Current view: Text account
Site description (2008 baseline):
Site location and context
This exceptionally large IBA is defined by the distribution of the south-west slopes population of Superb Parrots and key areas for wintering Swift Parrots. The boundary has been drawn around the core distribution of Superb Parrots and approximates to a 80 km-wide length of the inland slopes of the Great Dividing Range from Wagga Wagga in the south to Orange in the north, extending south-east through Boorowa and Yass to Queanbeyan, with an extension south to include the important Swift Parrot sites of Livingstone NP, Tarcutta, Gundagai, Tumut and Adelong. The majority of the IBA is highly modified wheat and sheep country with few natural vegetation remnants. Within this huge area, all agricultural land with scattered large trees is considered as potential habitat for Superb Parrots. Swift Parrots occur in woodland dominated by Mugga Ironbark and/or Grey Box and sometimes White Box, Yellow Box, Yellow Gum, River Red Gum and Blakely's Red Gum, especially the biggest trees (greater than 60 cm in diameter at breast height) remaining in largely cleared areas. The few remnant blocks of forest are often on ranges and outcrops where the soils are unsuitable for the key tree species required by either parrot species, and many have had box and ironbark selectively removed. Known important remnants for Swift Parrots include Combaning State Forest (741 ha), Ingalba Nature Reserve (3200 ha), Charcoal Tank Nature Reserve (86 ha), Weddin Mountains National Park (8360 ha) and State Forest, Jindalee State Forest (1080 ha), Tarcutta (432 ha; a Bush Heritage reserve), Mates’ Gully and the largely unprotected roadside, Travelling Stock and Camping Reserves. Superb Parrots require large trees with suitable nest hollows, especially Blakely's Red Gum, but also River Red Gum, Apple Box, Grey Box, White Box and Red Box, but these must be within 10 km (and ideally within 3 km) of box-gum woodlands for foraging, and connected by treed flight corridors. Trees do not develop suitable nesting hollows until they exceed 120 years of age, and trees containing larger hollows used by Superb Parrots are likely to be more than 220 years of age. The annual mean temperature of the region ranges from 10-16 Celsius and annual mean precipitation ranges from 500-1150 mm.
A handful of records of the endangered Regent Honeyeater include two at Jindalee State Forest in May 1998, three at Gunning in November 1998, two at Jindalee State Forest in September 1999 and two at Tumbarumba Cemetery in July 2000 (New South Wales Bird Reports). Other notable species recorded in the IBA include the endangered Australasian Bittern, the near threatened Bush Stone-curlew, the biome-restricted Pink Robin, the Australian Little Bittern and the regionally threatened Turquoise Parrot and Barking Owl. The near threatened Flame Robin and biome-restricted Black Honeyeater are rare visitors to the IBA (Atlas of Australian Birds database).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Develop and implement a Habitat Retention and Enhancement policy to protect woodland, especially within 10 km of Superb Parrot colonies and known Swift Parrot feeding trees. Promote the regeneration of large hollow-bearing eucalypts. Revegetate and fence flight corridors and foraging habitat.
Numerous - see separate section.
Mostly private leasehold and freeholds; also some Commonwealth (Australian National Botanic Gardens) and state government, NSW NPWS, State Forests, Rural Lands Protection Board and Travelling Stock and Camping Reserves.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: South-west Slopes of NSW (Australia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/south-west-slopes-of-nsw-iba-australia on 23/12/2024.
