Pittwater Online News

Watch out, Shorebirds are Permanently About and now building nests - With More Annual Visitors coming from this Month!! + CSIRO: We used tiny sensors in backpacks to discover the extraordinary ways birds migrate to find water

With residents spotting year round local birds gathering cobwebs and strips of fibre from plants this week, the signal that nesting and breeding season has begun with all manner of birds preparing places in Pittwater trees or nesting on our foreshores and in the sand dunes. 

Many of these species are listed in NSW and Australia as Endangered or Vulnerable - the Sooty Oystercatcher Haematopus fuliginosus, for example, photographed feeding and then taking to flight at he rockpool at south Palm Beach during Jack McCoys paddle out on July 5th 2025. 

Like the Pied Oystercatcher (NSW listing; Endangered), the Sooty Oystercatcher (NSW listing; Vulnerable) has a bright orange-red bill, eye-ring and iris, and coral pink legs and feet. However, the Sooty Oystercatcher has entirely black plumage. Sexes are separable when together, with the female having a longer, more slender bill. The call is similar to the Pied Oystercatcher's, although sharper and more piercing. They give a loud whistling call before taking flight, and a piercing call if an intruder approaches the nest.

They favour rocky headlands, rocky shelves, exposed reefs with rock pools, beaches and muddy estuaries. They eat on exposed rock at low tide foraging for foods such as limpets and mussels.

Sooty Oystercatcher pair at North Narrabeen rockshelf during the Summer of 2013

10 Sooty Oystercatchers, Haematopus fuliginosus, at North Narrabeen Beach Rock Pool during September 2021 - breeding season! Photo by Margaret Woods

The Sooty Oystercatcher breeds in Spring and Summer. The nest is a shallow scrape on the ground, or small mounds of pebbles, shells or seaweed when nesting among rocks.

This is among a number of birds that live year round and have brought up families at Palm Beach, on the rocks at the south end, in the dunes at the north end, and throughout Barrenjoey Headlands. 

At Palm Beach, Pittwater, New South Wales - e-bird species recorded lists by experienced birders shows 32 species listed just this year (2025) and 70 species overall:

1. Topknot Pigeon Lopholaimus antarcticus 
2. Square-tailed Kite Lophoictinia isura 
3. White-bellied Sea-Eagle Icthyophaga leucogaster
4.  Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae
5. Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita
6. Australian King-Parrot Alisterus scapularis
7. Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus moluccanus
8. Noisy Miner Manorina melanocephala
9. Red Wattlebird Anthochaera carunculata
10. White-cheeked Honeyeater Phylidonyris niger
11. White-browed Scrubwren Sericornis frontalis
12. Gray Butcherbird Cracticus torquatus
13. Australian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen
14. Pied Currawong Strepera graculina
15. Tree Martin Petrochelidon nigricans
16. Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles
17. Australasian Gannet Morus serrator
18. Nankeen Kestrel Falco cenchroides
19. Little Wattlebird Anthochaera chrysoptera
20. New Holland Honeyeater Phylidonyris novaehollandiae
21. Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena
22. Australian Brushturkey Alectura lathami
23. Silver Gull Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae
24. Great Crested Tern Thalasseus bergii
25. Osprey Pandion haliaetus
26. Australian Raven Corvus coronoides
27. Little Black Cormorant Phalacrocorax sulcirostris
28. Little Penguin Eudyptula minor
29. Little Pied Cormorant Microcarbo melanoleucos
30. White-throated Needletail Hirundapus caudacutus (Count: 80)
31. Australasian Figbird Sphecotheres vieilloti
32. Variegated Fairywren Malurus lamberti 
33. Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus

The count of 80 White-throated Needletail Hirundapus caudacutus, recorded on January 13 2025, is interesting as this is a migratory bird, breeding in Central Asia and southern Siberia, and wintering south in the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia and Australia. They build their nests in rock crevices in cliffs and trees.

White-throated Needletail Hirundapus caudacutus. Photo: J J Harrison, taken 10 February 2023

White-throated Needletails arrive in Australia from their breeding grounds in the northern hemisphere in about October each year and leave somewhere between May and August.

Also on their way are a host of birds that fly here each August to escape the northern Winter and fatten up over the Australian Spring and Summer before heading back to their breeding grounds.

Sadly, on July 25 2025, the NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee, determined five of these shore birds are eligible for listing as threatened species and now vulnerable to extinction: the grey plover Pluvialis squatarola, black-tailed godwit Limosa limosa, ruddy turnstone Arenaria interpres, sharp-tailed sandpiper Calidris acuminata, and red knot Calidris canutus. Among the reasons listed for the change was at least one easily addressed problem - dogs offleash chasing them from their feeding and resting grounds.

Careel Bay, located in Pittwater, New South Wales, is an important site on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway for migratory shorebirds. These birds, including species like the Eastern Curlew, Whimbrel, and Bar-tailed Godwit, rely on Careel Bay as a stopover and feeding ground during their migrations. Australia is a signatory to several international agreements, such as the Japan-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (JAMBA) and the China-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (CAMBA), which aim to protect these birds and their habitats. 

Eastern Curlew at Careel Bay foreshore - The Eastern Curlew is listed as critically endangered under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. This species breeds in northern China and Russia during March – August and returns to Australia to feed during summer.

Careel Bay's significance lies in its estuarine wetlands, which include mangroves, saltmarsh, seagrass beds, and mudflats, providing diverse habitats for various bird species. The bay also serves as a transitional zone and is home to several plant species at their northern or southern limits, making it regionally significant. 

However, the July 2025 Determinations from the NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee show several of these birds, arriving from August onwards, need our help as we see the shifts from the end of Winter to Spring and the coming Summer.

To that end, a lovely reminder of the many species that call Pittwater home that are either year round residents like us, and currently making nests for this Springs' bird bubs, or on their way to rest in a safe secure place nd have a good long feed.

signage at Careel Bay, Pittwater - a place for shorebirds

This Issue a few notes on these other residents and visitors of Pittwater and the peninsula. BirdLife Australia's Shorebirds pamphlets for youngsters and Birders is at the base of the page so you may download these for the next time you're out and about.

Dusky Moorhen, Gallinula tenebrosa, nesting in Warriewood Wetlands, October 2020 - photo by Joe Mills

The Dusky Moorhen, during breeding season, forms breeding groups of two to seven birds, with all members defending territory, building nests and looking after young. The shallow platform nests are made of reeds and other water plants over water, among reeds or on floating platforms in open water.

Narrabeen's Black Swans form isolated pairs or small colonies in shallow wetlands. Birds pair for life, with both adults raising one brood per season. The eggs are laid in an untidy nest made of reeds and grasses. The nest is placed either on a small island or floated in deeper water. The chicks are covered in grey down, and are able to swim and feed themselves as soon as they hatch but of course, when they come ashore, they too are unable to fly until grown.

The other birds on the ground you are likely to see each year are the ducklings of Australian Wood Ducks, the Pacific Black duck, Chestnut Teal, Grey Teal, Maned Duck or Australasian swamphen - they can't fly either until they are grown and need us to keep an eye out for them.

A family of Australian wood Ducks at Avalon Beach - photo by Peta Wise.

Shorebirds are the five species of Australian shorebirds and one Australian seabird which nest only or usually on the beach:

• Pied Oystercatcher
• Sooty Oystercatcher
• Beach Stone-curlew
• Red-capped Plover
• Hooded Plover
• Fairy Tern

"Because beach-nesting birds have such poor breeding success, their numbers are declining and it won't be long before they become extinct. They are in desperate need of a helping hand" BirdLife Australia states.

We tend to think of beaches being covered in clean white sand, but not all beaches are sandy. Beach-nesting birds live on many different types of beaches. Sooty Oystercatchers prefer rocky coasts, where they search for food among the rocks. These are seen at North Narrabeen and Long Reef regularly;

The Sooty Oystercatchers, Haematopus fuliginosus, a Seabird classified among Australia’s Shore birds and waders species, and are a black shorebird with a long red bill, red eye and pink legs. Young birds are duller and browner. It is often seen with the similar Pied Oystercatcher and they are Australia’s only all-black seabird and is found only found in coastal areas. The Sooty Oystercatcher is strictly coastal, usually within 50 m of the ocean. It prefers rocky shores, but will be seen on coral reefs or sandy beaches near mudflats.

Pied Oystercatchers are more likely to be seen on sandy beaches where there are a few rocks about as well. These too have been spotted at Long Reef as well.

Beach Stone-curlews usually live on sheltered beaches with muddy sand and mangroves growing nearby - Careel Bay has been a home to them. Red-capped Plovers are often seen on sheltered muddy shores, but they also occur on sandy ones, and are abundant around wetlands, both saline and freshwater.

Hooded Plovers (in their eastern range) only occur on sandy beaches that are exposed to the ocean swells and backed by sand dunes; of course, these beaches are where most people choose to go. Beach-nesting birds, including Hooded Plovers, lay their eggs directly on the sand in a simple, shallow nest scrape. The nest can be anywhere above the high-tide mark, on the beach or in the dunes. Some other beach-nesting species, particularly oystercatchers, may also nest in rocky areas

A few of the others seen/recorded here during the past weeks throughout Pittwater and surrounds:

• Stone Curlews 
• Eastern Curlew, critically endangered 
• Beach thick-knee
• Dotterels 
• Pied Stilt
• Pied Oystercatcher
• Grey Plover
• Pacific golden Plover
• Lesser Sand Plover
• Greater Sand Plover
• Red-capped Plover 
• Black-fronted Dotteral
• Whimbrel
• Far Eastern Curlew
• Bar-tailed Godwit
• Ruddy Tunstone
• Sharp-tailed sandpiper
• Red-necked Stint
• Sanderling
• Grey-tailed Tattler
• Wandering Tattler
• Pomarine Skau
• Pacific Gull
• Brown Noddy
• Black Noddy
• Sooty Tern
• Little Tern
• Caspian Tern
• White-fronted Tern
• Great Crested Tern
• Red-tailed Tropicbird
• Little Penguin (fairy penguin)
• Yellow- nosed Albatross
• White-capped Albatross
• Black-browed Albatross
• Flesh-footed Shearwater
• Wedge-tailed Shearwater

Shearwaters lay only a single egg in burrows and rock crevices or less commonly, under grass, bushes or sometimes in the open. Many species will spend the day feeding out at sea and only return to their nests at night. That's why it's important we tread carefully when going into their areas.

The above is just part of the list retrieved from Long Reef records: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L928252/media 

Here are some tips to help ensure beach-nesting birds are able to successfully fledge their young:

1. Respect posted areas, even if you don't see birds inside them. Birds, eggs and nests are well-camouflaged among beach habitat, and disturbance by people can cause the abandonment of a nest.
2. Give nesting birds a wide berth
3. When fishing, be sure not to leave any equipment behind. Always dispose of fishing line and tackle appropriately.
4. Avoid disturbing groups of birds. If birds take flight or appear agitated, you are too close.
5. Refrain from walking dogs or allowing cats to roam freely on beaches. Even on a leash, dogs are perceived as predators by nesting birds, sometimes causing adults to abandon nests if disturbed, which leads to the loss of their chicks.
6. Don't let pets off boats onto posted islands or beaches around Pittwater - especially the National Park.
7. Do not bury or leave rubbish, picnic leftovers, charcoal or fish scraps on the beach. They attract predators of chicks and eggs.
8. Beach-nesting birds sometimes nest outside of posted areas.  If you notice birds circling noisily over your head, you may be near a nest.  Leave quietly, and enjoy observing from a distance. 
9. Remember you are a visitor in their home and enjoy seeing them but conduct yourself as a good guest; be polite, don't make a mess, and while you don't have to thank them for having you over, perhaps give a thank you to the structures and people that protect these places for birds

Among The Grasses And Fields

Buff Banded Rails

Their nests are usually situated in dense grassy or reedy vegetation close to water, with a clutch size of 3-4. 

The Buff-banded Rail (Gallirallus philippensis) is a distinctively coloured, highly dispersive, medium-sized rail of the family Rallidae. This species comprises several subspecies found throughout much of Australasia and the south-west Pacific region, including the Philippines(where it is known as Tikling), New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand (where it is known as the Banded Rail or Moho-pereru in Māori)

They feed on snails, crabs, spiders, beetles and worms, feeding at dawn, dusk and after high tide. They can run at great speed but seldom take to flight.

The mum. 

The dad. Photos: A J Guesdon

Masked Lapwing (plover) 

 Masked Lapwing Plover - photo by A J Guesdon

The Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles; name from the Latin for soldier and refers to the spurs, which give an armed appearance), previously known as the Masked Plover and often called the Spur-winged Plover or just Plover in its native range, is a large, common and conspicuous bird native to Australia. Its Aboriginal name: ‘baaldarradharra’. 

This species is the largest representative of the family Charadriidae, at 35 cm (14 in) and 370 g (13 oz). The subspecies found in the southern and eastern states (Vanellus miles novaehollandiae), and often locally called the Spur-winged Plover, has a black neck-stripe and smaller wattles. 

Masked Lapwings are most common around the edges of wetlands and in other moist, open environments, but are adaptable and can often be found in surprisingly arid areas. They can also be found on beaches and coastlines.

They make their nest in little hollows on the ground. The nesting pair defends their territory against all intruders by calling loudly, spreading their wings, and then swooping fast and low, and where necessary striking at interlopers with their feet and attacking animals on the ground with a conspicuous yellow spur on the carpal joint of the wing.

The bird may also use tactics such as fiercely protecting a non-existent nest, or a distraction display of hopping on a single leg, to attract a potential predator's attention to itself and away from its real nest or its chicks after they have commenced foraging. There seems to be some significant use of language to guide chicks during a perceived dangerous situation. Long calls seem to tell the chicks to come closer to the calling bird; a single chirp every few seconds to ask them to move away. 

There is a much-believed but incorrect myth that the spur can inject venom. The myth may have been based on fear of the Masked Lapwing's territorial behaviour. Attacks are most vicious on other birds such as ravens, and also on cats and dogs, but once the chicks reach 60% of full size after 2–3 months, the chances of this happening decrease. Strikes are much rarer on humans since they are more aware. Sometimes the bird can damage its wing in a strike but usually survives and is flightless until the wing heals. 

Photos: Young birds crouch and lie still when threatened - photo by Amos T Fairchild + A nest in m the grass at Mona Vale - photo by Margaret Woods

Painted Button-quail

The female builds a domed nest of leaves, sticks and grasses beneath a tussock of grass, or at the foot of a rock or sapling, and lays 3-4 eggs at a 2-3 day laying interval between each egg. The male incubates the eggs once the clutch is complete, and all the eggs hatch at the same time. The chicks leave the nest immediately and are only fed by the male for 7-10 days. The chicks can fly 10 days after leaving the nest. The painted buttonquail is about 19 to 20 cm (7.5 to 7.9 in) long. It is a ground-dwelling bird and is found in grassy forests and woodlands. It feeds on insects and seeds. Often the first sign that a Painted Button-quail is present in a dry, open forest is not a sighting of the bird, nor hearing its call, but a shallow depression of bare soil among the leaf litter. These bare patches, round and about 15 centimetres across, are called platelets or 'soup-plates'. Painted Button-quails forage for seeds and insects on the ground by spinning about on alternate legs to expose items of food among the leaves and on the soil surface, and it is this action that forms the platelets.

A Painted Button-quail rescued in Elanora Heights - photo by Lynleigh Greig

Painted Button Quail are active during the early evening from dusk on, at night and early morning, feeding on the ground. They are usually seen in pairs or small family parties, searching for seeds, fruit, leaves and insects. 

Brush Turkeys

Brush- turkeys or Bush Turkeys (Alectura lathami) as they are sometimes called, belong to the megapodes family, meaning that they are incubator birds or mound-builders, and build large nests in which to incubate their eggs; the heat generated, like in compost bins, from these mounds of leaves is what incubates the eggs. The males build the nests.

Brush/Bush Turkey nest at Irrawong Falls, Warriewood/Ingleside, July 7th, 2021 - photo by Joe Mills

Their name megapode literally means "large foot" (Greek: mega = large, poda = foot), and is a reference to the heavy legs and feet typical of these terrestrial birds. Several females will lay their eggs in the one mound (up to 30 eggs can be there although the average is 18-24) and the chicks are unusual among birds as they will hatch fully feathered and be able to fly within a few hours – a good thing as these birds are ground dwellers or not predisposed to flying for long times, although they can. They are able to run fast and jump over fences quite easily. Lyre birds are also ground dwellers.

A young Brush-turkey that was scratching around in a backyard at Careel Bay - this 'troop' seem to come through this garden generation after generation and have done so for decades

One of the parents pausing long enough to say 'good morning!'

Lyrebirds

There are 2 species in the family of lyrebirds - the superb lyrebird and the Albert's lyrebird. It is the superb lyrebird which gives the family its name. Its spectacular tail of fanned feathers, when spread out in display, looks like a lyre (a musical instrument of ancient Greece).

The male superb lyrebird is 80-100 centimetres long, including his 55-centimetre-long tail. He is dark brown on the upper part of his body and lighter brown below, with red-brown markings on his throat. His tail feathers are dark brown above and silver-grey below.

Lyrebird at Irrawong Falls, Warriewood - these are also seen/heard from West Pittwater to Whale/Palm Beach

Females of the species are smaller than the males, with similar colouring but without the lyre-shaped tail. The females' tail feathers are broadly webbed with reddish markings. Young male superb lyrebirds do not grow their lyre tails until they are three or four years old. Until this time, they usually group together and are known as 'plain-tails'.

The Albert's lyrebird is similar in appearance to the superb lyrebird, but is smaller and darker, with a rich chestnut colour. The male does not have the outer lyre-shaped tail feathers of the superb lyrebird. The Albert's lyrebird is listed as vulnerable in NSW.

The display period for both species is from May to August, with breeding occurring mainly in June and July. Females are attracted to the mound by the male's display and song. Male birds will mate with several females, and although they appear to know where the nests are, they take no part in building them or incubating and feeding the young.

The female builds a dome-shaped nest of sticks, which can be on the ground, on rocks, within tree stumps, or in tree ferns and caves. The nest is lined with ferns, feathers, moss and rootlets. Usually, only 1 egg is laid, which hatches in around 6 weeks. The young lyrebird remains in the nest for 6 to 10 weeks.

Lyrebirds are very shy birds. When threatened, they escape by running and dodging rapidly through the undergrowth emitting high-pitched shrieks of alarm. With their short, round, weakly-muscled wings they too are one of our ground-nesting birds that rarely fly. However, their wings allow them to jump onto tree branches or rocks - and then glide back down to the forest floor.

Among our trees

Dollarbirds

The origin of the Dollardbird's name stems from the silvery, circular patches on the underside of the wings, thought to resemble the American silver dollar coin. The Dollarbird, Eurystomus orientalis, is the sole Australian representative of the Roller family, so named because of their rolling courtship display flight. The Dollarbird visits Australia each year to breed. It has mostly dark brown upperparts, washed heavily with blue-green on the back and wing coverts. The breast is brown, while the belly and undertail coverts are light, and the throat and undertail glossed with bright blue. The flight feathers of the wing and tail are dark blue. The short, thick-set bill is orange-red, tipped with black. In flight, the pale blue coin-shaped patches towards the tips of its wings, that gave the bird its name, are clearly visible. Both sexes are similar, although the female is slightly duller. Young Dollarbirds are duller than the adults and lack the bright blue gloss on the throat. The bill and feet are brownish in colour instead of red. The distinctive, harsh 'kak-kak-kak' call is repeated several times, and is often given in flight.

The Dollarbird arrives in northern and eastern Australia in September each year to breed. In March or April the birds return to New Guinea and adjacent islands to spend their winter. When in Australia they will inhabit open wooded areas, normally with mature, hollow-bearing trees suitable for nesting or alongside our creeks and waterways where their food, mainly flying insects, is also in abundance at this time of year. During their breeding season pairs of Dollarbirds are often seen flying in characteristic rolling flights. These flights are more common in the evening, and are accompanied by cackling calls. The white eggs are laid in an unlined tree hollow and are incubated by both adults. The young birds are also cared for by both parents. The same nesting site may be used for several years.

The Anula tribe of Northern Australia associate the dollar-bird with rain, and call it the rain-bird. A man who has the bird for his totem can make rain at a certain pool. He catches a snake, puts it alive into the pool, and after holding it under water for a time takes it out, kills it, and lays it down by the side of the creek. Then he makes an arched bundle of grass stalks in imitation of a rainbow, and sets it up over the snake. After that all he does is to sing over the snake and the mimic rainbow; sooner or later the rain will fall. They explain this procedure by saying that long ago the dollar-bird had as a mate at this spot a snake, who lived in the pool and used to make rain by spitting up into the sky till a rainbow and clouds appeared and rain fell. From  Sir James George Frazer (1854–1941).  The Golden Bough.  1922. Ch. 2. The Magical Control of Rain.

NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee final determinations for July 2025: 6 new species Now Critically Endangered or Vulnerable to Extinction -an orchid + the grey plover, black-tailed godwit, ruddy turnstone, sharp-tailed sandpiper, red knot 

July 25, 2025

Six species have been listed as a threatened species.

The NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee assesses which species are eligible for listing as threatened species.

The orchid Caladenia callitrophila, grey plover Pluvialis squatarola, black-tailed godwit Limosa limosa, ruddy turnstone Arenaria interpres, sharp-tailed sandpiper Calidris acuminata, and red knot Calidris canutus have been listed as threatened species.

NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee final determination for the grey plover Pluvialis squatarola

The grey plover Pluvialis squatarola has been listed as a vulnerable to extinction species.

The grey plover is a migratory shorebird and a regular migrant to Australia during the austral summer non-breeding season. The species has been recorded throughout all states around Australia, but is primarily found along the west and south coasts, with smaller numbers visiting the east coast including New South Wales each year.

The grey plover, Pluvialis squatarola (Linnaeus, 1758) was found to be Vulnerable to Extinction because of a population reduction of up to 44% in  the number of mature individuals has been estimated over a three-generation timeframe. 

Data suggests that most grey plovers wintering in Australia originate from Siberian breeding grounds located east of the Lena River, with NSW and more broadly south-eastern Australia mainly supporting birds which breed on Wrangel Island (Minton and Serra 2001). Migrating birds arrive in northern Australia between August and October (Noske and Brennan 2002). Many continue their migration south throughout October (Lane 1987; Marchant and Higgins 1993). Some of these southerly movements are overland, though others move southwards by following the coast (Marchant and Higgins 1993). The species usually arrives at sites along the south coast between October and November.

The main threat to the grey plover in NSW and Australia is habitat loss and disturbance at feeding and roosting sites, particularly disturbances from human recreation and off-leash dogs. 

More information on the species can be found in the Committees' reasons for final determination: Pluvialis squatorola.

Grey plover (Pluvialis squatarola). Image Credit: Al Badush/Creative Commons licence

NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee final determination for the black-tailed godwit Limosa limosa

The black-tailed godwit Limosa limosa has been listed as an endangered species.

The black-tailed godwit is a migratory species. During the austral summer non-breeding season, black-tailed godwits are found in all states and territories of Australia. The species was widespread around Australian coastlines and occasionally occurs inland.

The black-tailed godwit Limosa limosa (Linnaeus, 1758) was found to be Endangered with Extinction in accordance with the following provisions in the Biodiversity Conservation Regulation 2017: Clause 4.2(1 b)(2 b) because: (1) the species has undergone a severe reduction in population size of 52–77.5% over a three-generation timespan.

Black-tailed godwits are primarily a coastal species. They are usually found in sheltered bays, estuaries, and lagoons with large intertidal mudflats and/or sandflats. Wetland loss and degradation, and the subsequent loss of feeding and roosting habitat for the black-tailed godwit in Australia has occurred mainly due to competing land uses and ignorance of the values of wetlands. Due to the distribution of the human population, estuaries and permanent wetlands of the coastal lowlands have experienced most losses due to development.

Additional threats include clearing areas of saltmarsh for solar salt production; damage to wetland areas by rubbish dumping, storm water draining, as well as run-off from urban areas, which alters the natural salinity regime of wetland areas (Geoscience Australia 2021). The increasing requirement for residential housing and urban and coastal infrastructure is also causing the draining and filling of wetlands throughout the EAAF, affecting the black-tailed godwit’s ability to rest and feed en route to breeding and non-breeding areas. 

Freshwater Wetlands on Coastal Floodplains of the New South Wales North Coast, Sydney Basin and South East Corner Bioregions, which provides important habitat for the black-tailed godwit in NSW, is listed as an Endangered Ecological Community in NSW. 

The population decline of the black-tailed godwit is also thought to be due to changes to the species’ coastal stopover locations within the EAAF, particularly along the coast of the Yellow Sea. Rapid development for aquaculture, industry, and rapidly increasing human populations are a major driver of these changes. The degradation and loss of stopover locations is amplified by the invasion of cordgrass  (Spartina alterniflora) and by excessive domestic, industrial, and aquaculture discharges.

The main threat to this species in NSW and Australia is habitat loss and disturbance at feeding and roosting sites, particularly disturbances from human recreation and off-leash dogs. 

More information on the species can be found in the Committees' reasons for final determination: Limosa limosa

Black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa) flock. Image Credit: Wayne Reynolds/DCCEEW

NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee final determination for the ruddy turnstone Arenaria interpres

The ruddy turnstone Arenaria interpres has been listed as a vulnerable to extinction species.

The ruddy turnstone is a migratory shorebird that was widespread within Australia during the austral summer non-breeding season, occurring around coastlines and occasionally inland.

The main reason for this species being eligible for listing in the Vulnerable category is the moderate population reduction estimated at 26-72% that has occurred over three generations, and the causes of the decline are not fully understood. This species is assessed only on the basis of its extinction risk in Australia because that scale is appropriate to the biology of the taxon due to its annual migratory movements into, and within Australia. 

The ruddy turnstone is widespread within Australia during the austral summer non-breeding season (Bamford et al. 2008), occurring around coastlines and occasionally inland.

In Australia including in New South Wales (NSW), ruddy turnstones typically roost along platforms and shelves of rock, shingle, or gravel beaches, often with shallow tidal pools nearby - Long Reef for example. They strongly prefer rocky shores or beaches where there are large deposits of rotting seaweed. 

Feeding takes place over the whole tidal range, however, most populations of the ruddy turnstone will likely spend disproportionate amounts of time foraging on the upper tidal flats (Wu and Wilcove 2020). Ruddy turnstones are  carnivorous, feeding primarily on insects, worms, crustaceans, molluscs, and spiders (Higgins and Davies 1996). Feeding is both diurnal and nocturnal. They  have also been occasionally recorded feeding on eggs and carrion. During the non-breeding season, their main or only food source is maggots obtained from rotting  seaweed and the larvae of sandhoppers obtained from the top of sandy beaches, where rotting seaweed is buried under a thin layer of sand (Clemens et al. 2021).  The species forages specifically within decomposing rather than fresh kelp.

The main threat to this species in NSW and Australia is habitat loss and disturbance at feeding and roosting sites, particularly disturbances from human recreation and off-leash dogs

More information on the species can be found in the Committees' reasons for final determination: Arenaria interpres

Ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres) at Lake Wollumboola NSW. Image Credit: Gavin Phillips/DCCEEW

NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee final determination for the sharp-tailed sandpiper Calidris acuminata

The sharp-tailed sandpiper Calidris acuminata has been listed as a vulnerable to extinction species.

The sharp-tailed sandpiper is a migratory shorebird. During the austral summer non-breeding season, the sharp-tailed sandpiper occurs within all states of Australia. They are found mostly in the southeast and were widespread in both inland and coastal locations. The species also occurs in both freshwater and saline habitats.

The main reason for this species being eligible for listing in the Vulnerable to Extinction category is the population reduction estimated at 24-60% that has occurred over a three-generation timespan of circa 15 years.  This species is assessed only on the basis of its extinction risk in Australia because that scale is appropriate to the biology of the taxon due to its annual migratory movements into, and within Australia. During the non-breeding season, approximately 91% of the East Asian - Australasian population of sharp-tailed sandpipers occurs in Australia and New Zealand.  Small numbers arrive in Australia during mid-August, with larger numbers arriving in early September. The main threat to the sharp-tailed sandpiper in Australia and New South Wales (NSW) is the increasing frequency and severity of drought (Clemens 2017), which is predicted to be amplified by climate change (Evans et al. 2017). Habitat loss caused by residential and commercial development, and industrial aquaculture are also threats to the species.

More information on the species can be found in the Committees' reasons for final determination: Calidris acuminata

Sharp-tailed sandpiper (Calidris acuminata) in the Macquarie Marshes NSW. Image Credit: Nicola Brookhouse/DCCEEW

NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee final determination for the red knot Calidris canutus

The red knot Calidris canutus has been listed as a vulnerable to extinction species.

The red knot is a migratory shorebird and a regular migrant to Australia during the austral summer non-breeding season and are widespread around the Australian coast at this time. In New South Wales, it is recorded in some major river estuaries and sheltered embayments along the coast, particularly in the Hunter River estuary.

The main reason for this species being eligible for listing in the Vulnerable to Extinction category is the population reduction suspected to be between 31-61% that has occurred over a three-generation timespan. The causes of this reduction are not fully understood.  This species is assessed only on the basis of its extinction risk in Australia because that scale is appropriate to the biology of the taxon due to its annual migratory movements into, and within Australia. 

More information on the species can be found in the Committees' reasons for final determination: Calidris canutus

Red knot (Calidris canutus). Image Credit: Lachlan Copeland/DCCEEW