Current view: Text account
Site description (2008 baseline):
Site location and context
The IBA consists of the Hyland Bay mudflats to the north of Wadeye (Port Keats) from Tree Point to the flats north of Cape Dombey, and the floodplains of the Moyle and Little Moyle Rivers. The Moyle and Little Moyle floodplains are seasonally inundated sedge and paperbark swamps supporting large numbers of Magpie Geese (Parks & Wildlife 2007) and a mixed waterbird colony in mangroves in an inlet north of the Little Moyle River mouth (waterbird colony ref W004 in Chatto 2000). The mudflats of Hyland Bay are included as they support large numbers of Great Knot.
A mixed waterbird colony in mangroves in an inlet north of the Little Moyle River regularly supports up to 1000 Pied Herons, and also up to 4000 mixed egrets, 200 Little Pied Cormorants and 300 Rufous Night Herons (Chatto 2000, 2006). Two smaller colonies of Royal Spoonbills and mixed cormorants and darters were recorded on the upper parts of the Moyle Floodplain (Chatto 2006). 7000 birds, mostly Magpie Geese, were recorded on the Little Moyle Floodplain in 1995 (Chatto 2006). Hyland Bay regularly supports >10,000 shorebirds (Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia). Chatto recorded lower numbers which were mostly knot species, probably Great Knots, which probably represents internationally significant numbers (Chatto 2003).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
More research and monitoring is needed to assess the threats to the site, but the most likely threats are invasion by alien plants including Mimosa pigra and inundation from rising sea-levels.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
The entire Moyle Floodplain is listed as significant in the Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia. Hyland Bay and associated coastal floodplains are classified as a site of conservation significance by the Northern Territory Government (Harrison et al. 2009; Ward & Harrison 2009).
Daly River / Port Keats ALT.
Site access / Land-owner requests
This IBA is on Traditionally Owned land.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Hyland Bay and Moyle Floodplain (Australia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/hyland-bay-and-moyle-floodplain-iba-australia on 23/12/2024.
