Rushworth Box-Ironbark Region
Encyclopedia
The Rushworth Box-Ironbark Region is a 510 km2 fragmented and irregularly-shaped tract of land that encompasses all the Box-Ironbark forest
and woodland
remnants used as winter feeding habitat by endangered Swift Parrot
s in the Rushworth
-Heathcote
region of central Victoria
, south-eastern Australia
. It lies north of, and partly adjacent to, the Puckapunyal
Important Bird Area
(IBA).
The site was identified by BirdLife International
as an IBA and includes the Heathcote-Graytown National Park, several nature reserve
s and state forest
s, with a few small blocks of private land. It excludes other areas of woodland that are less suitable for the parrots.
s. It is also home to small populations of Diamond Firetail
s and non-breeding Flame Robin
s.
Other woodland birds recorded from the IBA include Brown Treecreeper
s, Speckled Warbler
s, Hooded Robin
s, Grey-crowned Babbler
s, Crested Bellbird
s and Gilbert's Whistler
s, with Bush Stone-curlew
s, migrant Black Honeyeater
s and Pink Robin
s seen occasionally.
Box-Ironbark forest
Box-Ironbark forest is a forest or woodland ecosystem that is largely limited to central Victoria in south-eastern Australia. Because its component tree species produce abundant nectar and pollen throughout the year, it is important for the conservation of many species of birds and other...
and 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...
remnants used as winter feeding habitat by endangered Swift Parrot
Swift Parrot
The Swift Parrot breeds in Tasmania and migrates north to south eastern Australia from Griffith-Warialda in New South Wales and west to Adelaide in the winter. It is related to the rosellas, with the feeding habits of a lorikeet...
s in the Rushworth
Rushworth, Victoria
Rushworth is a township in Victoria, Australia. It is located north of Melbourne and, at the 2006 census, had a population of 2066.-History:...
-Heathcote
Heathcote, Victoria
Heathcote is a town in central Victoria, Australia, situated on the Northern Highway 110 kilometres north of Melbourne and 40 kilometres south-east of Bendigo via the McIvor Highway. Heathcote's local government area is the City of Greater Bendigo and it is part of the federal electorate of...
region of central 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....
, south-eastern 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...
. It lies north of, and partly adjacent to, the Puckapunyal
Puckapunyal
Puckapunyal is an Australian Army training facility and base 10 km west of Seymour, in central Victoria, south-eastern Australia.-Description:Puckapunyal is a small restricted-access town inhabited mainly by about 280...
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).
The site was 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 IBA and includes the Heathcote-Graytown National Park, several nature reserve
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...
s and state forest
State forest
A state forest is a forest that is administered or protected by some agency of a sovereign state.The precise application of the term varies by jurisdiction...
s, with a few small blocks of private land. It excludes other areas of woodland that are less suitable for the parrots.
Birds
The region was identified as an IBA because, when the flowering conditions are suitable it supports up to about 70 non-breeding Swift ParrotSwift Parrot
The Swift Parrot breeds in Tasmania and migrates north to south eastern Australia from Griffith-Warialda in New South Wales and west to Adelaide in the winter. It is related to the rosellas, with the feeding habits of a lorikeet...
s. It is also home to small populations of Diamond Firetail
Diamond Firetail
The Diamond Firetail Stagonopleura guttata is a species of estrildid finch found in eastern Australia, from Eyre Peninsula, South Australia, to south-eastern Queensland, commonly found on the slopes of the Great Dividing Range. The bird lives in eucalypt forest and woodland, mallee country,...
s and non-breeding Flame Robin
Flame Robin
The Flame Robin is a small passerine bird native to Australia. It is a moderately common resident of the coolest parts of south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Like the other two red-breasted Petroica robins—the Scarlet Robin and the Red-capped Robin—it is often simply but...
s.
Other woodland birds recorded from the IBA include Brown Treecreeper
Brown Treecreeper
The Brown Treecreeper is the largest Australasian treecreeper. The bird is endemic to eastern Australia, found in eucalypt forests and woodlands of the Great Dividing Range. The Brown Treecreeper is pale brown to grey-brown, with black streaking on the underparts and black bars on the undertail....
s, Speckled Warbler
Speckled Warbler
The Speckled Warbler is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae, where it belongs to the monotypic genus Chthonicola. It is endemic to Australia...
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, Grey-crowned Babbler
Grey-crowned Babbler
The Grey-crowned Babbler is a species of bird in the Pomatostomidae family.It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea....
s, Crested Bellbird
Crested Bellbird
The Crested Bellbird is a species of bird in the Colluricinclidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Oreoica.It is endemic to Australia.-Conservation status:...
s and Gilbert's Whistler
Gilbert's Whistler
The Gilbert's Whistler is a species of bird in the Pachycephalidae family.It is endemic to Australia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 26 July 2007....
s, with Bush Stone-curlew
Bush Stone-curlew
The Bush Stone-curlew or Bush Thick-knee is a large, ground-dwelling bird endemic to Australia...
s, migrant 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 and Pink Robin
Pink Robin
The Pink Robin is a small passerine bird native to southeastern Australia. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. Like many brightly coloured robins of the Petroicidae family, it is sexually dimorphic...
s seen occasionally.