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Dark-bodied sea birds with white heads nest in a brushy tree

Wildlife of the Houtman Abrolhos

In February 2012 the WA Museum Terrestrial Zoology department conducted fieldwork on the Houtman Abrolhos Islands, off the coast of Geraldton, WA. This was the last in a series of surveys beginning in 1977 to catalogue and study the biodiversity of vertebrate fauna on the islands. On this final fieldtrip important genetic samples were obtained to further investigate the phylogeographic relationships between vertebrate populations on different islands.

These photos showcase the iconic wildlife of the Abrolhos, ranging from the most northern population of Australian Sea Lions in Australia to Spiny-tailed Skinks, who live in family groups amongst the coral rubble that covers the islands. Common on the larger islands are Tammar Wallabies, who can drink sea water to survive the dry summers. The Bush Rat is another native mammal occurring on West Wallabi Island and these rodents are a valuable food supply for the Abrolhos Island Carpet Python.

The Abrolhos islands are important breeding grounds for many species of sea birds. Their numbers reach into the thousands on Pelsart Island, the most southern island of the three island groups. The Osprey and White-Bellied Sea-Eagle are two large birds of prey that also have adapted to life on the isolated Abrolhos islands.

A black and white sea bird standing on a corrugated iron roof, blue sky in the background.
A Bridled Tern (Sterna anaethetus) on Pigeon Island
Image courtesy CA Stevenson
Two dolphins swimming beneath the surface of the sea
Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) playfully swim alongside the research boat
Image courtesy CA Stevenson
A large seabird with brown and white wings, large talons, a white head and black eyes and beak, surveying the ocean.
An Osprey (Pandion haliaetus cristatus) on Pigeon Island
Image courtesy CA Stevenson
A black and white sea bird standing in a scrubby bush
A Sooty Tern (Sterna fuscata) on Pelsart Island
Image courtesy CA Stevenson
A wallaby with brownish fur, a long tail and short arms sitting in a sandy, scrubby landscape
Tammar Wallabies (Macropus eugenii) live on the larger islands and are what the Wallabi Islands were named after
Image courtesy CA Stevenson
Three people surveying a scrubby, brushy landscape by the sea
Biologists search for lizards on the islands
Image courtesy LS Umbrello
A small Bush Rat in a white bag I
A native Bush Rat (Rattus fuscipes), about to be weighed and measured
Image courtesy LS Umbrello
A hand holding a snake with specked brown, black and beige skin
A Carpet Python (Morelia spilota varigata) on West Wallabi Island
Image courtesy LS Umbrello
A small boat on the ocean with flat islands in the background
Biologists return from checking traps on Oystercatcher Island early in the morning
Image courtesy LS Umbrello
A small reptile caught in a pit trap
A skink (Ctenotus fallens) has been caught in a pit trap
Image courtesy LS Umbrello
A jetty stretching out from a scrubby, brushy island into the blue ocean
Biologists on Jetty on East Wallabi Island, get ready to find some reptiles
Image courtesy LS Umbrello
A large nest constructed with driftwood, rope and other washed up debris
An Osprey nest amongst the sea bird breeding colony, the nest is constructed with driftwood, rope and other washed up debris
Image courtesy LS Umbrello
Close up image of white shells on a beach
Shell beach on Pelsart Island
Image courtesy LS Umbrello
A large brown and beige speckled skink
A Spiny-tailed Skink (Egernia stokesii stokesii) on Pigeon Island
Image courtesy LS Umbrello
Two greyish sea lions basking in the sun in the shallow waters off the beach
Male and female Australian Sea Lions (Neophoca cinerea) cool off in the shallows
Image courtesy RA How
A dark coloured gecko with large eyes basking in the sand
A Barking Gecko (Underwoodisaurus milii)
Image courtesy RA How
A large brown striped and speckled skink in the sand
An adult King’s Skink (Egernia kingii) basks in the sun
Image courtesy RA How
A coastal landscape set up with funnel traps and pit lines to help catch animals
Funnel traps and pit lines, animals run along the fence and are caught in the traps
Image courtesy RA How
A lizard basking in the sun on a small tree branch
Bearded Dragon (Pogona minor minima) basks in the sun
Image courtesy RA How
Sea birds flocking and flying beneath a blue sky, above a scrubby, brushy island
Thousands of sea birds breed on Pelsart Island
Image courtesy CA Stevenson
Dark-bodied sea birds with white heads nest in a brushy tree
Common Noddys (Anous stolidus) nest on Pelsart Island
Image courtesy CA Stevenson