Karara and Lochada Important Bird Area
Encyclopedia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, about 30 km east of the town of Morawa
Morawa, Western Australia
Morawa is a town in the Mid West region of Western Australia. It is located within the Shire of Morawa, approximately 370 kilometres north of the state capital Perth, on the railway line between Wongan Hills and Mullewa.- History :...
and 320 km north-east of Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
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Description
The Important Bird AreaImportant 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) incorporates the former pastoral properties
Pastoral 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....
of Karara and Lochada, with small areas of adjacent land. It contains large areas of Acacia
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
shrubland
Shrubland
Shrubland, scrubland, scrub or brush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity...
with some open eucalypt
Eucalypt
Eucalypts are woody plants belonging to three closely related genera:Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora.In 1995 new evidence, largely genetic, indicated that some prominent Eucalyptus species were actually more closely related to Angophora than to the other eucalypts; they were split off into the...
woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
. It lies at an altitude of 280–400 m above sea level in pastoral country adjacent to the wheatbelt. Its average annual rainfall of about 300 mm is highly variable and falls mainly in winter.
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 IBA because it supports populations of the vulnerable
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
Malleefowl
Malleefowl
The Malleefowl is a stocky ground-dwelling Australian bird about the size of a domestic chicken...
and the restricted-range Western Corella
Western Corella
The Western Corella formerly known as the Western Long-billed Corella, is a species of white cockatoo endemic to south-western Western Australia.-Taxonomy:...
, as well as of Bourke’s
Bourke's Parrot
The Bourke's Parrot , also known as the Bourke's Parakeet or "Bourkie", is a small parrot originating in Australia and the only species in its genus Neopsephotus...
and 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, Western Bowerbird
Western Bowerbird
The Western Bowerbird is a species of bird in the Bowerbird family. The species is a common endemic of Australia. It has a disjunct distribution, occurring in Central Australia and the Pilbara region of Western Australia. There are two subspecies, the nominate, which occupies most of its range,...
s, Rufous Treecreeper
Rufous Treecreeper
The Rufous Treecreeper is a species of bird in the Climacteridae family.It is endemic to Australia.Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
s, Black Honeyeater
Black Honeyeater
The Black Honeyeater is a species of bird in the family of honeyeaters, Meliphagidae, and the sole species in the genus Sugomel. The Black Honeyeater exhibits sexual dimorphism with the male being black and white while the female is a speckled grey-brown; immature birds look like the female...
s, Slaty-backed Thornbill
Slaty-backed Thornbill
The Slaty-backed Thornbill is a species of bird in the Pardalotidae family.It is endemic to Australia....
s, Chiming Wedgebill
Chiming Wedgebill
The Chiming Wedgebill is a species of bird in the Cinclosomatidae family.It is endemic to Australia.The Chiming Wedgebill makes a cooing sound during mating.-References:...
s, Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush
Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush
The Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush is a species of bird in the Cinclosomatidae family.It is endemic to Australia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 25 July 2007....
es and Western Yellow Robin
Western Yellow Robin
The Western Yellow Robin is a species of bird in the Petroicidae family. It is endemic to Australia, and sometimes known overseas as the Grey-breasted Robin....
s.