Avoid Island Hits 90 Bird Species
The Queensland’s Trust for Nature’s Long Term holdings property, Avoid Island, recently hit an important milestone: our bird list officially hit 90 species. Our team conduct regular maintenance, research and educational trips throughout the year to this privately owned and protected island and all bird sightings are recorded and documented as part of regular surveying. It was the humble peewee that made this milestone possible, joining an impressive list of other identified species including the osprey, the yellow-tailed black cockatoo and channel-bill cuckoo. Importantly, endangered and critically endangered shorebirds like the Eastern Curlew, White-throated needle tail and multiple nesting pairs of the Beach-stone curlew have found a haven on Avoid.
Although the island is less than one square kilometre, it is home to four unique bird habitats. There are extensive mudflats for marine birds like Eastern Curlews to feed. There are critically endangered coastal vine thickets for rainforest birds like the Emerald dove. There are open Eucalypt woodlands for singing honeyeaters and there are mangroves for Mangrove whistlers. Our list is extensive because different combinations of birds can live in close proximity. While we believe the number of species is nearing saturation, we’ll keep searching and adding to the list as it nudges closer to 100.
Avoid Island is a permanent reserve located on Koinmerburra Country in the Great Barrier Reef, 60 kilometres south of Mackay and 20 kilometres off the coast of Queensland. QTFN acquired the 83 hectare island in 2006 to preserve nesting beaches for the Flatback Turtle.