Murray-Sunset, Hattah and Annuello 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...
in the Mallee region
The Mallee
The Mallee is the most northwesterly district in the state of Victoria, and also encompasses the agricultural district of South Australia. Definitions vary, however all are based on the Victorian distribution of mallee eucalypts...
of north-western Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, 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...
.
Description
The IBA encompasses several protected areas with blocks of contiguous uncleared native vegetation. It includes three large area of protected land – most of the Murray-Sunset National ParkMurray-Sunset National Park
Murray-Sunset is the second largest national park in Victoria, Australia, 438 km northwest of Melbourne. It is in the northwestern corner of the state, bordering South Australia to the west and the Murray River to the north...
and the Annuello Nature Conservation Reserve, and the whole of the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park
Hattah-Kulkyne National Park
Hattah-Kulkyne is a national park in Victoria, Australia, 417 km northwest of Melbourne. The nearest regional centre is Mildura. It is a popular destination for bushwalkers and school camping trips.-Description:...
– with some smaller reserves.
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 populations of globally threatened Malleefowl
Malleefowl
The Malleefowl is a stocky ground-dwelling Australian bird about the size of a domestic chicken...
, 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...
s and Mallee Emu-wren
Mallee Emu-wren
The Mallee Emu-wren is a bird species in the family Maluridae. It is endemic to Australia.Its natural habitat is temperate grassland. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Taxonomy:...
, as well as 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 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. In the Hattah lakes it contains ephemeral
Ephemeral
Ephemeral things are transitory, existing only briefly. Typically the term is used to describe objects found in nature, although it can describe a wide range of things....
wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s which occasionally support large numbers of waterbirds, including Hoary-headed Grebe
Hoary-headed Grebe
The Hoary-headed Grebe, Poliocephalus poliocephalus, is a member of the grebe family found in Australia and, since 1975, New Zealand, where it is scarce....
s, 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, Pacific Black Duck
Pacific Black Duck
The Pacific Black Duck is a dabbling duck found in much of Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, and many islands in the southwestern Pacific, reaching to the Caroline Islands in the north and French Polynesia in the east. It is usually called the Grey Duck in New Zealand...
s, Grey Teal
Grey Teal
The Grey Teal, Anas gracilis is a dabbling duck found in open wetlands in New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands....
s, Hardhead
Hardhead
The Hardhead, Aythya australis, is the only true diving duck found in Australia. Hardheads are common in the south-east of Australia, particularly in the Murray-Darling Basin, but also in the wetter country near the coasts. They are moderately nomadic in normal years, but disperse widely in times...
s, Pink-eared Duck
Pink-eared Duck
The Pink-eared Duck is a species of duck found in Australia.It has a large spatulate bill like the Australasian Shoveler, but is smaller at 38–40 cm length. Its brown back and crown, black and white barred sides and black eye patches on its otherwise white face make this bird unmistakable...
s, Black-fronted Dotterel
Black-fronted Dotterel
The Black-fronted Dotterel is a small, slender plover, widespread throughout most of Australia, to which it is native and New Zealand, where it self introduced in the 1950s. It is common in freshwater wetlands, around the edges of lakes and billabongs, and in shallow, temporary claypan pools...
s and Australian Pelican
Australian Pelican
The Australian Pelican is a large water bird, widespread on the inland and coastal waters of Australia and New Guinea, also in Fiji, parts of Indonesia and as a vagrant to New Zealand.-Taxonomy:...
s.
Threats
A management need is to reduce the incidence of large-scale, high intensity, bushfiresBushfires in Australia
Bushfires in Australia are frequently occurring events during the hotter months of the year due to Australia's mostly hot, dry climate. Large areas of land are ravaged every year by bushfires, which also cause property damage and loss of life....
in the park, allied with ongoing research on fire management strategies for conservation of threatened mallee species.