s in Victoria due to the difficulty in determining the origin of recent records. This species is widely kept in aviculture and escapes/is released relatively frequently. In recent decades, there has been no evidence of more than two birds in any given area and there is no evidence of breeding, so there is no established population under ABYRB Part 3, s. 3(a)(c) and (d). Rose-ringed Parakeet - like Bulbul, widely kept in captivity but no evidence of a breeding wild population. Barbary Dove - also widely kept in captivity with no evidence of a breeding wild population, but also of unresolved taxonomy: currently considered a domesticated form of African Collared Dove. Greylag Goose, Helmeted Guineafowl and Ring-necked Pheasant - often kept as free-ranging farm birds which occasionally escape, but not currently established anywhere. Mallard - not established in most contexts where seen in Victoria (most birds represent dumped domestic/hybrid forms). The population around Portland and the population around Mallacoota are potentially tickable, but this is unresolved. Both populations are currently included on the list. Other species which are, perhaps controversially, included on the lists include: Indian Peafowl - a large long-established population exists on French Island where it is generally considered tickable. The most reasonable argument against inclusion is the lack of clarity around whether this population is supported by human intervention (ABYRB Part 3, s. 3(a)). This species has spread beyond free-ranging individuals on farm properties on French Island (note that elsewhere in Victoria, this is generally not the case for peafowl), satisfying ABYRB Part 3, s. 3(e) and (f). Orange-bellied Parrot and Regent Honeyeater - where the individual is either known to be wild-born or known to have existed in the wild for a period of more than six months without human intervention (ABYRB Part 2, s. 1(d(c))).

Where an official list has been made publicly available or sent to Daniel Terrington in IOC taxonomy and standardised to the above requirements, a check mark is included beside the count. The below list makes no attempt to absolutely verify sightings, as birding ultimately operates on an honour system. Dubious lists are only removed from the rankings where there is a large body of evidence to suggest falsification of sightings. As such, just because a year list is included in the below rankings, it does not mean all sightings are verified.