Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2023L00138:front:0:p3
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2023L00138
Segment Type: other
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Character Range: 6091–9314

of the recovery actions outlined in this recovery plan. The membership of the national Recovery Team includes individuals from relevant government agencies, non-government organisations and expertise from independent researchers and community groups.

               Chapter 1
Introduction

             This document constitutes the 'National Recovery Plan for Australasian Bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus)'. The plan considers the conservation requirements of the species across the part of its range lying within Australia and identifies the actions to be taken to ensure the species' long-term viability in nature, and the parties that will undertake those actions.

             Principal threats to the Australasian Bittern include the loss and degradation of wetland habitats through altered water regimes (e.g. drainage and diversion, infilling, water regulation), clearing for urban and agricultural development and climate change. Other potential threats to the species may include reduced water quality, predation by introduced foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and cats (Felis catus), overgrazing by livestock, and inappropriate fire regimes.

             Accompanying Species Profile and Threats Database (SPRAT) pages provide background information on the biology, population status and threats to the 'species'. SPRAT pages are available from: http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/sprat.pl.

1.1            Conservation status

             The Australasian Bittern is a listed threatened species under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The species is also listed as threatened under State Legislation (Table 1).

             The species was included in the Endangered category of the EPBC Act in 2011 as the estimated total number of mature individuals of the species was low and evidence suggested that the number would continue to decline at a high rate. The species was also suspected to have undergone a severe reduction in population numbers as a result of the reduction in the species' area of occupancy and the loss of habitat and breeding grounds (TSSC 2011). There has been no change in the population trajectory since 2011 and the species continues to meet the Endangered category (Herring et al. 2021).

         1.2            Taxonomy

   Conventionally accepted as Botaurus poiciloptilus (Wagler, 1827). No subspecies have been described. The species is commonly known as the Australasian Bittern. It is also known as the Boomer, Bullhead, Bunyip, Black-backed or Brown Bittern.

         1.3            Species description and habitat

   Australasian Bitterns are large, stocky, thick–necked, heron–like birds. The species grows to a length of 66–76 cm and has a wingspan of 1,050–1,180 mm. The average male weighs approximately 1,400 g and the average female weighs approximately 900 g (Marchant and Higgins 1990). The upper-parts of the body are brown and dark brown to black, mottled and buff, in complex patterns that aid the bird's concealment in swamp vegetation. The under-parts of the body are streaked and scalloped, brown and buff. The species has a prominent black–brown stripe running down the side of the neck, the eyebrow