Shorebirds

The term 'shore birds' includes a wide range of species with many diverse lifestyles.

Beach stone curlew - a unique Australian shorebird

Eastern bar-tailed godwit - a long distance migrant that breeds in Siberia

Common sandpiper - another long-distance migrant

Reef egrets - among the many shorebirds on the Great Barrier Reef

While most people probably think of shore birds as including waders such as sandpipers, godwits, knots, curlew, spoonbills, herons, egrets, plovers, dottrels, stilts, avocets and oystercatchers, many other species also spend much of their time feeding on the diverse range of habitats that constitute the shoreline. These include groups such as storks, ducks, geese, pelicans, some kingfishers and some of the rails.

Long distance travellers

An estimated two million waders migrate annually to Australia from their breeding grounds in Arctic Asia, Alaska and the North Pacific. Some, such as the sparrow-sized red-necked stint, fly about 12,000km annually from Artic Russia and back again. But not all waders are migratory. Many live in Australia all the year round.

At least 32 wader species have been recorded on the Great Barrier Reef. They include many highly migratory species, such as godwits and knots, and several varieties for which the Reef is the limit of their distribution.

Seven of the shore bird feeding grounds within the Marine Park, such as Bowling Green Bay and Shoalwater Bay, are of international importance. Many resident 

varieties cover hundreds, and in some cases thousands of kilometres when foraging for food.

Breeding seasons generally coincide with the seasons or the availability of food.

Shorebirds play an important role in adding nutrients to cays.

Threats to shore birds

Threats to shore birds include:

• Defence exercises
• Fishing, shark control programs and aquaculture
• Hunting and collecting and
• Uncontrolled tourism and recreation.

Distinctive residents

One of the most distinctive residents, often seen on reef flats at low tide, is the Reef Heron [or Eastern Reef Egret] (Egretta sacra), which has two colour forms, a common white variety and a less numerous slate-grey form.

Shore bird list for the Great Barrier Reef

Shore birds known to occur in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area include:

• Bar-tailed godwit (Limosa lapponica)
• Black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa)
• Caspian plover (Charadrius asiaticus)
• Cattle egret (Ardea ibis)
• Common sandpiper (Actitus hypoleucos)
• Curlew sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)
• Eastern curlew (Numenius madagascariensis)
• Eastern reef egret (Egretta sacra)
• Glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)
• Great egret (Ardea alba)
• Great knot (Calidris tenuirostris)
• Greater sand dotterel (Charadrius leschenaultii)
• Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
• Grey plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
• Grey-tailed tattler (Heteroscelus brevipes)
• Lesser golden plover (Pluvialis dominica)
• Lesser sand plover (Charadrius mongolus)
• Little curlew (Numenius minutus)
• Marsh sandpiper (Tringa stagnatillis)
• Pin-tailed snipe (Gallinago stenura)
• Red knot (Calidris canutus)
• Red-necked stint (Calidris ruficolis)
• Ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres)
• Sanderling (Calidris alba)
• Sharp-tailed sandpiper (Calidris acuminata)
• Swinhoe's snipe (Gallinago megala)
• Terek sandpiper (Xenus cinereus)
• Wandering tattler (Heteroscelus  sp.)
• Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
• White egret (Egretta alba)
• Wood sandpiper (Tringa glareola)

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