The status of resident shorebirds in Port Phillip Bay data is currently under review. This status is informed by available time-series data collected by BirdLife Australia (abundance data of 11 species) and applying the Living Planet Index (for details see methodology). The trend reflects findings at both state and national reporting scales examined by the Threatened Species Index (TSX) and the Australia’s migratory shorebirds Trends and prospects (Rodgers et al. 2023).
Resident shorebird abundance is a good indicator of the state of the marine environment. These birds forage select prey with diverse traits (body size, bill shape, leg length), at various depths and habitats
Photo credit: Audrey Haynes birdlifephotography.org.au
such as nearshore, offshore, estuaries, wetlands and habitat types. Sites across Port Phillip Bay (West) and the Bellarine Peninsula are significant shorebird habitats recognised under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
Data contributors and acknowledgements:
Page last updated: 21/01/25