Assessment Summary

The Bush Stone-curlew (Burhinus grallarius) is a medium-sized, long-legged Australian bush bird. It is found throughout grassland and open woodland areas, including off-shore islands, and is absent only from deserts, forest and higher altitudes.

Bush Stone-curlews were down graded from vulnerable to least concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2012.  As there was no evidence to suggest the species had undergone a moderately rapid population decline over three generations, and the species’s range and population are both large and do not approach any of the thresholds for classification as Vulnerable, it has therefore been downlisted to Least Concern.  In Tasmania the Bush Stone-curlew is a 'controlled animal' under the Tasmanian Nature Conservation Act 2002 and is a 'Restricted (special purpose) wildlife​' species under the Nature Conservation (Wildlife) Regulations 2021.

Burhinus grallarius is not considered a pest species. It has not established feral populations outside its native range and there is no evidence of the species causing any major impacts on the environment or agriculture.

There is a moderate likelihood that this species could establish in Tasmania. The most significant impacts are likely to be predation because Bush Stone-curlews have a broad diet of small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and carrion. The consequence of this species establishing in Tasmania is low.

This risk assessment categorises Bush Stone-curlews as a moderate threat to Tasmania and proposes that imports be restricted to those licence holders approved for keeping moderate threat species.

Assessment Documentation

  Bush Stone-curlew (Burhinus grallarius)   (653Kb)