THE BIRDS OF THE NORTH
COAST OF NSW AND THEIR
HABITATS
Shorebirds, Coastal-birds &
Coastal Raptors
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Habitat is defined as follows:
From the Latin = it dwells
Encyclopaedia Britannica: place where an organism
lives, including all living and nonliving factors or conditions of the
surrounding environment
Free Dictionary: the natural environment of an organism;
place that is natural for the life and growth of an organism:
What is a shorebird or wader?
Shorebirds (waders) are birds of beaches, estuaries,
intertidal flats, saltmarshes and freshwater wetlands
How do we tell the difference among shorebirds?
3 points to look for in the field:
• size
• bills (beaks) length, shape and
colour
• legs colour and length
Feeding Ecology
Coastal shorebirds’ lives are governed by the tide, not by the sun
• Usually feed on exposed mudflats
• Large daily requirement relative to body
weight
• Large birds feed the least
- slow metabolism
• Small birds feed constantly
• Feeding techniques ;
•
“sandpiper strategy” slow walk and probe – sensory method
•
“plover strategy” run & stop – visual method
• Good roosting area essential to conserve energy
• Feeding and roosting in flocks provide predator protection
Feeding Ecology
2 types of shorebird in Australia
Migratory shorebirds
•
•
36 species regularly
migrate to Australia
22 species regularly
recorded in the
Northern Rivers - plus 3
known vagrants
Resident shorebirds
• 18 species live and breed
in Australia
• Northern Rivers - 11
Migration Facts
•
Breed in the Northern Hemisphere from North China, Mongolia, Siberia, Alaska & Japan
•
Migrate to non-breeding areas in the Southern Hemisphere – mainly coastal Aust. & NZ,
•
Some inhabit inland wetlands such as lake Eyre
•
Only ever experience summer (avoiding winter in both hemispheres).
•
Start arriving in Australia in September
• Start their departure end of February
•
One exception – NZ breeding Double-banded Plover winters in Australia
•
Adults leave the breeding grounds two weeks prior to the young
• Young and old may over-winter in Australia
Migratory Flyways of Shorebirds
East Asian- Australasian Flyway
Breeding
Area
• 5 million shorebirds migrate worldwide
• 2 million migrate to Australia
• 56 species regularly migrate
world-wide
• 36 species migrate to Australia
• 22 species regularly migrate to NR
Migration - facts
East Asian- Australasian Flyway
• 20-29,000km round trip
• Regularly fly up to
8,000km non-stop (3-9
days non stop)
• Fly by day and night
• Altitudes 3,000-8,000m
AWSG
• Speed 30-60km/hr
Migration - adaptations
• Long, pointed wings for swift, long distance flight
Prior to migration:
• Birds feed intensively & their body
mass increases by up to 70-80%
• 2-5% weight gain per day
• Fat is deposited under the skin
Note fat deposited in rear underbody
• Exercise muscles increase in size
• Digestive organs enlarge
Shorebird Habitats
ocean beaches
sheltered bays
I Sutton
rivers
lakes, dams and sewage ponds
HABITAT: The Belongil Estuary – Byron Bay
HABITAT: The Brunswick River & Marshall’s Creek,
Brunswick Heads
HABITAT: Flat Rock Lennox Head
HABITAT: West Byron Wetlands
Bar-tailed Godwit – Limosa lapponica
• Breeds: Artic Tundra
Length: 37-39cm
• Breeding Habitat: Artic tundra - treeless & mossy
• Habitat Australia: intertidal flats rarely far from coast - at high tide roosts
will stand in shallow water as well as dry land
• Food: – molluscs,
worms & aquatic insects
Breeding feathers
Flight of the Bar-tailed Godwit E7
• E7 in 2007 to undertake the longest non-stop flight of any bird.
• Travelled from Alaska to NZ
• The distance between these two locations is 9,575 kms,
• Actual track flown by the bird was 11,026 kms
• The flight took approximately nine days.
• The round trip approx 29,181 kms from March to September (6 months)
Pacific Golden Plover
- Pluvialis fulva
Breeds: Central & Eastern Siberia & Alaska Length: 23-36cm
• Habitat Australia: Intertidal sand &
mudflats & rocky shores.
Prefers to roost in saltwater couch
• Food: small marine invertebrates
especially worms , insects & larvae when
breeding
• Breeding Habitat: well drained tundra
Grey-tailed Tattler
Coastal Birds – Terns – feed on the ocean
Little Tern – breeds
in Australia migrates
to Japan
Crested Tern –breeds &
lives in Australia
Little, Common & Crested Terns at Belongil
Common Tern – breeds in Siberia &
migrates to Australia for summer
Resident shorebirds
• Breed in Australia – seven known to breed in NR
• Some stay in one place all year.
• Others undertake nomadic movements - depending
upon availability of food and breeding opportunities.
• Some nest exclusively on beaches
• Others breed on ephemeral & permanent freshwater
wetlands
• Some have moved beyond wetlands (Bush Stone curlew)
Red-capped Plover
Breeds: All over Australia
- Charadrius luficapillus
Length: 14-16cm
Nest
Habitat: Sandy
beaches, mudflats,
saltmarshes,
Food: molluscs &
small crustaceans
Grey-tailed Tattler
Beach Stone-curlew
Breeds:
– Eracus magnirostris
Coastal Australia - mid WA to Victoria
Length: 54-59cm
• Habitat : exposed & sheltered beaches
• Food: Crabs
• Nest: bare ground –beach debris
• Mainly nocturnal but influenced by
the tide
Grey-tailed Tattler
Pied Oystercatcher
Breeds: Coastal Australia
– Haematopus longirostris
Length: 45-50cm
Habitat: Ocean beaches & intertidal
mudflats
Food: bi-valve molluscs also worms,
crustaceans & insects
One of a few shorebird that feeds it’s
Grey-tailed Tattler
Coastal Raptors – Osprey
Nests: place with a view,
tops of trees, cliffs, manmade poles. Used for
many years. Sticks are
added each year
Habitat: Coastal waters &
estuaries
Food: Fish only –will dive
under water to 1 meter
NON SHOREBIRDS
Bush Stone -curlew
Breeds: Australia
– Burhinus grallarius
(endangered in NSW)
Length: 52-58cm
Habitat: woodlands and cleared areas
throughout Australia
Food: molluscs, insects, small
mammals, seeds. Feeding takes place
only at night.
Grey-tailed Tattler
Rainbow Bee-eaters
Breeds: throughout Australia
– Merops ornatus
Length: 23-28cm
(not desert)
Habitat: sand dunes, cleared or
lightly timbered forests
Food: insects
Grey-tailed Tattler
Black-fronted Dotterel –
Elseyornis melanops
Breeds: throughout Australia (like a plover , on the ground) Length: 16-18cm
Habitat: near freshwater, not
usually coastal
Food: aquatic and terrestrial
insects
Grey-tailed Tattler
Some Important Habitats for the Northern Rivers
Essential estuaries & wetlands
• Estuaries & wetlands are a major food source for birds
• Food resources include plant life, roots and shoots,
crustaceans, frogs, molluscs, worms, insects and fish
• Up to 70% of fish species caught in NSW rely on
estuaries at some stage of their life cycle.
• The mangroves and sea grasses provide shelter for
juvenile fish.
• Estuaries & wetlands provide near perfect conditions for
raising chicks.
• In and around the Belongil estuary alone Byron Bird
Buddies has recorded 142 species of birds.
The End
Principal Bird photography sourced from
the Internet
Bird Song – A Field Guide to Australian Birdsongs
(BOACA)
Additional Bird photography courtesy of
Debra Pearce, Reid Waters
Bird Information from
The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds
Prizzey & Knight Field Guide to the Birds of Australian
M. Morecombe Field Guide to Australian Birds
Birds Australia Website
Qld Wader Study Group PP
Shorebirds of Australia (Geering, Agnew, Harding)