Current view: Text account
Site description (2008 baseline):
Site location and context
The Murray-Sunset, Hattah & Annuello IBA captures a large area of contiguous mallee in north-western Victoria. It encompasses seven protected areas and the contiguous uncleared native vegetation. This entire area is incorporated into a single IBA because it supports a suite of threatened mallee bird species, some of which occur in very small numbers scattered across vast distances. A large area of patchy and degraded habitat in the north-west of Murray-Sunset NP and extending north from the park is excluded because it supports none of the key bird species. The IBA captures the protected Hattah Lakes and wetland systems along the Murray River, but waterbird numbers at these sites are insufficient to justify nomination as an independent IBA. The IBA could be expanded to include a length of the Murray River which supports large numbers of breeding Regent Parrots.
Occasional records of Black, Pied and Purple-gaped Honeyeaters and at least one record of Scarlet-chested Parrot (Atlas of Australian Birds database). Up to 288 Hoary-headed Grebes, 101 Freckled Duck, 1960 Pacific Black Duck, 15,053 Grey Teal, 5797 Hardhead, 1280 Pink-eared Duck, 128 Black-fronted Dotterel and 1000 Australian Pelicans have been counted at the Hattah Lakes (DEWHA 2008; Hattah Lakes Ramsar Site Information Sheet) and a maximum 254 Black-fronted Dotterel in 1990 (AWSG database). The endangered Australasian Bittern may occur in small numbers when ephemeral wetlands are inundated. An estimated 1-2 pairs of Grey Falcon were present in 1998-2003 (R. Clarke in litt. 2006).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Management activities to reduce the incidence of large-scale, high intensity wildfires. On-going research to identify optimal fire age class mosaics and fire management strategies for landscape-scale conservation of threatened mallee species.
Numerous - see separate section.
Victorian State Government.
Thanks to Tim Dolby for drafting the nomination.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Murray-Sunset, Hattah and Annuello (Australia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/murray-sunset-hattah-and-annuello-iba-australia on 22/11/2024.
