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The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2009 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting ('triggering') IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('trigger species') at the site:

Species	Red List	Season (year/s of estimate)	Size	IBA criteria
Blue-billed Duck Oxyura australis	LC	resident (2001–2007)	1,784–13,000 birds	A1, A4i
Musk Duck Biziura lobata	LC	resident (2001–2007)	1,436–2,103 birds	A4i
Pink-eared Duck Malacorhynchus membranaceus	LC	resident (2001–2007)	17,028–50,985 birds	A4i
Freckled Duck Stictonetta naevosa	LC	resident (2001–2007)	57–595 birds	A4i
Australian Shelduck Tadorna tadornoides	LC	resident (2001–2007)	3,081–18,230 birds	A4i
Australasian Shoveler Spatula rhynchotis	LC	resident (2001–2007)	6,608–17,433 birds	A4i
Chestnut Teal Anas castanea	LC	resident (2001–2007)	5,799–10,064 birds	A4i
Hoary-headed Grebe Poliocephalus poliocephalus	LC	resident (2001–2007)	14,055–24,881 birds	A4i
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata	VU	non-breeding (1981–2007)	586–4,060 birds	A4i
Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis	NT	non-breeding (1981–2007)	5,603–15,110 birds	A4i
Orange-bellied Parrot Neophema chrysogaster	CR	non-breeding (1978–2007)	20 birds	A1

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2009. The most recent assessment (2008) is shown below.

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Pollution	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Natural system modifications	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Human intrusions and disturbance	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	no or slight decline (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Climate change and severe weather	likely in long term (>4 years)	few indivi­duals/small area (<10%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Not assessed	Not assessed	Not assessed	not assessed

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
1992	The Spit W.R.	Nature Conservation Reserve (Ia)	12

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine	major (>10)	Other artificial wetlands
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	major (>10)
Marine Intertidal	major (>10)

Land use	% of IBA
urban/industrial/transport	major (>10)
nature conservation and research	minor (<10)
not utilised	minor (<10)
military	minor (<10)

A mix of State and private ownership - Melbourne Water is responsible for Sewage Treatment areas; Victorian Parks for reserves, intertidal areas and Bay waters; Cheetham Salt Company owns the salt works.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Werribee and Avalon (Australia). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/werribee-and-avalon-iba-australia on 24/12/2024.