Nature will be at its most spectacular during the annual Kakadu Bird Week, which will be staged between Wednesday 23 and Sunday 28 September 2025. The rich pageant of nature offers visitors the opportunity to join expert-guided tours, cruise the wetlands and experience Kakadu’s rich Indigenous culture.
Kakadu National Park is a bird lover’s paradise – home to more than a third of Australia’s bird species – and is the perfect place to discover and learn all about the rich variety of birds living in the dual World Heritage listed Park.
Bird Week is held to coincide with the mass migration of magpie geese, which flock to billabongs such as Yellow Water (Ngurrungurrudjba), to feed. With the waters receding towards the end of the dry season, there is no better time to witness not just the birdlife, but Kakadu’s full array of exotic animals, including crocodiles, buffalo, brumbies and wallabies.
Kakadu was voted number one in bird watching destinations in Australia by Australian Geographic and is a great opportunity to view graceful sea eagles, elegant kingfishers, distinctive Jabirus and watch the remarkable Jacanas (aka ‘Jesus Bird’) seemingly walking on water.
Kakadu Bird Week will feature a packed itinerary of events designed for dedicated bird watchers and those who just love seeing nature at its most spectacular.
A highlight of the festival will be sunrise sunset cruises on Yellow Water Billabong, home to more than 280 bird species. During Bird Week, timed with seasonal mass migration, the billabongs come alive as flocks gather in extraordinary numbers, creating a rare and vibrant display of colour, sound and movement. The two specialist sunrise cruises will be offered on Thursday, 24 September and Sunday, 27 September from 6.45am.
Once again, NT Bird Specialist’s Luke ‘Hawk Eye’ Paterson will lead guided bookable tours to key wildlife locations such as Nourlangie, Nanguluwurr, the Mamukala Wetlands and South Alligator Floodplains. Bookings are essential for these small group tours.
And Kakadu Bird Week is an ideal opportunity to introduce birdwatching to the family, with children invited to participate in a game of ‘bird bingo’, where they identify and sign off on birds they see during the week.
The festival provides opportunities to immerse in local Indigenous culture with Bowali Visitor Centre the Bird HQ during the festival. Amongst the activities, the venue will offer female visitors the chance to join local Daluk (Aboriginal women) to discover traditional weaving techniques used to create baskets, bags, fans, mats, jewellery and more. To celebrate Bird Week, this special session will incorporate native bird feathers into the weaving.
