Staaten River National Park

Staaten River National Park
Queensland
IUCN category II (national park)
Staaten River National Park
Nearest town or city Chillagoe
Coordinates 16°15′19″S 142°40′46″E / 16.25528°S 142.67944°E / -16.25528; 142.67944Coordinates: 16°15′19″S 142°40′46″E / 16.25528°S 142.67944°E / -16.25528; 142.67944
Established 1977
Area 4,700 km2 (1,814.7 sq mi)
Managing authorities Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
See also Protected areas of Queensland

The Staaten River National Park is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 1,640 km northwest of Brisbane. It receives its name from the Staaten River which flows through the park.[1]

Environment

The park encompasses an extensive section of the least modified tropical savannas in Queensland. The vegetation is savanna woodland dissected by ephemeral streams with a small number of permanent or semi-permanent waterholes. It has few exotic weeds or introduced animals.[2]

Important Bird Area

The park has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports a large population of up to a thousand endangered golden-shouldered parrots. Feral pigs destroy the parrots' nesting mounds and reduce the bird's food source. When conditions allow the pigs population to grow significantly the animal is culled by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.[3]

It also supports populations of Australian bustards, bush stone-curlews, black-throated and masked finches, varied lorikeets, and yellow-tinted, banded, yellow and bar-breasted honeyeaters.[4]

See also

References

  1. "Staaten River National Park". Total Travel. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  2. BirdLife International. (2011). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Staaten River. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 24/10/2011.
  3. Kirsty Nancarrow (7 December 2011). "Hope feral pigs cull will save endangered parrot". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  4. "IBA: Staaten River". Birdata. Birds Australia. Retrieved 2011-10-24.


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