Current view: Text account
Site description (2014 baseline):
IBA Trigger species: Black-billed Gull, NZ Dotterel, Wrybill, South Island Pied Oystercatcher (Species group - Shorebirds A4iii), Australasian Bittern
Black Stilt (CR) A1 (non breeding - incl. hybrids) occasional visitor
Other species: Besides the trigger species the following are confirmed or likely to be breeding or resident: Australasian Gannet, Black Shag, Pied Shag, Little Shag, Little Black Shag, Spotted Shag, White-faced Heron, White Heron, Reef Heron, Black Swan, Canada Goose, Paradise Shelduck, Mallard, (Grey Duck), Grey Teal, NZ Shoveler, Australasian Har-rier, Rock Pigeon, Barbary Dove, Spotted Dove, Eastern Rosella, Banded Rail, Pukeko, Variable Oystercatcher, Pied Stilt, Banded Dotterel, Black-fronted Dotterel, Spur-winged Plover, Southern Black-backed Gull, Red-billed Gull, Caspian Tern, White-fronted Tern, NZ Pigeon, Shining Cuckoo, Morepork, NZ Kingfisher, Welcome Swallow, NZ Pipit, North Island Fern-bird, Grey Warbler, NZ Fantail, Silvereye, Tui, Skylark, Hedge Sparrow, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Yellowhammer, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, House Sparrow, Starling, Common Myna, Australian Magpie. Other species recorded: Royal Spoon-bill, Cattle Egret, Mongolian Dotterel, Pacific Golden Plover, Turnstone, Curlew Sandpiper, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint, Far-eastern Curlew, Asiatic Whimbrel, Great Knot, Grey Plover, Red (Lesser) Knot, Eastern Bar-tailed Godwit, Asiatic Black-tailed Godwit, Hudsonian Godwit, Grey-tailed (Siberian) Tattler, Semi-palmated Plover, Terek Sandpiper, Arctic Skua, Pomarine Skua, Gull-billed Tern, Little Tern.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Human disturbance - Yes - Anthropogenic disturbance due to estuary and beach users can impact on breeding and feeding seabirds and shorebirds.
Predation by alien species - Yes - Feral cats, rats and hedgehogs are present within site. Dogs can also be a problem.
Habitat loss or degradation - Yes -
Contamination - Yes -
Natural Disaster - Yes -
Parasite or pathogen - No
Other - No
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
Miranda Taramaire - Government Purpose Reserve (Wildlife Management) - 68ha - Protected Area contained by site
Miranda - Conservation area - 4ha - Protected area contained by site
Miranda stream - Conservation Area - 2ha - Protected area contained by site
Waitakaruru River Mouth - Marginal Strip - 89ha - Protected area contained by site
Orongo Coast - Conservation Area - 28ha - Protected area contained by site.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Firth of Thames (New Zealand). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/firth-of-thames-iba-new-zealand on 23/12/2024.
