Native wildlife in Glen Eira

Small birds like dense, prickly bushes for shelter and for moving between lower to higher vegetation layers. They feed on insects and some eat berries and seeds. Small birds can help keep pests, such as mosquitos and aphids, at bay in your garden.

Some small birds include the White-browed Scrubwren, Brown Thornbill and Spotted Pardalote.

Honeyeaters are attracted to flowers of plants that produce lots of nectar. They also include insects in their diet. Honeyeaters are helpful pollinators for your gardens and veggie patches.

Some honey eaters include the Eastern Spinebill, Red Wattlebird and White-plumed Honeyeater.

Parrots feed on a variety of food sources that can include flowers and seeds of our large native trees like Eucalypts and She-oaks. Some also feed on indigenous grass seeds, ground tubers or grubs.

Some parrots include the Musk Lorikeet, Crimson Rosella and Gang-Gang Cockatoo.

Large birds feed on small mammals, lizards and large insects. Ensuring you have one or more large trees in your garden will provide roosting an nesting spots for them to rest and hunt from. You could consider adding a nest box in your tree to provide habitat for large birds, bats or possums.

Some large birds include the Australian Magpie, Laughing Kookaburra and Tawny Frogmouth.

Butterflies, bees, ladybirds, moths, ants, beetles, spiders, dragonflies benefit the environment in so many ways. They are our major plant pollinators, our pest eaters, decomposers and waste recyclers and an important source of food for many other kinds of native wildlife.

Some native butterflies include the Australian Painted Lady and Dainty Swallowtail.

Some native bees include the Blue Banded Bee and Leafcutter Bee.

Lizards and skinks like bathing on sunny and protected spots to warm up, such as flat rocks, logs or brick pavers. Provide lots of leaf litter, mulch and tussock grasses for protection and so they can hunt for insects.

Avoid using snail baits, including pet friendly options, as some lizards will die eating either the bait or dead snails.

Some species include the Blue-tongue Lizard, Southern Marbled Gecko and Delicate Garden Skink.

Frog populations have experienced significant declines in recent decades due to a range of environmental pressures, including habitat loss, introduced predators, disease, pollution and the impacts of climate change. You can help support local frog species by creating frog-friendly habitats such as ponds or frog bogs.

Frogs play an important role in healthy ecosystems, with different species feeding on a variety of prey including insects, small reptiles and, in some cases, other frogs.

Some local frog species include Southern Bell Frog, Spotted Marsh Frog and the Striped Marsh Frog.

Bats provide valuable ecosystem services, including pollination, seed dispersal and natural insect control. Grey-headed Flying-foxes travel long distances each night in search of flowering and fruiting trees and may only visit local areas for brief periods throughout the year.

Smaller insect-eating bats, known as microbats, are also highly active after dark. These bats are often difficult to spot due to their small size and because they use ultrasonic calls that are beyond the range of human hearing.

Possums are another familiar urban wildlife species that have adapted well to suburban environments. In Victoria, all possums are protected from harm and capture under the Wildlife Act (1975).

Possums feed on a range of native and introduced plants, consuming leaves, flowers and fruits. Common Brushtail Possums may also supplement their diet with fungi, grass, bird eggs and occasionally young birds.

If you are having trouble managing possums on private property, visit: Problems with possums - Glen Eira City Council | Glen Eira City Council.