Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary
Protecting the habitat of extraordinary avian aviators
Lush tropical rainforests or colourful coral reefs are perhaps what immediately comes to mind when imagining the kinds of wild Australian places that offer critical protection for high numbers of species of international significance. And so you might be surprised to discover that a 60 kilometre stretch of Adelaide’s northern coastline with abundant, relatively non-descript estuarine mudflats are in fact critically important habitat for a vast array of Australian birds, many of them annual visitors from as far away as Siberia.
In 2017, thanks to the generous support of private donors, The Nature Conservancy Australia helped secure the protection of 85 hectares of coastal habitat encompassing low dune and coastal shrubland for inclusion within South Australia’s newest national park – the globally important Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary National Park—Winaityinaiyti Pangkara.
Bird watching for migratory birds
The bird sanctuary is a critical part of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, one of the world’s three great migratory bird flight paths. The addition of the extra habitat to the park provides even greater protection for migratory shorebirds and water birds in South Australia and strengthens the conservation effort across the global flyway.
With at least 52 shorebird species recorded, including 37 migratory summer visitors, the bird sanctuary is important on a global scale. In fact, around 15,000 shorebirds gather here for up to six months each year before their return journey to East Asian breeding grounds in places like China and Siberia. This includes incredible avian aviators like the Eastern Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit and Great Knot.
The bird sanctuary also provides habitat for other significant Australian birds like the Elegant Parrot and Gulf St Vincent Slender-billed Thornbill.
Awesome avian aviators
Many of the shorebirds using the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary travel extraordinary distances each year along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. Healthy habitats along the flyway are important for allowing birds travelling north or south to find food and build the energy to continue their flights.
The Mai Po Nature Reserve on the northern edge of Hong Kong, on the border with the Chinese city of Shenzhen is one such series of wetlands. Birds travelling north from Australia stop off here to rest and feed before continuing further north to their breeding grounds.
The Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary is a vital southern terminus in the annual travel plans of tens of thousands of these super resilient birds.
You too can help us protect important wildlife habitats like the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary.
Get the latest updates on our work
Get email updates to find out how we're helping to conserve Australia's iconic natural landscapes and crucial wildlife habitats.
Read More
Our top 10 favourite aussie birds
Australia is a bird lovers’ paradise with around 850 species of birds in Australia – 45% of them found nowhere else – what better place to get your avian kicks?
Creating a sustainable Murray-Darling
We’re balancing agriculture, finance and the environment.
Working with Indigenous Australians for Conservation
Working in this way keeps traditional knowledge alive, makes the conservation work more successful and helps the transfer of knowledge from elders to young people.