Table 2. Criteria for characterising birds used on Birdlife Australia websites in order to assess their attractiveness.
| Attribute | Level | Decision criteria | Examples of Australian birds in this category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appearance | Colourful | Large patches of bright colour | Rainbow Lorikeet, Rainbow Bee-eater, Scarlet Robin |
| Boldly-marked | Strongly contrasting patches of plumage | Red-kneed Dotterel, Black Honeyeater, Willie Wagtail, | |
| Grey-brown | Neither much bright colour nor strong patterning | Brown Falcon, Dusky Robin, Little Woodswallow | |
| Size | Large | Wt (g) x Length (cm) >1,000,000 [76] | Eclectus Parrot (smallest), Eastern Curlew (median), Ostrich (largest) |
| Medium | Wt (g) x Length (cm) >70,000 and ≤1,000,000 [76] | Common Myna (smallest), Common Greenshank (median), Buller's Shearwater (largest) | |
| Small | Wt (g) x Length (cm) ≤70,000 [76] | Weebill (smallest), Black-winged Monarch (median), Little Wattlebird (largest) |
|
| Song | Melodious | Call described in positive terms in HANZAB [76] | Black Swan, Australian Magpie, Flame Robin |
| Quiet | Calls described as being usually quiet in HANZAB [76] | Southern Emu-wren, Double-barred Finch | |
| Harsh | Call described in negative terms in HANZAB [76] | Australian White Ibis, Rainbow Lorikeet, Spangled Drongo | |
| Behaviour | Confiding | Readily approachable. Assessed subjectively based on flight distance [54] | Bar-shouldered Dove, Dusky Moorhen, White-plumed Honeyeater |
| Spectacular | Particularly aerial displays. Assessed subjectively based on descriptions of behaviours in HANZAB [76] and personal experience of assessors | White-throated Needletail, Peregrine Falcon, Dollarbird | |
| Secretive | Rarely seen in the open. Assessed subjectively based on descriptions of behaviours in HANZAB [76] and personal experience of assessors | Brown Quail, Blue-billed Duck, Pilotbird | |
| Status | In danger of extinction | Listed as threatened or Near Threatened in [54] | Southern Cassowary, Fairy Tern, Regent Parrot |
| Rare but not threatened | Not in danger of extinction but occurring in ≤5 Interim Bioregionalisation of Australia Bioregions (out of 85) or with a reporting rate (no. records/no. lists) in first and second Australian bird atlases of ≤5 [77] | Little Ringed Plover, Rufous Owl, Little Kingfisher | |
| Common | Neither of the above | Australian Wood Duck, Glossy Ibis, Black Kite |