Here is a definition taken from my Checklist of the Birds of
Australia, I hope it helps. The definition of Australasia as a faunal
zone is even more complex......
This booklet is a checklist of the bird species of mainland Australia
and Tasmania with those of the associated offshore islands and
territories listed as appendices. A few words are perhaps in order to
explain the Australian list, a somewhat curious hybrid beast which
includes species that occur in different zoogeographical regions.
Christmas Island lies in the Indian Ocean off Java and is in the
Oriental region, as are the Cocos Islands, yet birds recorded there
are added to the Australian checklist. Similarly, birds from the
subantarctic islands of Macquarie and Heard are also included. The
list is also rather singular as it includes species from the islands
of Boigu and Saibai in the Torres Strait, which are politically
Australian possessions yet lie very close to the coast of Papua New
Guinea. It is as if the British list were to include the Channel
Islands or perhaps Gibraltar, but this is the way it has been for
years and this list reflects the status quo.
Phil Gregory
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www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com
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