Beach-nesting Birds - SciStarter

"Because beach-nesting birds have such poor breeding success, their numbers are declining and it won't be long before they become extinct. They are in desperate need of a helping hand". Many different types of birds live in Australia’s coastal areas - gulls, terns, cormorants and shorebirds, to name a handful - but only a few of them actually nest on the beach. There are five species of Australian shorebirds which nest only or usually on the beach: * Pied Oystercatcher * Sooty Oystercatcher * Beach Stone-curlew * Red-capped Plover * Hooded Plover The greatest threat to Australia’s beach-nesting birds is disturbance from people visiting the beach. This disturbance is greatest in spring and summer, when beach-nesting birds usually lay their eggs, coinciding with the peak period of recreational use of beaches.