Red-necked Wallaby

Field guide to the most commonly encountered mammals and birds

Here, we provide some basic information regarding commonly observed species (plus some others about which we have had queries).

Feel free to contact us by email if you have any questions regarding species you have encountered on the site.

For more information about mammals, we recommend the Mammal Society's species hub, here. For birds, excellent resources are available from the RSPB (here) and the BTO (here).

Scientific name: Macropus rufogriseus

Family: Macropodidae

Appearance: The Red-necked Wallaby is a small kangaroo with a characteristic upright stance and long counterbalancing tail. It is a brownish-grey colour with a chestnut patch on the neck and upper arm and has a black nose and paws.

Size: Head and body 65-92 cm; Tail 62-86 cm; Weight 11-27 kg.

Natural history: The Red-necked Wallaby is an introduced species and has been kept in captivity in Britain and Ireland for many decades. Some of these individuals have escaped and have established small, localised colonies in the wild. The current wild population is estimated to be around 150 individuals mostly on the Isle of Man. Sightings have also been reported from several English counties. Red-necked Wallabies are active throughout the year and are mainly nocturnal. During the day they will hide in dense undergrowth. They feed on grasses, heather and bracken. Females give birth to a single youngster between June and December which then grows in its mother’s pouch until it emerges between May and June.