OBP Habitat - Birds Australia

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Orange-bellied Parrot

OBP Habitat

Population and range

The entire population of the critically endangered Orange-bellied Parrot (OBP) stands at around 150 individuals, making it one of Australia's rarest bird species. One of only three migratory parrots in the world, the OBP breeds in remote south-western Tasmania and winters in coastal south-eastern mainland Australia, usually between The Coorong, South Australia, and Jack Smith Lake in Gippsland, Victoria.

OBPs arrive on the mainland from as early as February, but usually during early April. Most 'early' records (February-April) are from Victoria, and birds are not usually detected in South Australia until later, usually from late April-May. However, it should be considered that much of the South Australian coast is remote and less frequently accessed and surveyed for OBPs. Over the course of winter, the dispersal patterns of the OBP are poorly understood. They remain for varying durations at different locations, largely dictated by the availability of food resources. The birds appear to be particularly erratic and highly-mobile in SA. By late September-October, OBPs commence their departure from the mainland. Some birds are still recorded in Victoria as late as early November but the return migration to Tasmania is rapid and most birds will have returned and be ready to commence breeding by mid-November.

Habitats

Whilst on the mainland, OBPs are found mostly within 3 km of the coast. In Victoria, they use sheltered coastal areas such as bays, estuaries and lagoons. Some of the known key OBP areas include sites along the western shores of Port Phillip Bay (e.g. Western Treatment Plant, Spit Nature Reserve), the Bellarine Peninsula (e.g. Lake Connewarre, Swan Island, Duck Island, fringe of Swan Bay) and south-west Victoria (e.g. near Rutledge’s Cutting, Lake Yambuk). Other sites known to occasionally support OBPs include French Island, the fringes of Westernport, and the fringes of Corner Inlet and several islands within. At these sites, they rely on coastal saltmarsh vegetation as their primary foraging habitat. These communities support many of the known key food plants such as Beaded Glasswort Sarcocornia quinqeflora, Shrubby Glasswort Sclerostegia arbuscula, Sea-blite Suaeda australis and other low herbaceous plants. OBPs are also known to forage in nearby pastures on a range of weeds and grasses. For roosting, the parrots require taller dense vegetation such as Moonah Melaleuca lanceolata, Golden Wattle Acacia pycnantha, Coast Beard Heath Leucopogon parviflora and, in some cases, African Boxthorn Lycium ferocissimum.

In South Australia, dune frontages and hind dune systems, near coastal wetlands, saline depressions and sheltered beaches appear to be favoured. Here, they are known to feed on a variety of plants such as Bidgee-widgee Acaena novaezelandiae and Sea Rocket Cakile maritima. They also use Sarcocornia-dominated saltmarshes around low-lying saline drains, coastal lagoons and estuaries, as well as coastal heaths and open grassy pastures. OBPs are widely dispersed in SA but are most often found in the far south-east in the Port MacDonnell region, and the Coorong. Sites where the species has recently been recorded include the northern side of Lake Alexandrina, the Coorong National Park near Magrath Flat, and Piccaninnie Ponds in the far south-east.

What we need to know about Orange-bellied Parrots

Surveys for OBPs and population monitoring has been conducted on the mainland each winter since 1980. In recent years (since around 1990), patterns of habitat usage and dispersion appear to have changed, to the point where we have essentially 'lost track' of where most of the birds occur whilst they occur on the mainland. Compared to survey results from the 1980s, where an average of 43% (86 birds) of the known total population was accounted for, surveys since 2000 have recorded an average of just 10% (20 birds), despite increased volunteer numbers and greater survey site coverage. Without knowledge of the current winter distribution of the species, the capacity to plan adequate conservation measures to ensure its ongoing survival has been greatly reduced.