Current view: Text account
Site description (2008 baseline):
Site location and context
The IBA consists of all water and intertidal mudflats of the Tamar River (excluding tributaries) from Launceston downstream to the narrows at the Batman Bridge, halfway to the sea. The lower half of the estuary has much smaller numbers of birds and is excluded from the IBA, although the Georgetown Reserve supports moderate numbers of shorebirds including Pied Oystercatcher. The Tamar is a large river draining north from the central highlands of Tasmania to Bass Strait. It is tidal below the large town of Launceston, starting narrow then broadening with shallow intertidal banks and a broad deep-water channel, protected as the Tamar Conservation Area to the Batman Highway bridge. The IBA is within a mosaic of temperate farmland and forestry with average maximum temperatures of 24°C in summer and 13°C in winter. The mudflats are bordered by saltmarsh and the only extensive reed beds in north Tasmania.
Small numbers of Australasian Bittern have been recorded irregularly (two in 1998 and single birds in 2001, 2002 and 2003; R. Cooper in litt. 2007). A single pair of Cape Barren Geese and small numbers of migratory shorebirds have been recorded in the IBA in recent years (R. Cooper pers. comm.). There were occasional sightings of seven restricted-range or biome-restricted species in Atlas of Australian Birds surveys undertaken from 1998 to 2008 (Atlas of Australian Birds database).
Non-bird biodiversity: Green and Gold Frog.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Monitor water quality.
The IBA includes the Tamar Conservation Area and has a small overlap with the Native Point Nature Reserve.
Australian Federal Government.
The nomination was prepared by Ralph Cooper.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Tamar Wetlands (Australia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/tamar-wetlands-iba-australia on 18/12/2024.
