Flora & Fauna

The area is a remnant moist forest complex. It has national significance because the diversity of forest types is representative of that which once extensively covered the Blackall Ranges and the Sunshine Coast.

The Conondale avifauna reflects the special diversity of this area. The forest contains over a quarter of Queensland's wildlife, 243 species of birds, including 22 rare and endangered species. Apart from the frogs, significant fauna include the rare Plumed or Marbled Frogmouth, Red Goshawk Coxen's Fig Parrot, Powerful Owl, Black-breasted Button-quail, Paradise Rifle Bird and the Giant Spiny Lobster. It is considered one of the premium bird watching areas in Queensland both for the number of species as well as accessibility and ease of observation.

It also holds the dubious title of the place of the last reported sighting of the Gastric Brooding Frog and the less-studied but equally disappeared Southern Day Frog - not seen in the Conondales since 1979.

The Gastric Brooding or Platypus Frog was first discovered in 1972 in the Conondales. This remarkable amphibian, only 5cm long, is totally aquatic and the female broods the young in her stomach. The froglets are regurgitated after six weeks - this is not only unique for a frog, its unique for the entire animal kingdom.

Rare & Endangered Species of the Conondale Range

Spiny Lobster [Eusastacus hystricosus]
Green Ground Beetle [Castlenaudia porphyriacus]
Giant Local Snail [Hedleyella maconelli]
Marbled Frogmouth [Podargus ocellams plumiferus]
Double Eyed Fig Parrot [Opopsitta diopthalma coxen]
Red Goshawk [Accipiter radiatus]
Black Breasted Button Quail [Turnix melanogaster]
Sooty Owl [Tyro tenebricosa]
Powerful Owl [Ninox strenua]
Glossy Black Cockatoo [Calyptorhynchus lathami]
Oriental Cockatoo [Cuculus saturatus]
Yellow-bellied Glider [Petaurus australis]
Peregrine Falcon [Falco peregrinus]
Yellow-eyed Cuckoo Shrike [Coracina lineata]
Paradise Riflebird [Ptiloris paradiscus]
Eastern Bristlebird [Dasyornis brachypteris]
Stephens Banded Snake [Hoplocephalus stephensi]
Lungfish [Neoceratodus forsteri]
Cascade Tree Frog [Litoria pearsoniana]
Platypus Frog [Rheabatrachus silus]
Southern Day Frog [Taudactylus diurnis]
Marsupial Frog [Assa darlingtoni]

Fauna Common To The Area

Some of the fauna you are likely to see in the Charlie Moreland Recreation Park on a fauna watching expedition.

Birds

Brush-turkey
King Parrot
Magpie
Bell Miner
Black-faced Monarch
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
Brown Cuckoo-Dove
Brown Gerygone
Brown Thornbill
Brush Cuckoo
Crested Shrike-tit
Crimson Rosella
Dollarbird
Dusky Moorhen
Eastern Whipbird
Eastern Yellow Robin
Fan-tailed Cuckoo
Figbird
Golden Whistler
Green Catbird
Grey Fantail
Grey Shrike-thrush
Koel
Large-billed Scrubwren
Laughing Kookaburra
Leaden Flycatcher
Lewin's Honeyeater
Little Lorikeet
Magpie-lark
Mistletoebird
Noisy Friarbird
Noisy miner          

Olive-backed Oriole
Pale-headed Rosella
Paradise Riflebird
Pied Butcherbird
Pied Currawong
Rainbow Lorikeet
Red-browed Finch
Regent Bowerbird
Restless Flycatcher
Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove
Royal Spoonbill
Rufous Fantail
Russet-tailed Thrush
Sacred Kingfisher
Satin Bowerbird
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
Scarlet Honeyeater
Silvereye
Southern Boobook
Spangled Drongo
Spectacled Monarch
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Torresian Crow
Variegated Fairy-wren
White-browed Scrubwren
White-faced Heron
White-throated Gerygone
Willie Wagtail
Wompoo Fruit-Dove
Wonga Pigeon
Yellow-faced Honeyeater

Butterflies

Cabbage white
Glasswing
Large grass-yellow
Monarch
Yellow Albatross

Frogs

Cane Toad
Leseur's Frog [Litoria lesueur]
Mountain Stream Tree Frog [Litoria pearsoniana]
Peron's Tree Frog [Litoria peronii]

Mammals

Common Brushtail Possum
Long-nosed Bandicoot
Red Deer

Reptiles

Carpet Python
Lace Monitor

Insects

Stingless Bee [Trigona carbonaria]

This list has been provided by Faunawatch, a fauna monitoring project on the Sunshine Coast sponsored by Caloundra Branch of the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland. It relies on volunteers to report on the fauna in their area. Contact Keith and Teresa Hickman at email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for information and how to get involved.

More detailed information on the flora and fauna present in the area, and articles written by field experts, is available in - 'Walking on the Wilder Side' the latest publication by the Conondale Range Committee.