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Straw-necked Ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis)

The Straw-necked Ibis is a large, nomadic Australian waterbird that feeds in wetlands, grasslands, pastures and croplands. It breeds in large colonies, sometimes with other waterbirds, so clearing, construction, water management and repeated site access can affect many birds at once. It is listed as least concern in Australia, but in Queensland, tampering with a breeding place requires a high risk species management program under the Nature Conservation (Animals) Regulation 2020.

Conservation status

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Colonial breeder. Least concern in Queensland, but it breeds in colonies, so tampering with a breeding place needs a high risk species management program rather than the low risk program.

Migration and breeding season

Straw-necked Ibis is highly nomadic, and breeding timing follows rainfall, flooding and wetland conditions. In southern Australia, breeding is most often recorded from July to December, but colonies can form outside this period after heavy rain.

Breeding mode: Colonial breeder. It often breeds in mixed-species colonies with Australian White Ibis, egrets, spoonbills, herons and other waterbirds.

Nest and colony sites: Large, rough, cup-shaped nests are built from sticks and trampled plants among reeds, rushes, bulrushes, paperbarks or trees over water. Nest platforms may be in dense reedbeds or wetland vegetation surrounded by water.

Clutch size: Usually 2 to 5 eggs.

Incubation: About 20 to 25 days, with both adults incubating.

Young: Young fly at about 30 to 40 days. Adults continue feeding young after they leave the nest, and mobile young may form crèches within the colony.

Colony scale: Colonies can support tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of birds. In one study, nest clumps were usually 1 to 4 m across and contained an average of 18 nests.

Breeding frequency and maturity: Breeding may occur in the year after heavy rain. Age at sexual maturity: Not recorded.

Timing can shift substantially between years and regions because colonies depend on local rainfall, flooding, environmental watering, wetland condition and nearby foraging habitat.

  • Breeding, southern Australia: Breeding is commonly recorded from July to December, with the strongest activity generally in spring in southern regions.
  • Breeding after heavy rain or flooding: Rainfall, flooding and environmental water can trigger breeding outside the usual seasonal window.
  • Eggs, nestlings and creching young: Eggs and dependent young are expected during and after active colony formation, with mobile juveniles able to crèche elsewhere within the colony.
  • Nomadic movement and wetland use: Adults move between wetlands, feeding areas, roosts and breeding sites throughout the year, with somewhat greater movement distances in spring and summer.
  • Highest clearing risk: The highest risk is July to December in southern Australia, but active colonies can occur in any month after suitable rain or flooding.

Identification: Appearance and size

The Straw-necked Ibis is a large, long-legged ibis with a bare black head, a long downcurved bill and distinctive straw-coloured feathers on the lower neck. It can look dark brown in poor light, so check the neck feathers, body shape and flight behaviour together.

Adults have iridescent black, blue, green, purple and bronze plumage, white underparts and a white upper neck. The head is black and featherless, and the bill is long, black and curved.

The legs are usually red near the upper part and darker towards the feet. Males have longer bills, while females have a dark band across the upper breast. Juveniles are duller and lack the straw-like neck plumes.

Body length: About 59 to 76 cm

Wingspan: About 100 to 120 cm

Weight: Generally 1.1 to 1.5 kg

Identification: Calls and flight

The species has been described as giving loud croaks. It flies with the head and neck outstretched, often in flocks forming a V shape.

A group lifting from a wetland, repeated croaking and birds moving between a colony, roost and feeding area are useful signs of activity.

Identification: Similar species

Australian White Ibis may occur in the same wetlands and breeding colonies. Straw-necked Ibis can be separated by its straw-coloured neck feathers, strongly iridescent dark plumage and white underparts.

Glossy Ibis may also occur in freshwater wetlands, but detailed comparison requires close views. Confirm uncertain birds with photographs, particularly in poor light or when birds are distant.

Identification: Field signs

Look for large rough nests made from sticks and trampled reeds or other wetland plants. Active nests may contain eggs, chicks or adults returning to feed young.

Freshly trampled vegetation, concentrated birds, repeated adult movements and chick groups can indicate a breeding area. Droppings, whitewash and odour are not reliable on their own for identifying this species or an active colony.

  • Record adults, eggs, chicks and nest locations separately.
  • Photograph birds from outside the activity area where possible.
  • Do not enter a nest clump simply to confirm occupancy.

Distribution: Australian range

The Straw-necked Ibis occurs across much of Australia and is highly nomadic. Local numbers can change quickly as birds follow rainfall, flooding and suitable feeding conditions.

The species is mapped in New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. It occurs in eastern, northern and western mainland Australia, with the largest concentrations often associated with productive inland and eastern wetlands.

It is recorded through the Murray Darling Basin and has important movement corridors and stopover areas in New South Wales and Victoria.

  • Wetland districts and floodplains
  • Irrigation areas and agricultural landscapes
  • Coastal and inland freshwater wetlands
  • Tasmania, where it is recorded occasionally

Distribution: Regional movements

Birds move between wetlands, feeding areas and roosts over short, medium and long distances. Satellite tracking has shown broad scale movements through the Murray Darling Basin and between key areas in New South Wales and Victoria.

Movement can increase after rainfall or flooding. Birds may leave a site when surface water declines, then return when suitable water and food become available.

Movement pattern: Nomadic and sometimes migratory

Recorded movement: Long distance flights can cover hundreds to thousands of kilometres in the broader waterbird group

Distribution: Overseas range

The species is a winter migrant to New Guinea and Indonesia. Seasonal movements also occur across the Torres Strait, and birds may be seen as vagrants in New Zealand and on some Australian islands.

Habitat: Wetlands and vegetation

On a works site, search all freshwater wetland features and nearby open feeding areas, not just areas holding water on the day of inspection. Suitable habitat can appear quickly after rain or environmental watering.

Important habitat includes shallow freshwater wetlands, swamp edges, lagoon edges, wet grasslands and wetland vegetation surrounded by water. Breeding sites are often associated with dense reeds, rushes, bulrushes, paperbarks or trees growing over water.

Look for remnant vegetation with large trees near wetlands. Adults have been recorded foraging near large trees used for roosting.

  • Reedbeds and rushbeds
  • Lignum or other dense wetland vegetation where present
  • Paperbarks and trees over water
  • Wetland islands and vegetation surrounded by water

Habitat: Modified landscapes

The species also uses cultivated and irrigated pasture, crops, grasslands, sewage ponds, airfields and some urban parks. These areas may provide feeding habitat even when the colony is in a separate wetland.

A development footprint may therefore affect birds without containing a nest. Check nearby wetlands, drainage lines, irrigated fields and open grasslands before works begin.

Habitat: Water dependence

Water and water dependent vegetation are used for nesting, foraging, refuge, roosting, movement and stopover habitat. Breeding events depend on suitable water conditions and may follow flooding or environmental watering.

Avoid assuming that a dry wetland has no conservation value. Drying conditions can concentrate birds, while renewed water can trigger breeding or attract birds from a wide area.

Foraging habitat: Foraging places

Straw-necked Ibis forage in shallow water, wet mud, damp sediment, vegetation and open ground. They often travel between nesting or roosting areas and separate feeding areas during the day.

Search shallow wetland margins, mud, damp sediment, wet grassland, irrigated pasture, cropland and recently flooded ground. Birds probe with the bill in mud, soil, crevices, vegetation and shallow water.

Open areas beside remnant trees can be used for feeding, particularly when wetlands are drying or when insects and other prey are concentrated.

  • Shallow water edges
  • Mudflats within freshwater wetlands
  • Wet and dry grasslands
  • Irrigated pasture and crops
  • Floodplain depressions and recently inundated ground

Foraging habitat: Food

The diet includes aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, insects, molluscs, freshwater crayfish, frogs, fish, grasshoppers, crickets, locusts, skinks, other small reptiles and rodents.

For a site assessment, record feeding flocks, probing activity and the condition of wetland margins. These observations can identify habitat used away from the nesting colony.

Foraging habitat: Works considerations

Track the movement of birds between colonies, roosts and feeding areas before finalising access routes or daily work areas. Repeated vehicle, boat or machinery movement through shallow feeding habitat can reduce access and disturb birds.

Maintain water connections and avoid unnecessary changes to wetland levels, drainage or inundation patterns. Where water management is required, coordinate timing with the breeding status of nearby colonies.

  • Map feeding areas within and near the project footprint.
  • Check for concentrated feeding after rain or environmental watering.
  • Keep noisy or repeated activities away from active bird concentrations where practicable.

Breeding habitat: Nests and breeding platforms

The Straw-necked Ibis breeds in large, often mixed species colonies. Breeding timing varies between regions and is strongly linked to rainfall, flooding and the persistence of suitable wetland water and vegetation.

Nests are large, rough and cup shaped. Birds build them from sticks, reeds, rushes and trampled wetland plants, usually on platforms over water or within dense wetland vegetation.

Nests may be reused in later years. A site that appears inactive during one inspection can become important after rain or watering.

Breeding habitat: Breeding timing

In southern Australia, breeding can occur from July to December. In south eastern Australia, September to November is a commonly reported breeding period. In south western Australia, breeding normally occurs from August to December.

In central and northern regions, breeding can occur in other months and may follow heavy rain. Use local rainfall, water levels and current bird activity rather than relying on a fixed calendar.

Breeding habitat: Eggs, chicks and parents

Clutches contain 2 to 5 eggs. Both parents incubate the eggs and care for the young. Chicks may later gather in crèches and return to nests to be fed by adults.

One monitored colony recorded an average of two surviving chicks per nest by the end of monitoring. This indicates why disturbance can affect a large number of birds even when only part of a colony is visible.

Clutch size: 2 to 5 eggs

Incubation: About 24 to 25 days

Young: Young may fly at about 30 to 40 days, with parental care continuing after leaving the nest

Breeding habitat: How to recognise an active breeding place

An active breeding place may contain incubating adults, eggs, small chicks, mobile chicks, adults carrying food, repeated flights to and from the site, or a large concentration of birds over water.

Do not rely on a single empty nest. Inspect from a distance, use optics and allow time to observe adults returning. Stop if birds repeatedly flush or if chicks become exposed.

  • Record the colony boundary and nearby access points.
  • Map nest clumps, visible chicks and flight paths.
  • Note water depth, vegetation type and any mixed species present.

Sheltering habitat: Roost trees and vegetation

The species uses wetland vegetation and trees for refuge and roosting. Roosting areas may be separate from the colony and may be used by adults, juveniles or feeding flocks.

Straw-necked Ibis are often seen perched on high branches of bare trees. Large remnant trees near wetlands can provide night roosts, daytime resting places and vantage points before birds move to feed.

Water dependent vegetation also provides refuge and roosting habitat. Check trees, reedbeds, islands and wetland margins around the proposed work area.

Sheltering habitat: Juvenile crèches

Juveniles may roost in one part of a nesting colony and gather during the day in another part, up to 100 m away. A chick group away from the main nest area can therefore still be part of the active breeding place.

Keep observers and machinery away from juvenile groups and watch for adults travelling between the crèche and nests.

Recorded separation: Juvenile roosting and crèching areas were up to 100 m apart in one Macquarie Marshes colony

Sheltering habitat: Site checks

Inspect potential roosts shortly before works and again if water levels or weather change. Birds may shift between trees, islands, reedbeds and nearby open ground as conditions change.

Avoid removing roost trees or isolating them from wetland habitat. If works must occur nearby, use a site specific buffer and adjust it if birds flush, circle repeatedly or abandon the area.

  • Survey at dawn or late afternoon when practical.
  • Record repeated use rather than relying on one observation.
  • Keep lighting, noise and machinery away from active roosts where practicable.

Colonies and breeding places: What a colony looks like

Colonies can hold a large share of the local population and may include several waterbird species. Treat the whole wetland system, including access routes, nearby trees, feeding areas and juvenile crèches, as part of the breeding place until assessment shows otherwise.

A colony may appear as dense groups of ibis moving between nests, water and nearby trees. Nest platforms can be closely clumped within reeds or rushes, on islands, or in wetland vegetation surrounded by water.

A monitored site had nest clumps about 1 to 4 m across, with an average of 18 nests per clump. Larger breeding events can support tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of birds, sometimes alongside egrets, herons, spoonbills, bitterns, cormorants and other ibis.

Nest clump size: Usually about 1 to 4 m across in one monitored study

Nests per clump: An average of 18 nests in that study

Large aggregations: Tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of birds can occur at breeding sites

Colonies and breeding places: Likely colony locations

For Straw-necked Ibis, first check wetland trees over water, dense reedbeds and rushbeds, paperbarks, bulrushes, islands and wetland vegetation surrounded by water. Colonies can also occur in floodplain wetlands supported by natural flows or environmental watering.

Other colonial waterbirds may use sandbanks, riverbanks, cliffs, culverts, bridges or caves. These are not the usual breeding structures to expect for Straw-necked Ibis, but should be checked when mixed species are present.

  • Wetland trees and paperbarks
  • Reedbeds, rushbeds and bulrushes
  • Islands and sand or mud features within wetlands
  • Floodplain depressions and water dependent vegetation

Colonies and breeding places: Disturbance and flushing

Walking, boats, vehicles, machinery, noise, lighting and repeated inspections can flush adults from nests. Exposed eggs and chicks may then be vulnerable to heat, cold, predation or trampling, and repeated disturbance can contribute to abandonment.

There is no single distance that suits every colony. Set a conservative, site specific exclusion area around the colony and access routes, then increase it if birds flush, circle, call repeatedly or fail to return.

  • Use optics and cameras from outside the active area.
  • Keep personnel and machinery out of nest clumps and juvenile crèches.
  • Do not approach from multiple directions or block flight paths.
  • Stop work if disturbance responses increase.

Colonies and breeding places: Planning and water management

Schedule clearing, noisy works and wetland access outside the local nesting period where practicable. Confirm that the colony is inactive before reducing the buffer or entering the site.

Maintain suitable water and wetland vegetation during an active breeding event. Sudden drainage, altered inundation, vegetation removal or interruption of environmental watering can affect nests, chicks, feeding areas and movement between colony and roost.

  • Map the full colony, nearby roosts, crèches and feeding areas.
  • Use a fauna spotter catcher familiar with colonial waterbirds.
  • Obtain species and site specific advice before disturbing a breeding place.
  • In Queensland, check whether a high risk species management program is required before tampering with the breeding place.

Threats: Clearing and habitat loss

The main works site risk is disturbance or damage to a wetland system used by many birds at once. Least concern status does not remove the need to protect active colonies and breeding places.

Removing reeds, rushes, paperbarks, wetland trees, islands or surrounding vegetation can remove nests, roosts and shelter. Clearing nearby feeding habitat can also make a colony unsuitable even when the nests are left in place.

Retain wetland vegetation and large roost trees wherever practicable. Use preclearance checks after rainfall and before works near freshwater wetlands.

Threats: Disturbance and access

Repeated visits, boats, vehicles, machinery, vibration, lighting and loud noise can flush adults or separate chicks from adults. Public access and informal tracks can create ongoing disturbance around a colony.

Set and maintain an exclusion area around active colonies, roosts and crèches. Use one controlled access route and keep observers outside the area whenever possible.

Threats: Water and land management

Drainage, pumping, changed wetland levels, blocked flows and poorly timed environmental watering can affect breeding platforms, food supplies and access between nesting and feeding areas.

Plan water works around the current breeding event. Do not assume that a dry phase means the wetland is no longer important.

Threats: Predators and cumulative impacts

Feral pigs have been recorded removing all eggs from a nest clump. Predation and exposure can increase when adults are repeatedly flushed or when colony access is made easier.

Concentrating breeding into fewer colonies can increase the effect of one damaging event. Report feral animal activity, unexplained nest failure and repeated disturbance, and include nearby colonies in cumulative impact assessment.

  • Keep food waste and attractants away from wetlands.
  • Avoid creating new vehicle access through colony habitat.
  • Record predator signs and damaged or abandoned nest clumps.
  • Apply Queensland breeding place requirements before works affecting an active colony.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

Straw-necked Ibises are conspicuous, mobile waterbirds that may be present in large flocks or colonial breeding sites. Survey effort should cover wetlands, shallow water, nearby feeding areas and trees used for roosting.

Check recent records, aerial imagery, wetland mapping, environmental water plans and flood history before visiting the site.

Map freshwater wetlands, reedbeds, lignum, islands, wetland trees, shallow margins, irrigated pasture and nearby grasslands. Include likely flight paths between nesting, roosting and feeding areas.

Search for records of colonial waterbird breeding in the local wetland system. A breeding colony may include Straw-necked Ibises with Australian White Ibises, egrets, spoonbills, herons, cormorants or bitterns.

  • Identify whether the proposal could affect a wetland, water-dependent vegetation, nesting platform, roost tree, feeding area or movement route.
  • Check whether the site is within or near a Ramsar wetland, a nationally important wetland, an important floodplain or a known breeding area.
  • Review recent rainfall, flooding and environmental watering. Breeding can occur after heavy rain and may continue through much of the year in central and northern Australia.

Survey methodology: 2. Field detection and timing

Survey from the ground and, where suitable, from elevated viewpoints or the edge of the wetland. Use binoculars to inspect trees, reedbeds, islands and over-water vegetation before approaching.

Allow time for birds to settle after arrival at the site. Avoid repeatedly walking through nesting vegetation, as adults may flush and chicks may be exposed to heat, predators or other risks.

Repeat surveys when conditions change, especially after flooding, heavy rain or environmental watering. In south eastern Australia, breeding is commonly recorded from September to November. In southern Australia, breeding has also been recorded from July to December.

  • Survey shallow water, mud, wet grassland and pasture for feeding flocks.
  • Inspect high branches in bare trees and other vegetation beside water for communal roosting.
  • Watch for adults carrying nesting material, birds repeatedly flying to one wetland area, calls from dense vegetation, chicks, fledglings or birds moving between a colony and nearby feeding areas.
  • Use remote cameras or satellite tracking only under an approved project design. Camera monitoring at colonies has detected nest attendance, chick production and predation while reducing repeated entry into nesting areas.

Survey methodology: 3. Colony and nest inspection

Treat a wetland area as potentially active if many adults are gathered, birds are concentrated in one patch of reeds or trees, or repeated flights occur to the same nesting area.

Straw-necked Ibises build rough, cup-shaped nests on large platforms made from reeds, sticks and rushes. Platforms may be over water, in dense reedbeds, among bulrushes or in trees over water.

Nest groups can be closely clumped. At two monitored colonies, clumps were usually 1 to 4 m across and contained an average of 18 nests. Large colonies may contain tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of birds.

  • Approach from outside the wetland where possible. Stop if adults begin calling, circling, repeatedly leaving nests or failing to return promptly.
  • Record the colony boundary, nest clumps, water depth or wetness, vegetation type, access points and nearby works.
  • Look for eggs, downy chicks, mobile chicks, adults incubating, adults feeding young, fresh nest material, droppings and recently used platforms.
  • Do not rely on an absence of adults during one visit. Adults may be feeding while chicks remain in the colony or creching area. Juveniles may roost in one part of a colony and creche up to 100 m away.

Survey methodology: 4. Records and evidence

Record the date, start and finish time, weather, recent rainfall or flooding, observer names, survey route and survey conditions.

Map all observations with photographs taken from a safe distance. Record flock size as an estimate and describe whether birds were feeding, roosting, nesting, flying or creching.

Record the number and location of active nest clumps where this can be done without entering the colony. Record mixed species present and any signs of pigs, dogs, foxes or other predators.

  • Keep a clear distinction between an individual bird, a flock, a roost and an active breeding place.
  • Record disturbance responses, including flushing, circling, alarm calling, nest abandonment or repeated attempts to return.
  • Report evidence of an active colony to the project ecologist before finalising the work area or method.

Before habitat disturbance: 1. Avoidance and approvals

Plan works around the wetland system, not just the footprint of the proposed clearing. Colonies, roosts, feeding areas and flight routes can be connected, and breeding may start when water conditions improve.

Redesign the work to retain the wetland, nesting vegetation, islands, water edge, roost trees and nearby feeding habitat wherever practicable.

Obtain project specific environmental advice before disturbing a known or suspected breeding place. In Queensland, tampering with the breeding place of this least concern colonial breeder requires a high risk species management program under the Nature Conservation (Animals) Regulation 2020.

Confirm whether the action may have a significant impact on a matter of national environmental significance. Make an EPBC referral where the assessment indicates that a referral is required.

  • Check state and territory wildlife legislation and obtain any required fauna, scientific, relocation, clearing or disturbance permits before work starts.
  • For Queensland projects, do not rely on the low risk SMP used for other least concern animals when a Straw-necked Ibis breeding place may be affected.
  • Confirm permit conditions, reporting requirements and the authority of the fauna spotter catcher in the site environmental management plan.
  • Include the colony, associated roost and nearby feeding habitat in the impact assessment, not only individual nests.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Pre-clearance survey and timing

Complete a targeted pre-clearance survey close enough to the start of works to identify new nesting or roosting activity. Repeat it if flooding, environmental watering, heavy rain or a substantial delay changes site conditions.

Keep noisy, ground disturbing and vegetation clearing works outside the local nesting period where practicable. Breeding timing is flexible and depends strongly on water conditions, so use local observations rather than relying on a calendar alone.

Where a colony is active, defer works that could disturb it until the ecologist and relevant regulator confirm that the breeding event has finished and the site is no longer being used.

  • Survey the proposed footprint, access tracks, stockpile areas, haul routes, lighting locations and nearby water bodies.
  • Check for nests, eggs, chicks, fledglings, creching juveniles, roosting flocks and regular flight paths.
  • Use a staged approval process so that work can stop if a new colony forms after the initial survey.
  • Do not clear a wetland margin simply because no nest is visible from the access track.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Buffers, exclusion and site layout

Set a site specific exclusion buffer around each active colony, nest clump, roost and associated creching area. The buffer must account for the colony boundary, approach routes, noise, vibration, machinery height, lighting and the risk of flushing adults.

There is no single distance that suits every colony. A large, dense colony in open wetland vegetation may require a wider protected area than a small group in a confined site, and the buffer may need to change as water levels and bird behaviour change.

Mark the exclusion area on plans and on the ground. Use fencing, bunting or other visible controls that do not create a collision hazard or block bird movements.

  • Keep people, vehicles, plant, drones, dogs and boats outside the approved buffer.
  • Keep generators, pumps, pile driving, blasting, night lighting and high traffic areas away from the colony and roost.
  • Maintain access to water and feeding areas used by adults and fledglings.
  • Do not place spoil, sediment, chemicals, fuel or stockpiles where runoff could enter the breeding wetland.
  • Have the ecologist approve any buffer reduction in writing.

Before habitat disturbance: 4. Induction and contingency planning

Brief all workers, subcontractors, visitors and machinery operators before entering the site. Show them photographs or maps of the colony, exclusion areas and stop work points.

Explain that adults may leave nests when approached, and that chicks can move away from nest clumps into a creche. A colony may look quiet while still being active.

Nominate the fauna spotter catcher or other authorised person who can stop work and contact the project ecologist.

  • Include identification features such as the straw-like neck feathers, bare black head, long curved bill and iridescent dark plumage.
  • Explain the difference between feeding flocks, roosts and active breeding places.
  • Display the injured wildlife contact pathway, permit numbers, regulator contacts and after-hours contacts.
  • Prepare a wet weather and flooding trigger. Stop or reassess works if water reaches the work area or birds begin using it for breeding.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Sequential clearing and supervision

Use a slow, supervised work sequence and keep disturbance away from active colonies. The fauna spotter catcher must have clear authority to stop work before an animal or breeding place is harmed.

Fence and inspect the approved work area before clearing. Clear from the outside toward retained habitat so birds have a route away from machinery and workers.

Use a fauna spotter catcher to inspect vegetation, wetland margins, trees, platforms and ground conditions immediately before and during each clearing stage.

Keep machinery at low speed near water and retained vegetation. Avoid sudden entry into reedbeds, islands or shallow water.

  • Clear only the area released by the spotter catcher.
  • Pause work whenever birds gather, circle, flush repeatedly, alarm call or attempt to return to a nest or roost.
  • Keep excavations, open pipes, trenches and water tanks covered or ramped when unattended.
  • Prevent workers from entering the colony to retrieve equipment or materials.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Active breeding place or colony found

Stop work immediately if a nest, active nest clump, colony, creche, roost or repeated breeding flight is found inside or near the work area.

Withdraw workers and machinery along the access route. Do not chase birds, handle nests or move eggs, chicks or nest material.

The ecologist must inspect the site, confirm the breeding status, revise the exclusion buffer and determine whether approvals or a high risk management program are required.

  • Secure the area with a visible exclusion control.
  • Prevent people, vehicles, drones, boats and dogs from entering the exclusion area.
  • Keep noise, vibration, lighting, dust and runoff away from the colony.
  • Do not resume work until the authorised environmental representative confirms that the revised controls and approvals are in place.
  • If a colony occupies the work area, redesign or defer the work wherever practicable.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Handling and injured animals

Handle a Straw-necked Ibis only when authorised under the relevant permit, management program or direction from the wildlife authority. Most healthy birds should be left where they are and allowed to move away from disturbance.

If an injured or distressed bird is found, stop nearby work and reduce noise and people. Keep workers and the public back while the fauna spotter catcher assesses it.

Use a trained wildlife carer, veterinarian or wildlife rescue service for treatment and transport. Do not give food or water unless directed by the receiving professional.

  • Record the location, time, condition, visible injuries, photographs and actions taken.
  • Use appropriate personal protective equipment and approved capture equipment if handling is authorised.
  • Keep the animal in a quiet, secure, ventilated container away from machinery, heat and direct light.
  • Never relocate eggs, chicks, nests or an active colony without written authority and a species specific plan.
  • Report serious injury, death, nest destruction, repeated flushing or suspected deliberate disturbance under the project approval and permit conditions.

During habitat disturbance: 4. Daily records and stop work events

Maintain a daily fauna log for all inspections, observations, exclusions, captures, releases and incidents.

Record the work activity, location, crew, machinery, weather, water conditions and the name of the person who released or stopped the area.

Use mapped photographs to show the colony boundary, buffer condition and any changes in water or vegetation.

  • Record all stop work events, including the trigger, time stopped, time restarted and controls added.
  • Record whether birds returned to nests or roosts after the disturbance.
  • Escalate any repeated flushing, nest abandonment, chick exposure, predator activity or changes in colony extent to the project ecologist.
  • Keep permit and management program records with the project environmental file.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Post-clearance inspection

Post work checks should confirm that birds, nests, roosts and wetland functions have not been left exposed to avoidable risks. Review incidents promptly and update controls before the next work stage.

Inspect the cleared area, retained vegetation, wetland edge, access routes and exclusion buffers after each clearing stage and at the end of each work day.

Look for injured birds, trapped chicks, damaged nests, displaced vegetation, open excavations, loose fencing, sediment, fuel or waste entering water.

Check retained trees and platforms for disturbance or damage. Inspect nearby roosts and creching areas from outside the buffer.

  • Use the spotter catcher or ecologist to release an area after inspection.
  • Remove or cover hazards such as pipes, pits, tanks, trenches and wire.
  • Repair exclusion fencing and sediment controls before leaving the site.
  • Keep post-clearance checks active for the period specified by the approval or management program, and extend them if birds continue to use the area.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Reporting and compliance

Provide the project manager and regulator with the required fauna and breeding place reports. Include survey results, colony maps, buffers, incidents, animal outcomes and photographs.

Report any death, injury, nest damage, colony disturbance or unauthorised entry in line with approval and permit conditions.

Where an EPBC approval or Queensland SMP applies, meet its notification, record keeping and monitoring requirements.

  • State the number of birds, nests, chicks or clumps affected where this can be established reliably.
  • Describe the cause, response, corrective action and person responsible.
  • Retain GPS files, field sheets, photographs, camera records, permits, correspondence and release details.
  • Do not describe a colony as inactive solely because birds were absent during one check.

After habitat disturbance: 3. Relocation and animal outcomes

Record the final outcome for every animal that was captured under authority, including release, transfer to care, death or other approved disposition.

Release a rehabilitated or displaced bird only when the wildlife professional and relevant approval consider the location, condition, weather, food and water suitable.

Do not move birds into an occupied colony or roost without ecological advice. A mobile waterbird may leave naturally, but a breeding colony cannot be treated as a collection of individual animals.

  • Record the release location, date, time, condition and person responsible.
  • Check that released birds are not directed into active works, roads, overhead wires or confined areas.
  • Follow any monitoring requirement attached to the permit, management program or rehabilitation advice.

After habitat disturbance: 4. Incident review and adaptive controls

Review every stop work event and wildlife incident with the fauna spotter catcher, ecologist, supervisor and project manager.

Compare the planned controls with what occurred. Identify whether the survey missed a colony, the buffer was unsuitable, workers entered the area, or water conditions changed.

Update the construction environmental management plan before further work proceeds in the affected area.

  • Move noisy activities, lighting, access routes or stockpiles if birds show repeated disturbance.
  • Increase survey frequency after rain, flooding or environmental watering.
  • Share lessons with the crew during the next toolbox talk.
  • Escalate recurring problems to the approving authority where required.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Restore wetland habitat

Rehabilitation should restore the wetland processes and vegetation that support nesting, feeding, refuge, roosting and movement. Straw-necked Ibises are mobile and nomadic, so habitat quality and water availability are usually more useful than trying to attract birds to a fixed structure.

Reinstate wetland contours, shallow water margins, damp sediment and seasonal inundation where these have been disturbed.

Restore dense reeds, rushes, bulrushes, lignum and suitable wetland vegetation in consultation with a wetland ecologist and land manager.

Retain trees over water and high bare branches used for roosting. Protect islands and vegetation surrounded by water where they provide safe nesting or refuge.

  • Use local native provenance where practical.
  • Control erosion and sediment before water enters the wetland.
  • Reconnect retained wetland areas with nearby feeding habitat where the project has severed access.
  • Coordinate water management with the relevant land and water manager. Breeding events depend on suitable water conditions, and watering only a small area may not provide enough nearby feeding habitat.
  • Avoid creating steep, deep or permanently dry margins that reduce shallow-water feeding habitat.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Nest and roost structures

Straw-necked Ibises use rough platforms made from reeds, sticks and rushes. They also nest among reeds, paperbarks, bulrushes and trees over water, and may reuse nests year after year.

Nest boxes and bat boxes are not suitable substitutes for this species. Only install artificial nest platforms or other structures where a wetland ecologist, land manager and relevant authority have confirmed that the design, water regime, location and maintenance requirements suit the site.

Do not place artificial structures close to active colonies or force birds to nest in areas exposed to people, machinery, predators or poor water quality.

  • Use natural vegetation and safe wetland islands as the first rehabilitation option.
  • If an artificial nest site is approved, document its design, materials, height, water relationship, access controls and inspection schedule.
  • Use remote cameras or distant observation to assess occupation and breeding response where monitoring is required.
  • Remove failed or unsafe structures under ecological advice. Do not install generic roost structures without evidence that they meet the species' needs.
  • Treat any occupied artificial platform as an active breeding place and apply the same exclusion and disturbance controls as for a natural colony.

Rehabilitation actions: 3. Water, weeds and predators

Manage water to provide shallow feeding areas, safe nesting vegetation and access to nearby foraging habitat. Avoid sudden drawdown, prolonged disturbance or water quality decline during an active breeding event.

Control weeds without entering active colonies or spraying near nests, chicks, feeding areas or water. Choose methods that prevent contaminated runoff and protect wetland vegetation.

Reduce access by feral pigs, dogs, vehicles and other predators where these threaten nests or chicks. Feral pigs have been recorded removing all eggs from a nest clump.

  • Inspect for pest activity before and during rehabilitation.
  • Use predator control only under an approved program and with advice from the land manager and ecologist.
  • Keep stock, machinery and recreational access away from restored nesting and roosting areas.
  • Remove waste, wire, plastic and other entanglement hazards.
  • Do not alter water levels without checking active breeding use and the requirements of the water management authority.

Rehabilitation actions: 4. Long term monitoring

Monitor vegetation establishment, water conditions, feeding habitat, roost use and breeding activity over more than one season where the project affects a wetland or former colony.

Use fixed photo points, mapped observations, nest clump counts, flock counts and remote cameras where they can be deployed without repeated entry into the colony.

Compare results with the approved rehabilitation objectives and adjust water, weed, access or predator controls as conditions change.

  • Survey after flooding, heavy rain and environmental watering because new colonies may form quickly.
  • Record colony presence, approximate extent, nest clumps, breeding stage, chicks, creching areas and disturbance responses.
  • Check whether adults can move safely between nesting, roosting and feeding areas.
  • Continue monitoring until the ecologist and approval holder agree that the habitat is stable and the required outcomes have been met.
  • Report new colonies and active breeding places before maintenance, mowing, weed control or follow up construction begins.

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