Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00775:reg:18:p86
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00775
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 18 (pt 86/152)
Character Range: 277494–280461

livelihoods, but the incidence has not been quantified. Among the few colonies that have been monitored in recent years, no resulting declines have been observed due to human disturbance. Oil spills and marine debris (entanglement) pose risks to individuals. In South Australia, Spencer Gulf colonies breed in summer, storm activity regularly impacts nests at the large winter nesting colony at Port Adelaide, Silver Gull egg and chick depredation also impacts breeding success.

Recommended Management Actions
        Quantify the breeding population in Australia

        Regularly monitor breeding populations at index locations

        Measure contaminant levels in all relevant life stages
      Quantify and manage the potential impacts of fisheries interactions and human disturbance
Species profiles

Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus)

Life History and Distribution
The Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus) is a large waterbird, widespread on inland and coastal waters of Australia and Papua New Guinea, also in Fiji, parts of Indonesia. It is a predominantly white bird with black wings and a pink bill. It eats fish but will also consume birds and scavenges for scraps if the opportunity arises. Australian Pelicans occur primarily in large expanses of open water without dense aquatic vegetation. The habitats that can support them include large lakes, reservoirs, billabongs and rivers, as well as estuaries, swamps, temporarily flooded areas in arid zones, drainage channels in farmland, salt evaporation ponds and coastal lagoons. They do seem to prefer areas where disturbance is relatively low while breeding. The Australian Pelican begins breeding at two or three years of age. The breeding season varies, occurring in winter in tropical areas (north of 26°S) and spring in parts of southern Australia. Breeding may occur any time after rainfall in inland areas. The nest is a shallow depression in earth or sand, sometimes with some grass lining. They may roost on mudflats, sandbars, beaches, reefs, jetties and pilings. Australian Pelicans feed by plunge-diving while swimming on the surface of the water. They work in groups to drive fish to shallower water, where they stick their sensitive bills in to snatch their prey. Some feeding grounds in large bodies of water have included up to 1,900 individual birds.

Population Estimates and Trends
The global population size has not been quantified. The Australian population
estimate and trends remain unknown. The population is suspected to be fluctuating owing to fluctuations in wetland habitats. The breeding status of Australian Pelicans in Victoria appears to be in decline, with the numbers of both breeding birds and sites being used less now than previously (O'Brien et al. 2010). Only two Victorian locations (Gippsland Lakes and Mud Islands) that have been recently used for breeding. Reasons for this shift are not understood there appears to have been a