Rushworth Box-Ironbark Region Explained

The Rushworth Box-Ironbark Region is a 510 km2 fragmented and irregularly shaped tract of land that encompasses all the box–ironbark forest and woodland remnants used as winter feeding habitat by endangered swift parrots in the Rushworth-Heathcote region of central Victoria, south-eastern Australia. It lies north of, and partly adjacent to, the Puckapunyal Important Bird Area (IBA).

The site was identified by BirdLife International as an IBA and includes the Heathcote-Graytown National Park, several nature reserves and state forests, with a few small blocks of private land. It excludes other areas of woodland that are less suitable for the parrots.[1]

Birds

The region was identified as an IBA because, when the flowering conditions are suitable it supports up to about 70 non-breeding swift parrots. It is also home to small populations of diamond firetails and non-breeding flame robins.[2]

Other woodland birds recorded from the IBA include brown treecreepers, speckled warblers, hooded robins, grey-crowned babblers, crested bellbirds and Gilbert's whistlers, with bush stone-curlews, migrant black honeyeaters and pink robins seen occasionally.[1]

References

-36.7492°N 144.9061°W

Notes and References

  1. BirdLife International. (2011). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Rushworth Box-Ironbark Region. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2011-10-01.
  2. Web site: IBA: Rushworth Box-Ironbark Region . 2011-10-01 . Birdata . Birds Australia .