Depictions of eagles, hawks and owls in the rock art of Australia

After a brief introduction to Australian rock art depictions of raptors are reviewed. Images of birds are relatively rare at Australian rock art sites, in comparison to macropods, fish, reptiles and other creatures and raptors particularly so, with less than a couple dozen possible depictions. Some of the few painted or engraved depictions of eagles, hawks and owls are discussed in terms of ethnographic significance. The most important ones are found at sites in the Kimberley of Western Australia and in Wollemi National Park in New South Wales but related imagery can be found in Victoria and different parts of the Northern Territory. In other parts of Western Australia and the Top End of the Northern Territory some natural standing stones and human made stone arrangements are also associated with raptors. It is concluded that most rock art depictions of eagles, hawks and owls relate to stories of powerful Ancestral Beings responsible for significant acts of creation.