Lake Hawdon System Important Bird Area

They are the most important of a string of regional lakes occupying swale corridors between modern and historical sand dunes.

It includes the following lakes listed in order from north to south - Hawdon, Robe, Eliza, St Clair and George, and the area extending for a distance of one kilometre (0.62 mi) inland from each in order to include habitat used by critically endangered orange-bellied parrots.

Characteristics of the lakes are:[1] The wetland system was identified by BirdLife International as an IBA because it regularly supports over 1% of the world populations of red-necked stint, and often of sharp-tailed sandpipers, double-banded plovers and banded stilts.

It also provides habitat for orange-bellied parrots, Australasian bitterns, rufous bristlebirds and striated fieldwrens.

[1] The adjacent beaches and offshore islets, from Cowrtie Island[clarification needed] to Baudin Rocks, sometimes support breeding fairy terns.