An Australian tourist is in hospital in a serious condition after being attacked by a bison in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming

The bison tossed the unidentified 62-year-old man several times into the air after he tried to take photos just 1.5 metres from the animal, officials from the US park said.

Bison graze near a stream in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming in this file picture. Credit:AP

He has been flown by helicopter to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Park officials say several people had crowded around the bison as it lay on the grass near the famous Old Faithful Geyser.