Migratory birds
Bird migration is when birds move between their breeding and winter homes. This usually occurs from north to south or from south to north. Migration can be dangerous because of predators and other risks.
Australia provides critical habitat for millions of migratory birds each year. The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) (EPBC Act) helps protect these migratory birds as a matter of national environmental significance.
27 migratory birds occurring in the ACT are listed under the EPBC Act. Thirteen of these are considered regular visitors and five are considered threatened under both the EPBC Act and Nature Conservation Act 2014. These include:
- Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea) as critically endangered
- Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia) as endangered
- Latham’s Snipe (Galligano hardwickii) as vulnerable
- Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Calidris acuminata) as vulnerable
- White-throated Needletail (Hirundapus caudacutus) as vulnerable.