The kanamaluka / Tamar estuary forms part of the East Asian – Australian flyway; a migratory corridor, extending thousands of kilometres from bird breeding grounds in the Russian Tundra, Mongolia, and Alaska, to non-breeding grounds in the southern hemisphere.

Female chestnut teal (Anas castanea).

Migratory birds that use the East Asian - Australian flyway are protected under federal legislation, and the kanamaluka / Tamar estuary provides habitat to over 20 migratory bird species.

Many of these migratory birds rely on the wetlands and mudflats of the upper kanamaluka / Tamar estuary. In fact, Birdlife International has listed the water and intertidal mudflats of the estuary from Launceston to Batman Bridge as an Important Bird Area (IBA).

More than one percent of the global chestnut teal and pied oystercatcher populations rely on the kanamaluka / Tamar estuary during a key stage of their life cycle. This has resulted in the area being recognised as a Key Biodiversity Area by Birdlife Australia.

Biological Monitoring Program

Many of the species reliant on the estuary are sensitive to poor water quality, which can result in losses to potential food sources and reduced habitat availability.

Including monitoring bird populations in the Biological Monitoring Program will help us to:

• investigate trends in the abundance and distribution of bird populations through time;

• gain critical insight into how they respond to environmental changes; and

• gain insight into the overall biological health of the estuary.

Long-term bird population data for the kanamaluka / Tamar estuary is being generously collected and contributed to the TEER Program by BirdLife Tasmania volunteers.