Justification This species has a moderately small population and is therefore classed as Near Threatened. It faces a number of threats and the population may be smaller than currently estimated. If it is found that the population size is very small and declining, the species may qualify as threatened.

Family/Sub-family Anatidae

Species name author Gould, 1836

Taxonomic source(s) Christidis and Boles (1994), Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993), Turbott (1990)

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

12,000

stable

800,000 km²

Yes

Range & population Oxyura australis occupies permanent deep water-bodies in southern Australia with the population estimated at c.12,000 mature individuals, or c.15,000 birds overall¹. The species is found particularly in the Murray-Darling basin and southern Victoria.

Important Bird Areas Click here to view map showing IBAs where species is recorded and triggers any of the IBA criteria.

Ecology: The species is found on terrestrial wetlands in temperate regions, that are freshwater to saline, and may be natural or artificial. It nests in rushes, sedges, Lignum Muehlenbeckia cunninghamii and paperbark Melaleuca, and it lays 5-6 eggs. It feeds on aquatic insect larvae, seeds and plant matter. During autumn and winter the species aggregates in large flocks but disperses to smaller waterbodies when breeding. Aggregations also occur during drought.

Threats It is threatened by drainage of deep permanent wetlands, or their degradation as a result of introduced fish, peripheral cattle grazing, salinisation and lowering of ground water. A small number are probably shot by accident during the duck hunting season. The western population is particularly threatened with predictions that rainfall there will fall as temperatures rise. In 2007, there was an ongoing drought in the species's range.

Conservation measures underway No targeted conservation action is known for this species.

Conservation measures proposed Identify major perennial wetlands used by the species for breeding and moulting, and protect them against further degradation. Monitor population trends through regular surveys.

References Garnett and Crowley (2000). Jaensch (2003). 1. R. Jaensch in litt. (2005 to Wetlands International 2006).

Further web sources of information

Australian Govt - Action Plan for Australian Birds 2000 - Recovery Outline

Text account compilers Stephen Garnett (Birds Australia), Joe Taylor (BirdLife International)

Contributors Andrew Burbidge (Department of Environment & Conservation, WA), Roger Jaensch (Wetlands International)

IUCN Red List evaluators Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Guy Dutson (Birds Australia), Stephen Garnett (Charles Darwin University), Joe Taylor (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Oxyura australis. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 9/2/2010

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife

To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums