Migratory Bird Species Action Plan

Project status: Closed

Thank you for your feedback. Among other things, feedback received through consultation provided insights that led to focusing on the most commonly recorded migratory species, increasing the focus on climate change and adding a new action to reduce biomass at wetland sites and monitor its effectiveness.

See the Action Plan for Listed Migratory Species and check out the photos of our migratory birds.

Action plan for migratory birds

Up to 27 internationally-listed migratory bird species visit the ACT each year, with 13 being regular visitors. Most fly from as far away as northern Siberia, China and Japan to spend their summer non-breeding season in Australia. Two migratory flycatchers breed in the ACT’s mountainous wet sclerophyll forest during spring and summer.

The birds’ favourite places include the Jerrabomberra Wetlands, sewage reticulation ponds, urban wetlands and wet sclerophyll forests in the ACT. They also visit Lake George and Lake Bathurst outside the ACT.

Australia has signed international agreements to protect migratory species, and these 27 birds are listed under the Commonwealth’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).

As part of our international responsibility to protect migratory species, the ACT Conservator of Flora and Fauna has prepared an action plan to protect and manage the habitats the birds use in the ACT. The Action Plan for Listed Migratory Species also has information about each bird.

Migratory bird habitats around the world are threatened by habitat loss or degradation, often through development or invasion by pest plants and animals, predation, pollution and climate change.

The plan sets out how we can protect, restore and enhance important wetland, wildlife corridors and breeding habitat. It identifies how to manage threats to important sites and habitat and improve our knowledge about the occurrence and management of listed migratory species.

It also encourages the community to find out more about these migratory species and get involved in citizen science to help survey and conserve them.

Latham’s Snipe Gallinago hardwickii (Regularity: Recorded in 100% of years: 1979-2014)

Rufous Fantail Rhipidura rufifrons (Regularity: Recorded in 97% of years: 1979-2014)

Satin Flycatcher Myiagra cyanoleuca (Regularity: Recorded in 97% of years: 1979-2014)

White-throated Needletail Hirundapus caudacutus (Regularity: 97% of years: 1979-2014)

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata (Regularity: Recorded 78% of years: 1979-2014)

Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus (Regularity: Recorded in 64% of years: 1979-2014)

Fork-tailed Swift Apus pacificus (Regularity: Recorded in 58% of years: 1979-2014)

Black-faced Monarch Monarcha melanopsis Regularity: (Recorded 44% of years: 1979-2014)

Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos (Regularity: Recorded in 39% of years: 1979-2014)

Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia (Regularity: Recorded in 22% of years: 1979-2014)

Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis (Regularity: Recorded in 19% of years: 1979-2014)

Double-banded Plover Charadrius bicinctus (Regularity: Recorded 17% of years: 1979-2014)

Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis (Regularity: Recorded in 17% of years: 1979-2014)

Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos (Regularity: Recorded in 11% of years: 1979-2014).

Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia (Regularity: Recorded in 11% of years: 1979-2014)

Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola (Regularity: Recorded in 8% of years: 1979-2014)

Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea (Regularity: Recorded in 8% of years: 1979-2014) Critically Endangered (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth.)

Eastern Osprey Pandion haliaeteus (Regularity: Recorded in 8% of years: 1979-2014)

Eastern Curlew Numenius madagascariensis (Regularity: Recorded 6% of years: 1979-2014) Critically Endangered (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth.)

Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres (Regularity: Recorded in 6% of years: 1979-2014)

Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva (Regularity: Recorded in 6% of years: 1979-2014)

Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica baueri (Regularity: Recorded 3% of years: 1979-2014) Endangered (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth.)

Red Knot Calidris canutus (Regularity: Recorded in 3% of years: 1979-2014) Endangered (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth.)

Long-toed Stint Calidris subminuta (Regularity: Recorded in 3% of years: 1979-2014)

Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica (Regularity: Recorded in 3% of years: 1979-2014)

White-winged Black Tern Chlidonias leucopterus Regularity: (3% of years: 1979-2014)

Common Tern Sterna hirundo (Regularity: Recorded in 3% of years: 1979-2014)

About the plan

The action plan aims to:

identify and protect suitable foraging and breeding habitat critical to the birds’ needs while also reducing threats to the species
promote the survey, monitoring and research of migratory species to better understand their ecology and conservation.

The main conservation objective of the action plan is to maintain, conserve and enhance these habitats both inside and outside the ACT’s conservation reserves. Specific goals are to:

protect, restore and enhance important wetland, wildlife corridors and breeding habitat
manage identified threats to important sites and habitat
improve knowledge about the knowledge and occurrence of listed migratory species.

Get involved

The action plan invites volunteers to help implement the plan, both in habitat restoration and maintenance work, but also in volunteering time and expertise as citizen scientists surveying and monitoring migratory bird occurrence and distribution in the ACT, several of which are uncommon and rarely seen. You can volunteer here: Jerrabomberra Wetlands and Canberra Ornithologists Group

Good news story – the Latham’s Snipe

The Latham’s Snipe has captured the imagination of the ACT public. This amazing migratory bird breeds on Hokkaido Island, Japan during the northern summer then flies 8000 kilometres south along the East-Asian Australasian Flyway to reach south-eastern Australia. The ACT is one of the places the Latham’s Snipe spends spring and summer.

The Latham’s Snipe is the subject of a national and international research initiative known as the Latham’s Snipe Project funded by the Japan-Australia Foundation. The project involves Japanese and Australian researchers catching and tagging birds and attaching geo-locators for satellite tracking.

During 2016-17, birds were carefully caught and tagged on Hokkaido island and at several sites in south-eastern Australia, including Port Fairy, Victoria, and Jerrabomberra Wetlands in the ACT. The ACT Government funded satellite tracking of three Latham’s Snipe caught at Jerrabomberra Wetlands during the 2016-17 season.

See more on this project at https://jerrabomberrawetlands.org.au/lathams-snipe-project/

The action plan

FAQ

Why has a migratory species plan been developed?

Why has a migratory species plan been developed?
This is the first Action Plan for Migratory Species for the ACT. Under Part 4.5 of the Nature Conservation Act 2014 the Conservator of Flora and Fauna must prepare an action plan for migratory species that regularly occur in the ACT and are listed under s.209 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

The ACT has national and international obligations to protect and conserve listed migratory species and to improve information and knowledge about the species and their habitats in the ACT, including under the following international agreements:
- Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn);
- China-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (CAMBA);
- Japan-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (JAMBA);
- Republic of Korea-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (ROKAMBA); and
Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (the Ramsar Convention).
What species does the Plan cover?

The Plan covers 27 migratory bird species listed under s. 209 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act) that occur regularly occur in the ACT. The plan includes: 16 shorebirds, 3 flycatchers, 2 swifts, 1 waterbird, 4 terns and a raptor and are listed in the following table in order of decreasing frequency based on 35 years of records (1979-2014).

The birds most familiar to Canberrans include the Latham’s Snipe (the most regularly visiting shorebird), the Rufous Fantail and Satin Flycatcher (flycatchers) and the White-throated Needletail (a swift species).

Common name	Scientific name	Regularity (% of years)	Group
Latham’s Snipe	Gallinago hardwickii	100	Shorebird
Rufous Fantail	Rhipidura rufifrons	97	Flycatcher
Satin Flycatcher	Myiagra cyanoleuca	97	Flycatcher
White-throated Needletail	Hirundapus caudacutus	97	Swift
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper	Calidris acuminata	78	Shorebird
Glossy Ibis	Plegadis falcinellus	64	Waterbird
Fork-tailed Swift	Apus pacificus	58	Swift
Black-faced Monarch	Monarcha melanopsis	44	Flycatcher
Common Sandpiper	Actitis hypoleucos	39	Shorebird
Common Greenshank	Tringa nebularia	22	Shorebird
Marsh Sandpiper	Tringa stagnatilis	19	Shorebird
Double-banded Plover	Charadrius bicinctus	17	Shorebird
Red-necked Stint	Calidris ruficollis	17	Shorebird
Pectoral Sandpiper	Calidris melanotos	11	Shorebird
Caspian Tern	Hydroprogne caspia	11	Terns
Wood Sandpiper	Tringa glareola	8	Shorebird
Curlew Sandpiper	Calidris ferruginea	8	Shorebird
Eastern Osprey	Pandion haliaeteus	8	Raptor
Eastern Curlew	Numenius madagascariensis	6	Shorebird
Ruddy Turnstone	Arenaria interpres	6	Shorebird
Pacific Golden Plover	Pluvialis fulva	6	Shorebird
Bar-tailed Godwit (Western Alaskan subspecies)	Limosa lapponica baueri	3	Shorebird
Red Knot	Calidris canutus	3	Shorebird
Long-toed Stint	Calidris subminuta	3	Shorebird
Gull-billed Tern	Gelochelidon nilotica	3	Tern
White-winged Black Tern	Chlidonias leucopterus	3	Tern
Common Tern	Sterna hirundo	3	Tern

What level of protection do the ACT’s listed migratory species enjoy?
The plan will inform land management, statutory environment impact assessment and land use planning processes. Listed migratory species have the same level of protection under legislation as listed threatened species and ecological communities. There are higher penalties for taking these species from the wild, or killing them. In addition, development proposals impacting habitats of listed migratory species are subject to environmental impact assessment processes under the ACT’s and Commonwealth’s environmental planning legislation.
Are any of the listed migratory species within scope of the action plan also threatened with extinction?
Yes. The Australian Government has listed the following four species as nationally threatened under the EPBC Act:
- Eastern Curlew (Critically Endangered);
- Curlew Sandpiper (Critically Endangered);
- Bar-tailed Godwit‑Western Alaskan subspecies (Endangered);
- Red Knot (Endangered).
What are the objectives, goals and actions in the draft plan?
The main conservation objective of the action plan is to maintain, conserve and enhance suitable foraging and breeding habitat for migratory birds both inside and outside the ACT’s conservation reserves. Specific goals under the action plan are to:
- protect, restore and enhance important wetland, wildlife corridors and breeding habitat;
- manage identified threats to important sites and habitat;
- improve knowledge about the occurrence of listed migratory species; and
- raise community awareness and engagement in initiatives to survey and conserve listed migratory species.
The plan identifies proposed management actions under the four goals, including protecting and enhancing the ACT’s wetlands for shorebirds and wet gullies in sclerophyll forest that are important habitat for flycatcher species.

The plan also places emphasise on improving our knowledge about the occurrence and management of these migratory species. The support, knowledge and research contributions made by the birdwatching community, including by Canberra Ornithologists Group in particular, is an integral part of our local and regional understanding of migratory bird species.

The plan aims to raise awareness about listed migratory shorebirds and the importance of the Jerrabomberra Wetlands Nature Reserve and Horse Park Wetlands and Horse Park Drive Wetlands.
What are important habitats in the ACT for migratory birds?
The most important habitat for migratory birds in the ACT is in Jerrabomberra Wetlands Nature Reserve. Urban wetlands including Horse Park Drive also plays an important role. Two of the three listed flycatchers (Rufous Fantail and the Satin Flycatcher) also breed in the ACT Namadgi National Park (mountainous wet sclerophyll forest).
Why is the Latham’s Snipe the subject of a satellite tracking study to document its movements?
The Latham’s Snipe (Gallinago hardwicki) is the most regular listed migratory bird species which visits the ACT. It is known Latham’s Snipe breed in the Japanese spring and then fly south along the Flyway to southern Australia, as far south as Tasmania, but little else of their detailed movements is known.

The Latham’s Snipe is the subject of a national and international research initiative known as the Latham’s Snipe Project funded by the Japan-Australia Foundation. The project involves Japanese and Australian researchers catching and tagging birds and attaching geo-locators for satellite tracking.
- Birds were caught and tagged in Japan (Hokkaido island) and at several other sites in south-eastern Australia (including Port Fairy, Victoria); and in the ACT at Jerrabomberra Wetlands during 2016-17.
The ACT Government provided $25,000 to the ACT Woodlands and Wetlands Trust (Jerrabomberra Wetlands) to track three birds caught at Jerrabomberra Wetlands during the 2016-17 spring and summer.

The Trust also arranged a survey of Latham’s Snipe at Jerrabomberra Wetlands and other key sites across the ACT in partnership with Canberra Ornithologists Group, Friends of Jerrabomberra Wetlands, University of Canberra and the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme.

The aim of the project in the ACT is the help identify how many Latham’s Snipe visit the ACT and whether they are the same birds each year. Results will feed into the larger Latham’s Snipe project to increase knowledge of the birds population size, movement paths and habitat requirements. Initial survey results (August 2016 to March 2017) indicate that while in the ACT, the tracked Latham’s Snipe (3 birds) have been quite localised in their movements, remaining close to or nearby to Jerrabomberra Wetlands Reserve and other wetlands in urban open space nearby.
For further information see: https://jerrabomberrawetlands.org.au/2016/09/21/internationally-loved-lathams-snipe-is-making-its-way-to-australia/
What are the main threats to the ACT’s listed migratory species?
Overall, the major threat to listed migratory species worldwide and in Australia is direct and indirect habit loss due to land clearing, inundation, infilling and draining of wetlands. For shorebirds using the East Asian-Australasian Flyway during migration through eastern Asia, staging areas during migration are being lost though reclaiming of mudflats, particularly so in the Yellow Sea, where 40 percent of intertidal areas have been reclaimed. Human activities (e.g. fishing, aquaculture), increased water regulation intercepting water supply to freshwater wetlands and pollution are also threats .

Changes in sea level and temperature as s result of climate change are likely to have a long-term impact on the timing of breeding, the staging areas important as habitat during migration and on the non‑breeding grounds (i.e. the extent of coastal mudflats available) for migratory shorebirds.

Contact Us

Have questions or want to learn more about a project, contact us below:

Name	Project Team
Phone	13 22 81
Email	epsddcomms@act.gov.au
Website	www.environment.act.gov.au
In writing	GPO Box 158 Canberra, ACT 2600

Migratory species

Project status: Closed

Action plan for migratory birds

About the plan

Get involved

Good news story – the Latham’s Snipe