Roebuck Bay's Shorebirds
Broome is a world class bird watching area, where thousands of migratory shorebirds arrive after an epic migration from their northern breeding areas to feed in the rich mudflats of Roebuck Bay.
The Broome region is regarded as the most significant site in Australia for shorebirds, with Roebuck Bay entertaining the greatest diversity of shorebirds on the planet. As the end stage of the East Asian – Australasian Flyway, one of nine major migratory waterbird flyways around the globe, Roebuck Bay is the arrival and departure point for the Australian populations of several species, including the Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica).
These mudflasts feature exceptionally high (globally) macro-invertebrate biomass which feeds at least 29 different species of shorebirds with various bill sizes and shapes and feeding techniques. Total numbers of shorebirds in some years have been estimated at over 100,000 individuals. The highest number of shorebirds counted at Roebuck Bay was 170,900 in October 1983.
Broome’s Shorebird Species
Shorebirds encountered around the shores of Broome’s Roebuck Bay include:
Black-tailed Godwit
Little Curlew
Whimbrel
Eastern Curlew
Terek Sandpiper
Common Sandpiper
Curlew Sandpiper
Grey-tailed Tattler
Common Greenshank
Wood Sandpiper
Ruddy Turnstone
Asian Dowitcher
Red Knot
Great Knot
Sanderling
Red-necked Stint
Long-toed Stint
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Curlew Sandpiper
Terek Sandpiper
Broad-billed Sandpiper
Greater Sand Plover
Oriental Plover
Lesser Sand Plover
Red-capped Plover
Grey Plover
Pied Oystercatcher