Riverland Mallee Important Bird Area
Encyclopedia
Mallee Woodlands and Shrublands
Mallee Woodlands and Shrublands is a Major Vegetation Group which occurs in semi-arid areas of southern Australia. The vegetation is dominated by mallee eucalypts which are rarely over 6 metres high...
and riverine woodland extending from near Waikerie
Waikerie, South Australia
Waikerie is a rural town in the Riverland region of South Australia on the south bank of the Murray River. At the 2006 census, Waikerie had a population of 1,744. The Sturt Highway passes to the south of the town at the top of the cliffs...
in the Riverland
Riverland
The Riverland, is a region of South Australia. It covers the area near the Murray River from where it flows into South Australia downstream to Blanchetown.The major town centres are Renmark, Berri, Loxton, Waikerie and Barmera...
region of eastern South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
north-eastwards into south-western 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...
.
Description
The IBA includes the Riverland Biosphere Reserve in South Australia, comprising several pastoral leasePastoral lease
A pastoral lease is Crown land that government allows to be leased, generally for the purposes of farming.-Australia:Pastoral leases exist in both Australian commonwealth law and state jurisdictions....
s and conservation reserves
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
such Danggali
Danggali Conservation Park
Danggali is a Conservation Park in South Australia, approximately 90 km north of Renmark. It forms part of the 12,200 km2 Riverland Mallee Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International for its importance in the conservation of mallee birds and their habitats....
, Gluepot
Gluepot Reserve
Gluepot Reserve is a 540 km2 nature reserve established by Birds Australia in 1997 by the purchase, through a public appeal, of Gluepot Station, a pastoral lease in the semi-arid mallee region of South Australia...
, and the Murray River National Park
Murray River National Park
Murray River is a national park in South Australia , 186 km east of Adelaide. It forms part of the 12,200 km2 Riverland Mallee Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International for its importance in the conservation of mallee birds and their habitats.-External links:*...
. In New South Wales it includes Scotia Sanctuary
Scotia Sanctuary
Scotia Sanctuary is a nature reserve in the south-western plains of New South Wales, Australia, adjacent to the border with South Australia. It is located in the Murray Mallee subregion of the Murray-Darling Depression Bioregion, south of the city of Broken Hill...
as well as several areas of uncleared native vegetation. Wetlands within the IBA are Lake Merreti, Hart Lagoon and Stockyard Plains. Threats include inappropriate fire regimes, fox predation, and grazing by feral and domestic herbivores.
Birds
The site has been identified by BirdLife InternationalBirdLife 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 supports the largest population of the critically endangered
Critically endangered
Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
Black-eared Miner
Black-eared Miner
The Black-eared Miner, Manorina melanotis, is an endangered honeyeater endemic to mallee woodland in south-eastern Australia. It is closely related to the much more widely distributed Yellow-throated Miner M. flavigula and the taxonomic status of the Black-eared Miner is the subject of some...
as well as populations of Malleefowl
Malleefowl
The Malleefowl is a stocky ground-dwelling Australian bird about the size of a domestic chicken...
, Bush Stone-curlew
Bush Stone-curlew
The Bush Stone-curlew or Bush Thick-knee is a large, ground-dwelling bird endemic to Australia...
s, Red-lored Whistler
Red-lored Whistler
The Red-Lored Whistler is similar, in many respects, to the Gilbert Whistler, to which it is clearly related, and from which it must be distinguished: the range of the Red-lored Whistler falls entirely within that of the Gilbert Whistler. The two species share the same habitat, behaviour and even...
s, Regent Parrot
Regent Parrot
The Regent Parrot is a bird of the parrot family . It has predominantly yellow plumage with a green tail. The bird is found primarily in eucalyptus groves and other wooded areas of subtropical southwestern Australia, as well as to a smaller area of subtropical and temperate southeastern Australia...
s, Striated Grasswren
Striated Grasswren
The Striated Grasswren is a species of bird in the Maluridae family.It is endemic to Australia.-References:* BirdLife International 2006. . Downloaded on 25 July 2007....
s, Shy Heathwren
Shy Heathwren
The Shy Heathwren is a species of small bird in the Acanthizidae family, endemic to Australia. They inhabit mostly mallee woodland that has relatively dense shrub and heath understorey. Shy Heathwrens feed mostly on ground dwelling insects; rarely on seeds. Their ground level nests are dome-shaped...
s, Southern Scrub-robin
Southern Scrub-robin
The Southern Scrub-robin is a species of bird in the Petroicidae family.It is endemic to Australia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 25 July 2007....
s, Hooded Robin
Hooded Robin
The Hooded Robin is a small passerine bird native to Australia. Like many brightly coloured robins of the Petroicidae it is sexually dimorphic; the male bearing distinctive black and white coloured plumage, while the female is a nondescript grey-brown.-Taxonomy:Like all Australian Robins, it is...
s, Chestnut Quail-thrush
Chestnut Quail-thrush
The Chestnut-backed Quail-thrush or Chestnut Quail-thrush is a species of bird in the Cinclosomatidae family. It is endemic to Australia. Its natural habitat is Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation.-References:...
es and Purple-gaped Honeyeater
Purple-gaped Honeyeater
The Purple-gaped Honeyeater is a species of bird in the Meliphagidae family.It is endemic to Australia.Its natural habitat is Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation.-References:...
s. Ephemeral wetlands support large numbers of Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Calidris acuminata is a small wader.- Taxonomy :More recently, a review of new data has indicated that this bird should perhaps better be placed into the genus Philomachus- as P...
s and Freckled Duck
Freckled Duck
The Freckled Duck is a moderately large, broad-bodied duck native to southern Australia. The duck is protected by law...
s when water conditions are suitable. Riverine woodlands along the Murray River
Murray River
The Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it...
have high densities of breeding Regent Parrots.
See also
- Central NSW Mallee Important Bird AreaCentral NSW Mallee Important Bird AreaThe Central NSW Mallee Important Bird Area is an irregularly shaped 2500 km2 tract of land in western New South Wales, Australia. It lies near the small town of Mount Hope and comprises the nature reserves of Yathong, Nombinnie and Round Hill, with some unreserved crown land, containing...
- Southern NSW Mallee Important Bird AreaSouthern NSW Mallee Important Bird AreaThe Southern NSW Mallee Important Bird Area comprises an irregularly shaped 8232 km2 tract of land in south-western New South Wales, Australia. It is roughly bounded by the Murray River in the south, the Darling River in the west, and the Willandra Lakes in the north...