The Nightcap Range Important Bird Area is a 157 km² fragmented tract of land containing several protected areas of rainforest

Rainforest

Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...

 in the Nightcap Range of north-eastern New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. Some 61% of the site is included in the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area

World Heritage Site

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...

.

Description

The site consists of the Nightcap

Nightcap National Park

Nightcap National Park is in New South Wales, Australia, 35 km north of Lismore. It is classed by the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas as Category II...

, Mount Jerusalem

Mount Jerusalem National Park

Mount Jerusalem is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 635 km north of Sydney. It contains three river systems, Tweed River, Brunswick River and the Richmond River.-Important Bird Area:...

 and Goonengerry National Park

Goonengerry National Park

Goonengerry is a small village in New South Wales, Australia, 626 km northeast of Sydney. It is known for its horse riding and National Park.-Important Bird Area:...

s, Snows Gully Nature Reserve and the Whian Whian State Conservation Area. The altitude ranges from 250-933 m above sea level. Where the soil

Soil

Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...

s have a rhyolitic

Rhyolite

This page is about a volcanic rock. For the ghost town see Rhyolite, Nevada, and for the satellite system, see Rhyolite/Aquacade.Rhyolite is an igneous, volcanic rock, of felsic composition . It may have any texture from glassy to aphanitic to porphyritic...

 base the vegetation is warm temperate rainforest, while areas of nutrient-rich basalt

Basalt

Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...

ic soils support subtropical rainforest. The annual average rainfall, of 2351 mm at an altitude of 380 m, is the highest of any region in NSW, with average winter temperatures of 7-17°C and summer temperatures of 17-27°C.

Birds

The site has been identified by BirdLife International

BirdLife International

BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...

 as an Important Bird Area

Important Bird Area

An Important Bird Area is an area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Currently there are about 10,000 IBAs worldwide. The program was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International...

 (IBA) because it contains the largest known population of Albert's Lyrebird

Albert's Lyrebird

The Albert's Lyrebird is a pheasant-sized songbird, approximately 90cm long, with brown upper body plumage and rich chestnut below. It is very similar with the Superb Lyrebird in its habits. This bird also mimics other species sounds....

s, as well as populations of Pale-yellow Robin

Pale-yellow Robin

The Pale-yellow Robin is a species of passerine bird in the Petroicidae family. It is endemic to eastern Australia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is a non-descript bird with grey head and olive upperparts, white throat and yellow underparts. The sexes are...

s, Paradise Riflebird

Paradise Riflebird

The Paradise Riflebird, Ptiloris paradiseus, is a medium-sized, up to 30 cm long, passerine bird of the Paradisaeidae family. The male is black with an iridescent greenish blue crown, throat and central tail feathers. It has a black curved bill, black feet, dark brown iris and yellow mouth...

s, Green Catbird

Green Catbird

The Green Catbird, Ailuroedus crassirostris is a species of bowerbird found on subtropical forests along the east coast of Australia, from southeastern Queensland to southern New South Wales. Its colouring is emerald green, with faint black markings on the face and white streaks on the neck.Green...

s, Regent Bowerbird

Regent Bowerbird

The Regent Bowerbird, Sericulus chrysocephalus is a medium-sized, up to 25 cm long, sexually dimorphic bowerbird. The male bird is black with a golden orange-yellow crown, mantle and black-tipped wing feathers. It has yellow bill, black feet and yellow iris...

s and Australian Logrunner

Australian Logrunner

The Australian Logrunner is a species of bird in the Orthonychidae family. It is endemic to eastern Australia...

s.