Griffith Wetlands Important Bird Area
Encyclopedia
The Griffith Wetlands Important Bird Area is a group of wetland
s lying close to the Riverina
town of Griffith
in southern New South Wales
, Australia
. It lies within the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area
.
are used for water storage; they contain an area of cumbungi
. Nericon Swamp is a shallow swamp usually dry enough to be grazed by cattle, though it sometimes fills from local rains when it supports large numbers of wader
s. Barren Box Swamp was originally an ephemeral swamp; it has been divided into three parts, with 60% of it remaining a natural wetland which holds water only in wet years; the other 40% is used for water storage and recycling, with reed bed
s and grazed margins. Campbell's Swamp is a black box
-lignum
swamp containing extensive open areas punctuated by stands of reed
s and cumbungi; it fills occasionally from local rainfall or with water released from the irrigation system.
as a fragmented 38 km2 Important Bird Area
(IBA) because they regularly support small numbers of the endangered Australasian Bittern
as well as occasionally supporting over 1% of the world populations of Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
s, Red-necked Avocet
s and Chestnut Teal
s.
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s lying close to the Riverina
Riverina
The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales , Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This combination has allowed the Riverina to develop...
town of Griffith
Griffith, New South Wales
Griffith is a city in south-western New South Wales, Australia. It is also the seat of the City of Griffith local government area. Like the Australian capital, Canberra and the nearby town of Leeton, Griffith was designed by Walter Burley Griffin. Griffith was named after Sir Arthur Griffith the...
in southern New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It lies within the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area
Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area
The Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area is geographically located within the Riverina area of New South Wales was created to control and divert the flow of local river and creek systems for the purpose of food production...
.
Description
North and South Lake WyanganLake Wyangan
Lake Wyangan is a recreational lake located immediately to the northwest of the town of Griffith in New South Wales, Australia. The lake was formed in 1950 and is surrounded by many orchards. It was formed with the remnants of a gypsum mine and also there was a natural swamp at the location as...
are used for water storage; they contain an area of cumbungi
Typha
Typha is a genus of about eleven species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Typhaceae. The genus has a largely Northern Hemisphere distribution, but is essentially cosmopolitan, being found in a variety of wetland habitats...
. Nericon Swamp is a shallow swamp usually dry enough to be grazed by cattle, though it sometimes fills from local rains when it supports large numbers of wader
Wader
Waders, called shorebirds in North America , are members of the order Charadriiformes, excluding the more marine web-footed seabird groups. The latter are the skuas , gulls , terns , skimmers , and auks...
s. Barren Box Swamp was originally an ephemeral swamp; it has been divided into three parts, with 60% of it remaining a natural wetland which holds water only in wet years; the other 40% is used for water storage and recycling, with reed bed
Reed bed
Reed beds are natural habitats found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions andestuaries. Reed beds are part of a succession from young reed colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground...
s and grazed margins. Campbell's Swamp is a black box
Eucalyptus largiflorens
Eucalyptus largiflorens, or Black Box, is a species of Eucalyptus which is endemic to Australia. It is a tree grows up to 20 metres in height...
-lignum
Muehlenbeckia florulenta
Muehlenbeckia florulenta, commonly known as Tangled Lignum or often simply Lignum, is a plant native to inland Australia. It is associated with wetland habitats, especially those in arid and semiarid regions subject to cycles of intermittent flooding and drying out...
swamp containing extensive open areas punctuated by stands of reed
Phragmites
Phragmites, the Common reed, is a large perennial grass found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Phragmites australis is sometimes regarded as the sole species of the genus Phragmites, though some botanists divide Phragmites australis into three or four species...
s and cumbungi; it fills occasionally from local rainfall or with water released from the irrigation system.
Birds
Together, the wetlands have been identified by BirdLife InternationalBirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...
as a fragmented 38 km2 Important Bird Area
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird Area is an area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Currently there are about 10,000 IBAs worldwide. The program was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International...
(IBA) because they regularly support small numbers of the endangered Australasian Bittern
Australasian Bittern
The Australasian Bittern , also known as the Brown Bittern, is found in south-western and south-eastern Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, New Caledonia and Ouvea. Populations in Australia and New Zealand have declined in the 20th century.It is a large bittern, patterned and streaked brown, buff...
as well as occasionally supporting over 1% of the world populations of Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Calidris acuminata is a small wader.- Taxonomy :More recently, a review of new data has indicated that this bird should perhaps better be placed into the genus Philomachus- as P...
s, Red-necked Avocet
Red-necked Avocet
The Red-necked Avocet is a water bird found throughout Australia, except for the northern parts of the Northern Territory....
s and Chestnut Teal
Chestnut Teal
The Chestnut Teal is a dabbling duck found in southern Australia. It is protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974.-Description:The Chestnut Teal is darker and a slightly bigger bird than the Grey Teal....
s.