Lowbidgee Floodplain facts for kids

The floodplain is an important area for pink-eared ducks

The Lowbidgee Floodplain is a large, flat area of land in south-western New South Wales, Australia. It stretches from Balranald to near Hay. This special area is the traditional home of the Nari Nari and Muthi Muthi Aboriginal peoples.

It is a big floodplain where the lower Murrumbidgee River and its smaller rivers meet. This area has many swamps and lakes. The floodplain used to be much larger, covering over 3,000 km² (1,200 sq mi) at the start of the 1900s.

Over time, its size has shrunk to about 2,000 km² (770 sq mi). This happened because people built dams and irrigation systems. These projects changed how much water flowed into the floodplain. The amount of water coming in dropped by at least 60% between 1888 and 1998.

Today, most of the floodplain is used for farmland where crops are grown using irrigation. However, a part of it is now Yanga National Park, which was created in 2005.

Amazing Birds of the Floodplain

The Lowbidgee Floodplain is a very important place for birds. A large part of the floodplain, about 1,908 km² (737 sq mi), has been named an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International. This means it is a crucial habitat for many bird species.

During big floods, this area can support up to 650,000 waterbirds! It is also home to more than 1% of the world's population of several bird types. These include:

• Black swans
• Freckled ducks
• Pink-eared ducks
• Grey teals
• Australasian shovelers
• Straw-necked ibises
• Yellow-billed spoonbills
• White-headed stilts

Other birds often seen in large groups here are whiskered terns and Eurasian coots.

Why Bird Numbers Changed

Sadly, the number of waterbirds in the Lowbidgee Floodplain has dropped a lot. This is because less water flows into the area now. The dams and water management projects have reduced the natural flooding.

For example, between 1983 and 1986, there were about 140,000 waterbirds on average. But from 1998 to 2001, this number fell to only 14,000. This is a 90% decrease, showing how important water is for these amazing birds.