Robbins Passage and Boullanger Bay Important Bird Area
Encyclopedia
The Robbins Passage and Boullanger Bay Important Bird Area is a 238 km2 tract of land at the western end of the north coast
of Tasmania
, south-eastern Australia
. It comprises extensive areas of intertidal mudflat
s and saltmarsh
with adjacent farmland. It is an important site for wader
s, or shorebirds.
, extending eastwards around Perkins Bay to North Point. It includes most of the Duck Bay, Lees Point, Perkins Island and West Inlet Conservation Areas, as well as the Petrel Islands. It is adjacent to the northern end of the North-west Tasmanian Coast Important Bird Area
in the west.
The Petrel Islands Group includes Big Stony
, Little Stony
, Big Sandy
and South West Petrel Island
s. They support breeding Short-tailed Shearwater
s and are heavily used for muttonbirding
.
as an Important Bird Area
(IBA) because it supports over 1% of the world populations of Red-necked Stint
s, Double-banded Plover
s, Pied
and Sooty Oystercatcher
s, and a population of Hooded Plover
s. The IBA is the most important site for waders in Tasmania, with over 25,000 birds using it in summer.
The saltmarsh and fringing farmland provide habitat for critically endangered
Orange-bellied Parrot
s on migration
, as well as Flame Robin
s and many of Tasmania’s endemic bird species. Significant numbers of Ruddy Turnstone
s and Far Eastern Curlew
s have been recorded. White-bellied Sea Eagle
s and Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle
s breed within the site. The IBA also supports some 242,000 breeding pairs of Short-tailed Shearwaters.
North West Coast
The North West Coast is a region of Tasmania on the north coast of Tasmania to the west of Port Sorell, Tasmania.It includes towns such as Devonport, Burnie, Penguin, Smithton, Stanley. The water to the north is called Bass Strait. The term Cradle Coast has also been in fashion for the last...
of Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, south-eastern 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 comprises extensive areas of intertidal mudflat
Mudflat
Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats, are coastal wetlands that form when mud is deposited by tides or rivers. They are found in sheltered areas such as bays, bayous, lagoons, and estuaries. Mudflats may be viewed geologically as exposed layers of bay mud, resulting from deposition of...
s and saltmarsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
with adjacent farmland. It is an important site for 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, or shorebirds.
Description
The site encompasses all the mudflats around Robbins IslandRobbins Island (Tasmania)
Robbins Island is an island located off the northwest coast of Tasmania separated by a highly tidal area otherwise known as Robbins Passage. It is the seventh largest island of Tasmania, with an area of , is the largest freehold island in Tasmania and lies south to adjacent Walker's Island...
, extending eastwards around Perkins Bay to North Point. It includes most of the Duck Bay, Lees Point, Perkins Island and West Inlet Conservation Areas, as well as the Petrel Islands. It is adjacent to the northern end of the North-west Tasmanian Coast Important Bird Area
North-west Tasmanian Coast Important Bird Area
The North-west Tasmanian Coast Important Bird Area comprises a 2438 km2 stretch of coastal and subcoastal land covering the northern section of the coast of western Tasmania, south-eastern Australia.-Description:...
in the west.
The Petrel Islands Group includes Big Stony
Big Stony Petrel Island
Big Stony Petrel Island is an island game reserve with an area of 7.2 ha, in south-eastern Australia. It is part of the Petrel Island Group, lying in Bass Strait close to Walker and Robbins Islands in north-west Tasmania.-Fauna:...
, Little Stony
Little Stony Petrel Island
Little Stony Petrel Island is an island game reserve with an area of 4 ha, in south-eastern Australia. It is part of the Petrel Island Group, lying in Bass Strait close to Walker and Robbins Islands in north-west Tasmania.-Fauna:...
, Big Sandy
Big Sandy Petrel Island
Big Sandy Petrel Island is an island game reserve with an area of 15.2 ha, in south-eastern Australia. It is part of the Petrel Island Group, lying in Bass Strait close to Walker and Robbins Islands in north-west Tasmania.-Fauna:...
and South West Petrel Island
South West Petrel Island
South West Petrel Island is an island game reserve with an area of 4 ha, in south-eastern Australia. It is part of the Petrel Island Group, lying in Bass Strait close to Walker and Robbins Islands in north-west Tasmania.-Fauna:...
s. They support breeding Short-tailed Shearwater
Short-tailed Shearwater
The Short-tailed Shearwater or Slender-billed Shearwater , also called Yolla or Moonbird, and commonly known as the muttonbird in Australia, is the most abundant seabird species in Australian waters, and is one of the few Australian native birds in which the chicks are commercially harvested...
s and are heavily used for muttonbirding
Muttonbirding
Muttonbirding is a seasonal harvesting activity, which may be recreational or commercial, of the chicks of petrels, especially shearwater species, for food, oil and feathers...
.
Birds
The site has 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 an 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 it supports over 1% of the world populations of Red-necked Stint
Red-necked Stint
The Red-necked Stint is a small migratory wader.- Description :These birds are among the smallest of waders, very similar to the Little Stint, Calidris minuta, with which they were once considered conspecific...
s, Double-banded Plover
Double-banded Plover
The Double-banded Plover , known as the Banded Dotterel in New Zealand, is a small wader in the plover family of birds. It lives in beaches, mud flats, grasslands and on bare ground...
s, Pied
Pied Oystercatcher
The Pied Oystercatcher, Haematopus longirostris, is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading bird native to Australia and commonly found on its coastline. The similar South Island Pied Oystercatcher The Pied Oystercatcher, Haematopus longirostris, is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading...
and Sooty Oystercatcher
Sooty Oystercatcher
The Sooty Oystercatcher, Haematopus fuliginosus, is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading bird native to Australia and commonly found on its coastline. It prefers rocky coastlines, but will occasionally live in estuaries....
s, and a population of Hooded Plover
Hooded Plover
The Hooded Dotterel or Hooded Plover is a species of bird in the Charadriidae family. It is endemic to southern Australia and Tasmania. There are two recognized subspecies, both of which are classifed as Endangered....
s. The IBA is the most important site for waders in Tasmania, with over 25,000 birds using it in summer.
The saltmarsh and fringing farmland provide habitat for critically endangered
Critically endangered
Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
Orange-bellied Parrot
Orange-bellied Parrot
The Orange-bellied Parrot is a small broad-tailed parrot endemic to southern Australia, and one of only two species of parrot which migrate. The adult male is distinguished by its bright grass-green upperparts, yellow underparts and orange belly patch. The adult female and juvenile are duller...
s on migration
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
, as well as Flame Robin
Flame Robin
The Flame Robin is a small passerine bird native to Australia. It is a moderately common resident of the coolest parts of south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Like the other two red-breasted Petroica robins—the Scarlet Robin and the Red-capped Robin—it is often simply but...
s and many of Tasmania’s endemic bird species. Significant numbers of Ruddy Turnstone
Ruddy Turnstone
The Ruddy Turnstone is a small wading bird, one of two species of turnstone in the genus Arenaria. It is now classified in the sandpiper family Scolopacidae but was formerly sometimes placed in the plover family Charadriidae...
s and Far Eastern Curlew
Far Eastern Curlew
The Far Eastern Curlew or Eastern Curlew is a large shorebird most similar in appearance to the Long-billed Curlew, but slightly larger. It is mostly brown in color, differentiated from other curlews by its plain, unpatterned brown underwing...
s have been recorded. White-bellied Sea Eagle
White-bellied Sea Eagle
The White-bellied Sea Eagle , also known as the White-breasted Sea Eagle, is a large diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Originally described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1788, it is closely related to Sanford's Sea Eagle of the Solomon Islands, and the two are considered a superspecies...
s and Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle
Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle
The Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle is an endangered bird of Tasmania. It is a subspecies of the more common Wedge-tailed Eagle.-Description:...
s breed within the site. The IBA also supports some 242,000 breeding pairs of Short-tailed Shearwaters.