Current view: Text account
Site description (2008 baseline):
Site location and context
This IBA includes the small inshore islands of Darbada, Crocodile, Yabooma, Gananggarngur and Mooroongga, and the coastal fringe of Milingimbi Island. The shorebirds are likely to use other adjacent mudflats including the remainder of Castlereagh Bay but there is insufficient data to map feeding areas off these islands. The adjacent floodplains of the Glyde River have large numbers of waterbirds but the limited data do not qualify this area for IBA status. The IBA is mostly intertidal mudflats with fringing mangroves and samphire (chenopod) shrubland, with some sandy beaches and dunes on some exposed shores.
The islands also support large numbers of other waterbirds including counts of 1000 Radjah Shelduck, 800 Terek Sandpiper, 5650 Bar-tailed Godwit and 3000 Common Tern (Chatto 2003, 2006). A waterbird nesting colony on an island north of Milingimbi had about 2000 egrets in 1999 (Chatto (2000a) waterbird breeding colony ref W064). Chestnut Rails have been recorded on the islands but their local abundance is poorly known (Chatto 2006).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
More research is needed to identify threats and management actions but the area is likely to be susceptible to the impacts of sea-level rise.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
The islands captured by the IBA are included within the 'Castlereagh Bay and associated islands' site of conservation significance as classified by the Northern Territory Government (Harrison et al. 2009; Ward & Harrison 2009).
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Site access / Land-owner requests
This IBA is on Traditionally Owned land.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Milingimbi Islands (Australia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/milingimbi-islands-iba-australia on 23/12/2024.
