The Arnhem Plateau, an
interim Australian bioregion, is located in the
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...
of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
,
[IBRA Version 6.1](_blank)
data comprising an area of
of the raised and heavily dissected
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicat ...
plateau
In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...
that characterises central
Arnhem Land
Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia, with the term still in use. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territory capital, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compa ...
in the
Top End
The Top End of Australia's Northern Territory is a geographical region encompassing the northernmost section of the Northern Territory, which aside from the Cape York Peninsula is the northernmost part of the Australian continent. It covers a ra ...
of the Northern Territory.
Description
The boundary of the
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Inte ...
(IBA) is largely defined by the extent of vegetation suitable for
white-throated grasswrens. The most important habitat for grasswrens is bare rock and
spinifex grassland. Other vegetation includes open
monsoon
A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...
al
savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland- grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground ...
woodland and patches of
rainforest
Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...
, especially that dominated by the endemic tree ''
Allosyncarpia ternata''. About a quarter of the IBA is within
Kakadu National Park
Kakadu National Park is a protected area in the Northern Territory of Australia, southeast of Darwin. It is a World Heritage Site. Kakadu is also gazetted as a locality, covering the same area as the national park, with 313 people recorded liv ...
; a southern outlier is in
Nitmiluk National Park
Nitmiluk National Park is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 244 km southeast of Darwin, and 23 km northeast of the town of Katherine, around a series of gorges on the Katherine River and Edith Falls. Previously named Katherine ...
, with much of the remainder due to be incorporated in the Wardekken
Indigenous Protected Area
An Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) is a class of protected area used in Australia; each is formed by voluntary agreement with Indigenous Australians, and declared by Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander representative organisations ...
.
Birds
Identified as an important bird area by
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...
, the plateau supports the entire population of white-throated grasswrens, and most of the populations of
white-lined honeyeater
The white-lined honeyeater (''Territornis albilineata'') is a species of bird in the family Meliphagidae. It is endemic to northern Australia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It formerly included the ...
s,
chestnut-quilled rock-pigeons and the local
subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics ( morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all specie ...
of
black-banded fruit dove
The black-banded fruit dove (''Ptilinopus alligator'') is a large (38–44 cm in length, 450-570 g in weight) pigeon with white head, neck and upper breast; black back and upperwing grading to grey on rump; black tail with broad grey termina ...
s and
helmeted friarbird
The helmeted friarbird (''Philemon buceroides'') is part of the '' Meliphagidae'' family. The helmeted friarbird, along with all their subspecies, is commonly referred to as “leatherhead” by the birding community.
Description
The helmeted ...
s. It also supports populations of
bush stone-curlew
The bush stone-curlew or bush thick-knee, also known as the Iben bird (''Burhinus grallarius'', obsolete name ''Burhinus magnirostris'') is a large, ground-dwelling bird endemic to Australia. Its favoured habitat is open plains and woodlands, whe ...
s,
varied lorikeet
The varied lorikeet (''Psitteuteles versicolor''), is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae that is endemic to the northern coastal regions of Australia. It is the only species in the genus ''Psitteuteles''.
Taxonomy
The first depictio ...
s,
northern rosella
The northern rosella (''Platycercus venustus''), formerly known as Brown's rosella or the smutty rosella, is a species of parrot native to northern Australia, ranging from the Gulf of Carpentaria and Arnhem Land to the Kimberley. It was describ ...
s,
rainbow pitta
The rainbow pitta (''Pitta iris'') is a small passerine bird in the pitta family, Pittidae, endemic to northern Australia, most closely related to the superb pitta of Manus Island. It has a velvet black head with chestnut stripes above the ...
s,
white-gaped,
yellow-tinted,
bar-breasted and
banded honeyeater
The banded honeyeater (''Cissomela pectoralis'') is a species of honeyeater in the family Meliphagidae with a characteristic narrow black band across its white underparts. It is endemic to tropical northern Australia.
Taxonomy and systematic ...
s,
silver-crowned friarbird
The silver-crowned friarbird (''Philemon argenticeps'') is a species of bird in the family Meliphagidae.
It is endemic to northern Australia.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical mangro ...
s,
masked and
long-tailed finches, and
sandstone shrike-thrush
The sandstone shrikethrush (''Colluricincla woodwardi'') is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae
The Pachycephalidae are a family of bird species that includes the whistlers, shrikethrushes, and three of the pitohuis, and is part o ...
es.
See also
*
Birds of Australia
Australia and its offshore islands and territories have 898 recorded bird species as of 2014. Of the recorded birds, 165 are considered vagrant or accidental visitors, of the remainder over 45% are classified as Australian endemics: found now ...
*
Geography of Australia
The geography of Australia encompasses a wide variety of biogeographic regions being the world's smallest continent, while comprising the territory of the sixth-largest country in the world. The population of Australia is concentrated along ...
References
Arnhem Land
Arnhem Land tropical savanna
IBRA regions
Important Bird Areas of the Northern Territory
Plateaus of Australia
{{NorthernTerritory-geo-stub