Riverina rice farmers offer areas of crop to protect Australasian bitterns
ABCA bittern-friendly rice program in southern New South Wales is covering more hectares of farmland than ever before, with an ecologist attributing it to recent La Niña rain. Key points: Australiasian bitterns are endangered, and make their nests in natural rice fields 2000 hectares of rice crop will be used in southern NSW for bittern breeding Ecologists say La Niña is bringing with it ideal conditions for bird and animal life The Australasian bittern, also known as the bunyip bird, is a globally endangered waterbird and lives in vegetated wetlands relying on reeds and rice crops to roost and breed in. Murray Wildlife ecologist Matt Herring said the increase in the "bittern-friendly" crop in the Griffith region was due to "favourable water allocations". "There's so much water around this year, it's La Niña," Mr Herring said. "All rice crops have some value for the bitterns," Mr Herring said.
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