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TheGriffith Wetlands Important Bird Area is a group ofwetlands lying close to theRiverina town ofGriffith in southernNew South Wales,Australia. It lies within theMurrumbidgee Irrigation Area.
North and SouthLake Wyangan are used for water storage; they contain an area ofcumbungi. Nericon Swamp is a shallow swamp usually dry enough to be grazed by cattle, though it sometimes fills from local rains when it supports large numbers ofwaders. Barren Box Swamp was originally an ephemeral swamp; it has been divided into three parts, with 60% of it remaining a natural wetland which holds water only in wet years; the other 40% is used for water storage and recycling, withreed beds and grazed margins. Campbell's Swamp is ablack box-lignum swamp containing extensive open areas punctuated by stands ofreeds and cumbungi; it fills occasionally from local rainfall or with water released from the irrigation system.[1]
Together, the wetlands have been identified byBirdLife International as a fragmented 38 km2 (15 sq mi)Important Bird Area (IBA) because they regularly support small numbers of theendangeredAustralasian bittern as well as occasionally supporting over 1% of the world populations ofsharp-tailed sandpipers,red-necked avocets andchestnut teals.[2]
34°09′42″S145°51′21″E / 34.16167°S 145.85583°E /-34.16167; 145.85583